Author: Leslie Hickerson

The Monkey Management Project designed and implemented by the Nature Foundation St. Maarten and funded by the R4CR Grant Scheme has been completed. This six-month project focused on researching the abundance and status of the invasive vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) and to establish sustainable and humane solutions to manage the invasive monkey population to protect St. Maarten’s native species and local agriculture. The project results recommend initiating the management solution human euthanasia of the monkeys. This solution would be the most time and cost effective and has received the most support from residents, according to the survey conducted. It is highly advised for the eradication management option to be initiated in the very near future.

The project included field research as well as a management option survey to gain the St. Maarten’s resident’s opinions. “The survey resulted in 54% of the respondents choosing eradication as the best management solution, and 33% of the respondents choosing sterilization, with the last 13% of respondents choosing to do nothing. These results show that the majority of the St. Maarten residents believe that eradication is the best management solution available” stated Project Coordinator Alice Manley.

The field research showed that the highest number of monkeys are present in Point Blanche hill area, but also in Guana Bay, Sentry and Dawn Beach hill areas, high amounts of monkeys can be seen. The numbers of monkeys sighted in the field surveys are expected to be an underestimation of the monkeys present, due to the difficulty of the monkey sightings in the dense bush area and differences in residential activity time of the monkeys during the day. It is estimated that a number of 6 to 9 separate troops of Vervet monkeys are present on the Dutch side of St. Maarten, the troops are estimated to have 10 up to a maximum of 50 individuals. “If nothing is done within the near future, the vervet monkey population on St. Maarten can rapidly increase causing further issues with native species, agriculture and even human safety. We recommend the government to make the funds available or apply for grants to start the management process as soon as possible to prevent deterioration of the monkey situation or have residents taking matters into their own hands” urged Nature Foundation’s Manager Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern.

The management surveys were conducted in person, with representatives of the Nature Foundation visiting different ‘hotspots’ (grocery, convenience, and hardware stores) around the island at different times of the day. This survey was not posted online nor were the hotspots declared to the public ahead of time in an effort to keep the results unbiased demographically accurate.

“It was important to the Nature Foundation, R4CR, and the World Bank that the residents of St. Maarten were able to weigh in on the management options before a recommendation was given on how to handle this invasive species. It is a difficult decision to make morally and many aspects have to be taken into account. Giving the public a voice during this process ensures that the island will be supportive of future management projects,” said the Nature Foundation St. Maarten.

This research project has led to a fully developed research report that can be used to address funding options and inform the government and the public about the needs of managing the population. The Nature Foundation would like to thank R4CR and the World Bank for the opportunity to perform this project. The Foundation believes that the results from this project will be useful in the future to help maintain and promote the health of the native species and combat the effects of invasive species, the complete report can be found on the website www.naturefoundationsxm.org.

The R4CR program is a grant scheme that focuses exclusively on financing and strengthening of local Civil Society Organization (CSOs). The program is financed by the Government of the Netherlands via the St. Maarten Trust Fund. The latter is administered by the World Bank, implemented by the NRPB (National Recovery Program Bureau) and executed by VNGI (the Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten International) in close cooperation with Foresee Foundation-NPOwer and other local partners.

The Nature Foundation has been working closely with the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) and its contractors during the removal of the shipwrecks from Hurricane Irma in 2017 that still remain in the Simpson Bay Lagoon. Foundation staff has been providing assessments, advice, and assistance to ensure that the removal of these wrecks is done with as little impact to the natural environment as possible.

Prior to removal of wrecks found to be in vulnerable areas the Nature Foundation assesses if any endangered species are surrounding or on the wrecks. Based on the results of these surveys, guidance and recommendations are made to prevent unnecessary damages to the island’s ecosystem. “Due to the extended period the wrecks have been submerged in the marine waters and their location, several surveys need to be conducted to report and assess if any native seagrass beds, corals, surrounding mangroves, or other species of importance could be at risk during salvaging. Recommendations are made taking in consideration the salvaging methods to ensure maximum environmental protection and this has led to a successful collaboration” stated Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern Manager of the Nature Foundation.

