The last data concerning the species of reptiles and amphibians (herpetofauna) in Saint-Martin date back to 2002.
"However, since significant changes in the population of the island have taken place, leading to the introduction of new exotic species as well as the description of new endemic species", estimates the Nature Reserve of Saint-Martin. "All these developments and the lack of recent work make it difficult to assess the conservation status of these taxa", she explains. It therefore wishes to carry out a study aimed at updating this data.
This study will make it possible to better understand the distribution areas of reptiles and amphibians and thus better define the challenges of their protection in the development, and even to propose conservation statuses for all species.
"The inventories will be carried out in the form of day and night tracking to detect as many individuals as possible over the whole of the French part", indicates the Nature Reserve. It “will try to work on the Dutch side as well, but this aspect will depend on the authorizations it can obtain”. "On certain rare taxa or for which identification problems exist, genetic captures and samples may take place," she notes.
The study should be delivered in June next year. It is managed by the Nature Reserve and carried out by the Ardops Environnement group and the Alsophis association.
The cost of this study is 8 euros, 360% of which is funded by the Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition.
(photo credit: Saint-Martin nature reserve)
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