In addition to the surveys and advice on shipwreck removal the foundation staff has been transplanting endangered and vulnerable corals from the wrecks onto the coral reef surrounding the island. During the lengthy time the shipwrecks have been underwater in the lagoon some have had corals affixed and begin growing to their submerged hulls including Starlet, Golfball, Cup, and Brain corals. Several coral species have been transplanted successfully from the shipwrecks to the dive site ‘Frenchman’s reef’, hopefully resulting in high coral survival rates.

The Simpson Bay Lagoon is a unique ecosystem that is home to many juvenile fish, important native seagrass beds, mangroves, and marine life. Both mangroves and seagrass play a large role in the health of the island in several ways including; flood prevention, acting as shelter for animals living in and around the lagoon, and helping to absorb the carbon that is responsible for globally rising temperatures. An estimated 60% of St. Maarten’s original mangroves have been lost over the years and an interest in waterfront properties and expansion is a constant threat to those that remain. Protecting the surviving mangroves is essential to the health of our island’s ecosystem.

Coral transplantation has been used for several decades as a restoration method which consists of relocating coral fragments to areas where they would be more likely to survive. “To successfully transplant a coral fragment, it is first gently removed from the wreck by our Dive Crew. The fragments are then quickly transported in ocean water to the site they will be placed. Corals will be affixed to the prepared seabed with a special underwater epoxy. Overtime the corals with grow over the epoxy and naturally attach at their base. Corals are very sensitive creatures and extreme care is taken by our crew during the transplanting process to ensure higher survival rates” explained Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern.

While coral transplantation is a lengthy and labour-intensive process, it is essential to promote coral growth on St. Maarten where the health of our coral reef is at risk. Several factors have negatively impacted the health of our marine ecosystem in recent years including; Hurricane Irma, coral disease, pollution and rising water temperatures. Removing corals from the shipwrecks in the lagoon and replanting them on our island’s coral reefs provides the opportunity for these corals to survive and thrive in our waters and benefits the biodiversity of the natural environment.

The Nature Foundation Junior Rangers were able to participate in an awareness project throughout the month of November creating outreach about the new Eco-Bracelet, during which they introduced the importance of nature and the bracelet to their friends and family. The Ranger that was able to spread the most awareness about the need to protect St. Maarten’s environment won a Samsung A21S cell phone donated by TelCell NV.

The 2020-2021 Nature Foundation Junior Rangers are the first to participate in a full year program. Each month the Rangers meet for an activity and classroom session that focuses on an aspect of conservation or St. Maarten’s natural environment. The rangers that were chosen to participate applied over the summer by submitting essays about why it is important to protect the island’s ecosystem.

“The Nature Foundation Junior Ranger Program is an important part of our Outreach and Education programs at the foundation. Educating the next generation is one of the most important aspects of conservation work as these students will truly understand the importance of our natural environment and why it must be protected. Giving students an incentive like a free phone to get them comfortable with outreach and awareness was amazing and we greatly appreciate the support of TelCell,” said Educational Outreach Officer Leslie Hickerson.

A notable achievement for the program was the inclusion of the PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification through funding provided by the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Caribisch Gebied and Ocean Explorers Dive Center. In the fall the students earned their certification over several courses and shallow open water dives with the Ocean Explorers crew. Throughout their training the students learned about the importance of coral reefs and the current state of our underwater ecosystem and experienced its beauty firsthand.

Other events have included; a tour of the mangroves and interactive discussion about their importance, a virtual quiz night between the Dutch Caribbean Islands, a course about the impacts of single-use plastics and accompanying beach clean-up, and many more.

The inclusion of the Eco-Bracelet promotion gave the Rangers a chance to give back to the program that has given them many opportunities, and the chance to win the generously donated cellphone from TelCell. Ranger Stefanie Frederiks was most successful in her outreach, involving over 40 of her friends and family.

“I am very happy to be part of the Junior Ranger program because I have learned so much already and now, I also have my PADI scuba diving certification. I am happy that there are companies like Telem that support these programs and I would like to thank all the people that donated for the Eco-Bracelets. Wear your bracelet and let everyone know that you are an Eco-Warrior! Together we can take care of our island and treat it really well like a golden nugget,” said Stéfanie Frederiks, “I also want to thank Ms. Leslie for her helping the Junior Rangers and for teaching us so much about coral reefs, and thank you to the Nature Foundation for this great opportunity.”

The Nature Foundation would like to extend their deepest condolences to the friends and family members of the woman who died on Orient Bay beach. It is very saddened to hear about this accident and that the cause of her death is due to a shark. “Human fatalities due to shark bites are very rare and none were recorded before this accident on St. Maarten. No one will know the reason why this shark biting occurred causing the young woman to loose her life, however we do want to stress that sharks are not killing machines. Rare accidents like this one can happen, however most sharks are harmless and an important contributor to the health of our marine ecosystem” stated the Nature Foundation.

The Nature Foundation would like to remind the public that sharks are a protected species in Sint Maarten waters and cannot be hunted, caught or killed. “We have heard rumors of fishermen going out to hunt our local sharks due to this accident, however our local sharks, such as reef sharks and nurse sharks are not to be blamed for this accident. Besides, sharks and rays are a protected species when in Dutch waters and catching, landing and killing will be prosecuted according to our legislation” explained Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern Manager of the Nature Foundation.

According to the French authorities the cause of the accident is suspected to be a large tiger shark, especially large tiger sharks are migratory species travelling great distances in a single day. “It is extremely likely that this shark already disappeared into the deep ocean, besides sharks are not known to re-bite when mistakenly have bitten a human, humans are not food they consume”. The Nature foundation thinks a swimming ban is not deemed necessary and will only create additional fear among the population, of course those individuals who decide not to swim are being respected.

Sharks are still wild animals and top predators, they survive due to their predatory skills, therefore accidents like this may occasionally happen. “However, bites are often mistaken identities by the shark, the shark is confused, or curious as splashing water can make them to investigate the situation. There is no evidence that sharks are hunting humans or in any case eating them, although we are a very easy meal for them to catch. You would be surprised how often people are in the water with sharks, but they just ignored the humans. It is actually surprising how few shark accidents happen considering how many people worldwide enter their habitat every day, the ocean itself takes much more lives due to for example drowning (and that stopped no one from swimming in our waters). But this is not a reason to not mourn the loss of this young woman’s life, as we are shocked and saddened by this accident” clarified Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern.

The Nature Foundation is aware of the occurrence of tiger sharks around St. Maarten and in the Caribbean region, especially juvenile tiger sharks are recorded in our waters and these sharks are researched and tagged by the Foundation. The larger tiger sharks are passing by on their journey through the Caribbean region but spend most of their time offshore in deeper waters, sometimes close to drop offs, for example at the Saba Bank. On that location the Nature Foundation, Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance and Saba Conservation Foundation have tagged and researched large tiger sharks, these larger ones are hardly recorded close to shore. Attached a track is shown of one of the larger tiger sharks (>3m) tagged on the Saba Bank, showing very little interaction with the Caribbean islands, spending most of his time in the deeper open ocean and showing no return to the same location.

The Foundation is not in the support of Shark or Fish feeding in our waters and have always recommended to not feed marine life. There have been some suggestions made by the public that the cause of this incident is linked to shark feeding dives being operated in St. Maarten. Shark feeding is no longer accepted within the Man of War shoal Marine Protected Area since 2014 (Dutch side). In addition, in the past these dives were focused on the local species such as Nurse and Caribbean Reef sharks, which live in our waters. Tiger sharks are migratory species and not seen during scuba dives and neither ever being fed, therefore local feeding is thought to be unlikely to influence such accidents as large tiger sharks do not live here, they only pass by occasionally.

World-wide in 2019 there were a total of 5 fatalities due to shark bites, none close to this region. “Therefore, we ask everyone to not let themselves be driven by fear as most sharks are still harmless. Sharks are not out there to kill us, otherwise no one would be able to swim in our waters, sharks are key species for the marine ecosystem and their presence is vital” concluded the Nature Foundation.

Over the weekend the Nature Foundation received a report of a dead sea turtle found in the waters close to Beacon Hill and Burgeaux bay. The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) clearly died due to a boat engine and was drifting around for some days, until it was found on Sunday by the dive school SXM Divers. This year again a concerning amount of sea turtles have died due to boat strikes, although the water activities are slow due to COVID19. So far for 2020, the Foundation reported already 5 sea turtles deceased due to boat strikes.

“We were very sad to find the dead sea turtle, especially as due to COVID 19 reduced activities much less boat traffic is happening this year, however we still find dead sea turtles. Apparently, some boats chose to speed in the foraging grounds of sea turtles, or the water surface is not monitored during boat driving. Since last year we see an increase in reported dead sea turtles, five of them died due to boat strikes in and around the Simpson Bay Lagoon area, two sea turtles died in our trash, ending up entangled in a chair and fishing gear, also an additional amount of sea turtles died on the French side. Sea turtles are vulnerable species, when they forage they need to come up to the surface in order to breath, speeding boats do not provide the sea turtles enough time to escape back into the safe zone” stated Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern Nature Foundation’s Manager.

Sea turtle population numbers have plummeted to dangerously low numbers throughout the past century due to human impacts, bringing many species close to extinction and causing them to be listed as critically endangered. On St Maarten, all sea turtle species are protected by international laws and treaties as well as local laws. Based on ARTICLE 16 and 17 of the Nature Conservation Ordinance St. Maarten it is illegal to kill, wound, capture, pick-up, and have animals that belong to a protected animal species, to directly or indirectly disturb their environment resulting in a physical threat or damage to the fauna or to commit other acts which result in disturbance of the animal. It is also forbidden to upset an animal belonging to a protected species, to disturb damage or destroy its nest, lair, or breeding place, as well as to take the nest of such an animal. Also, it is forbidden to pick-up or to destroy the eggs of animals belonging to a protected species, which Sea Turtles are.

“We are seriously concerned about the survival chances of our sea turtle population and urge to increase and enforce the protection level of our precious sea turtles. We are asking all boaters to pay attention to sea turtles when driving in our waters and to reduce their speed to lower limits close to shore and in Simpson Bay and Great Bay” stated the Nature Foundation.

The Nature Foundation asks that individuals contact the Foundation when injured or dead sea turtles are found, as proper burial is needed, the Foundation is also the designated authority for sea turtle management and other endangered and invasive species issues. Currently, sea turtle nesting is still occurring on several beaches, therefore please report any possible nesting signs and tracks to the Nature Foundation, as all sea turtle nests are being monitored by the Foundation.

The dead green turtle also had several tumors due to the Fibropapillomatosis virus, a common disease found in sea turtles probably facilitated by poor water quality. The animal can live with the tumors for a long time, but it does show us something about its health and the health of the surrounding waters. The cause of these tumors is unclear; however polluted water could certainly play a role. Scientific research found a link between excess nitrogen (sewage) which accumulates in algae that sea turtles eat. This can cause Fibropapilliomatosis in sea turtles, which forms tumors and is the leading cause of deaths in endangered green sea turtles.

Photocredit: Daniel Norwood, SXM Divers

The Red Cross and Nature Foundation St. Maarten hosted their first tree planting event in the M.A.C. primary school John A. Gumbs Campus as part of their Re-greening SXM Project. The project (an initiative of the Red Cross and the Nature Foundation SXM) organized its first tree planting event within this school garden last Saturday, whereby more than 60 trees, shrubs and herbs were planted. Over 60 volunteers came out in support of the project’s mission to restore environmental resilience and aid in the building of the agricultural program within the M.A.C. primary school J.A.G. Campus. Volunteers spent their morning planting trees, painting tires which were recycled, varnishing wood, tire placement, and preparing the area for the building of a greenhouse.

“I have never seen so many volunteers come out to an event before to create such a difference, it was honestly very exciting and heart-warming. I am proud of everyone who came out, without them nothing would be possible. The event was an absolute success which makes me even more excited for our future planting events” said Ernika van Putten, Re-greening SXM Project Leader.”

Volunteers learned how to carry-out proper plant transference along with the importance of trees within our communities. Trees help build our environment’s resilience against disasters, improve soil and air quality, and improves the overall health of the environment. They also learned the importance of having an educational program that can further inform the youth of this importance.

“The event was a great success and we are very thankful for the partnership with the Red Cross to help establish our agricultural project.” Now we can use the garden as a means of teaching the students about simple plants, the process of planting, the way plants grow, and its importance in our environment. The students actually named the garden prior to its existence, they called it the ‘Eat What You Grow Garden!’” said Jamal Newton, Community School Coordinator.

Each volunteer was required to wear their mask, and practice social distancing in order to comply with current standards. In addition, sanitary precautions were taken, gloves were provided to each volunteer.

The Re-greening team is looking forward to having more successful events like this one and would like to encourage the public to stay tuned for the upcoming tree planting opportunities. The next tree planting event will be held at Seaside Nature Park, Cay Bay, in mid-October, stay connected for date releases. To sign up to volunteer for this project you can email us at info@naturefoundationsxm.org or visit naturefoundationsxm.org/preservation/regreening-st-maarten/.

The Nature Foundation started a new project in order to find solutions for the continuing issues created by the invasive monkey species on the island, especially agriculture performers experience negative setbacks due to this invasive species. The Foundation’s first step, under the lead of Alice Manley, will include researching the current monkey population and develop a management plan in order to manage this species, the second step includes finding funding to implement the management plan. Alice Manley, a returning local who recently graduated from Anglia Ruskin University with a B.Sc. in Animal Behaviour, will be interning for the Nature Foundation Sint Maarten and will study this invasive Vervet monkey and possible management options. It is important to study and manage invasive species and make funds available (which are currently not available), as the invasive monkey species could be detrimental to the island’s economy and agriculture.

Recently, a survey was already placed on the Nature Foundation’s Facebook page that is still active, asking for information from local residents about the monkeys that may or may not be on or near their property. The Nature Foundation will soon be conducting field surveys to find out more information about the species’ movement and abundance on St. Maarten.

Vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) are a least concern species on the IUCN red list, this species is therefore not endangered or in any trouble of soon becoming endangered. This species is very adaptable and often found in urban areas of Africa, the Caribbean and some countries in South America. As many know, vervet monkeys have become a nuisance on the island of Sint Maarten. This monkey species is an invasive species that is quickly overpopulating. While it is unknown the definite time of introduction, it is believed to have been in the 17^th Century when settlers arrived on the island, and in the 1970s monkeys arrived via St Kitts as part of the exotic pet trade.

The citizen survey that was placed on the Nature Foundation’s Facebook page has so far reached 53 responses, with 40 individuals saying they have seen monkeys near their residences. “So far, the results from the survey show that most monkeys are recorded by residents on the east side of the island, mainly including Pointe Blanche, Guana Bay and Dawn Beach. With some sights in Pelican Cay, Indigo Bay, South Reward, St. Peters, and Almond Grove. Our results have shown that 75% of our respondents participate in at home agriculture, feeding an average of 4 people per household. Within these respondents another 65% responded that their crops were being affected by the monkeys entering their properties. Many respondents graciously gave us their emails for possible further contact if we need more information. We would like to thank all residents who have participated in our survey” explained Alice Manley.

The Nature Foundation provides a few tips for residents when issues with monkeys are being experienced; drape a thin cloth material or mosquito netting over your crops, pick the fruit as soon as possible, or spray water from a water pistol or hose to chase the monkeys away. Monkeys are naturally afraid of snakes, leaving realistic rubber snakes around your garden is believed to scare them away. Make sure you are often moving the snakes to different areas and not leaving them in one place for too long, as the monkeys are smart and will realize they are not real and ignore them. Further solutions include growing crops the monkeys do not like on your property perimeter, including chilies and ginger, or to buy and set up an animal safe electric fence around your perimeter, to produce small non-fatal shocks to the animals that may touch the fence. Remember to be safe when using the electric fence and to keep children away from it.

The Nature Foundation takes this issue very seriously and has been researching alternative solutions. If you have any monkeys that are commonly in your property please send the Nature Foundation an email at info@naturefoundationsxm.org, please provide as many details as possible, including how many monkeys you normally see, where your property is, and how often you see the monkeys.

Photo Caption: Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) at Pointe Blanche, photo credits Kim Frye.

Last week the Nature Foundation successfully outplanted several Acropora coral fragments on the dive site Coralita in the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area of St. Maarten. These coral fragments have been growing in the Nature Foundation’s coral nursery for several years, some of these fragments where even Hurricane Irma survivors and are now able to flourish on the local coral reefs. As part of the Coral Restoration Project the Nature Foundation established a coral nursery to increase growth of coral fragments, eventually these fragments are transplanted to coral restoration sites to improve the local reefs.

After Hurricane Irma, especially the coral species ‘Staghorn’ (Acropora cervicornis) almost totally disappeared from St. Maarten reefs due to the massive storm surge and the indirect impacts of the hurricane. “Only two fragments were left in our coral nursery and 95% of the mother colonies on the reefs were wiped out. Fortunately, we were able to save one viable staghorn fragment, which now have turned into ten colonies outplanted on our reefs and several fragment still growing in the nursery. The new Staghorn fragments are doing well, but the growth is slow, although staghorn is one of the fastest growing corals it still only grows about a centimeter per month. We hope to see a comeback of this import reef building stony coral on our reefs” explained Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern Manager at the Nature Foundation St. Maarten.

Besides Staghorn corals, Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) fragments were outplanted on St. Maarten reefs, the Elkhorn colonies are showing unfortunately less growth, and some did not survive or even lost significant tissue. “We are concerned about the Elkhorn fragments, although they are more abundant than the Staghorn corals on our reefs still about 80% was damaged during Hurricane Irma and we had only 10 fragments left in our coral nursery after Hurricane Irma. We are not sure why the outplanted Elkhorn corals are hardly thriving, as their mother colonies are slowly showing signs of recovery, but deteriorated water quality could be the reason” continued Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern.

The Nature Foundation St. Maarten outplanted in total 64 Acropora fragments in the Man of War Shoal Marine Park over the course of a 1.5 years and hopes to find additional funding in order to continue their coral restoration project. Mainly in order to continue to restore some of the damage to the local coral reefs caused not only by the Hurricanes but also by several issues the island has been facing over the last few decades, in terms of unrestrained coastal development and improperly managed waste-water.

Acropora corals (Staghorn and Elkhorn) are not affected by the destructive disease called ‘Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease’ which is currently affecting St Maarten’s stony corals tremendously, however their abundance has mostly been lost since the 1980’s, especially on St. Maarten hardly much Acropora Corals can be found. Acropora corals are currently listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List and are a significant reef building coral, the loss of these corals has large negative effects on biodiversity, fish biomass, and coastal protection. The Nature Foundation continues to monitor and maintain their coral nursery and outplanted corals and create new colonies to be planted back on our denuded coral reefs.

The Nature Foundation St Maarten is restoring Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and Staghorn (A. cervicornis) coral reef zones by establishing a coral nursery to grow coral fragments and transplant corals at selected restoration sites. The goal is to raise these new coral colonies in nurseries to repopulate denuded coral reefs with fresh corals. Small colonies are specifically selected for characteristics such as robustness and fast growth to create resilient populations of new corals. The project was made possible with the assistance of the Coral Restoration Foundation, NOAA, the Coral Reef Restoration Consortium and the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance.

Coral Restoration St. Maarten. Photo by Leslie Hickerson

Photo caption: Coral outplanting and restoration activities performed by the staff of Nature Foundation St. Maarten (photo credit Leslie Hickerson).

The Nature Foundation St. Maarten is very concerned about the state of the local coral reefs, which is one of the most important ecosystems for St. Maarten; as it is providing coastline protection from storms, delivering clear waters, a home for fishes and it is an important tourist attraction. Over the last two years many coral colonies have died and disappeared from St. Maarten reefs, leaving bare coral skeletons behind. A relatively new coral disease ‘Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease’ (SCTLD) was first discovered in 2018 on St. Maarten reefs and since then the disease has been monitored by the Nature Foundation in order to determine its impact over time. The Foundation believes that the new coral disease and continuous wastewater input into the ocean is the major cause of the deterioration of local coral reefs, and increased protection for corals is needed!

“We are very concerned about the corals in our waters and have noticed a large decrease in their abundance over the past years. Worldwide, corals are facing tremendous threats, due to rising ocean temperatures, overfishing and coastal development. St. Maarten adds several threats to corals due to pollution and high wastewater input, which could increase the vulnerability to diseases and act as a stressor for corals, leading to early coral fatalities. We depend on our coral reefs and we need to ensure their survival for the future, without corals we are more prone to storms and tourists will not visit when our coral reefs disappear. Increased protection for coral reefs is essential on St. Maarten and the government should move to increase the marine protected area to cover all coral reefs occurring around our island immediately, before it is to late” urged Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern Manager of the Nature Foundation St. Maarten.

Picture 1: Shows a bare skeleton of a maze coral (Meandrina meandrites) which died due to Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (photo credit Leslie Hickerson).

Recently, the Nature Foundation re-surveyed the impact of the (SCTLD) disease on St. Maarten coral reefs and discovered a large decrease in actively diseased coral colonies, but an increase in deceased bare coral skeletons. This indicates the major impact the disease has had on St. Maarten coral reefs. “Currently only eight active diseased coral colonies were found when surveying the six monitoring sites, which is an improvement as it shows the disease is slowing down on our coral reefs. However during the last surveys, in total much fewer alive coral colonies were recorded in 2.5 hours compared with the beginning of 2019, indicating many colonies succumbed to the disease already and are overgrown with algae and other marine life. Also, those coral species which are highly susceptible for the disease, were found to have perished or their bare skeletons were recorded, such as maze corals (Meandrina meandrites) and pillar corals (Dendrogyra cylindrus). In addition, other susceptible species for the disease such as brain and star corals (Pseudodiploria, Diploria and Orbicella genus), were found to be dead, all most likely due to the SCTLD disease and facilitated by poor water quality” continued Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern.

The Foundation found an average of 3% infection rates of the primary susceptible corals for the disease on the sites around St. Maarten in the Summer of 2020, in the Autumn of 2019 25% of the susceptible species were found to be diseased and 66% in the Spring of 2019. The decrease in infection rates over time is probably due to that most ‘primary susceptible species’ already perished earlier in 2019 and less coral colonies are left in total. Lower density in corals leads to fewer transmissions to healthy corals and the alive corals currently left, maybe became already resistant to the disease.

Picture 2: Shows a bare skeleton of a pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus) succumbed due to the disease (photo credit Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern)

During the recent surveys the Foundation found hardly any coral colonies from the species which are marked by experts as ‘highly susceptible’ to the disease (such as maze and pillar corals), which indicates that these species already perished and have been overgrown by algae and other marine life. Infection rates by the disease were very high for St. Maarten corals in 2019, fortunately it slowed down and certain colonies are surviving the disease, the high infection rate of this disease shows that St. Maarten corals could be more sensitive than in other areas.

The continuous input of wastewater, either directly released to the ocean or indirectly related to land-based sources, causes coral colonies to become more susceptible and vulnerable to diseases and other external threats. Corals are very fragile and sensitive, nutrient input due to wastewater is a large threat for corals and this is occurring abundantly on St. Maarten. The high infection rates of SCTLD disease clearly shows the vulnerability of St. Maarten corals. St. Maarten was one of the first Caribbean Nations (together with Jamaica and Mexican Caribbean) affected with this new disease, after its discovery in Florida in 2014. An active Port, including transshipment port and cruise ship terminal, may have caused SCTLD disease to arrive on St. Maarten early, via ballast water, urging the need of proper regulations and enforcement of discharging ballast water.

Picture 3: Depicts a lettuce coral (Agaricia agaricites) currently infected by the coral disease (photo credit Leslie Hickerson).

The Nature Foundation used the Roving Diver methodology in order to establish the impact of the Tissue Loss disease on coral reefs. During the research, scientific divers conduct a swim around the site, focusing on species that are primarily impacted by the disease outbreak, all stony coral species and their level of disease impact are being recorded. This research provides insight in the order in which species are affected, the rate of spread of the disease and the frequency across different coral reef sites.

Tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is a relatively new issue that has been plaguing coral reefs in the Atlantic Basin for the last few years. The coral reef disease manifests itself through the creation of white blotches on stony coral, eventually leading to the loss of tissue and eventual death in the coral colony. The disease affects 20 different coral species and is able to kill colonies within several weeks or months. The disease appears to be water borne and may potentially be spread by divers their gear according to the Florida Disease Advisory Committee. Nature Foundation advises scuba divers to soak their gear in a 1% bleach solution for 10 minutes, and rinse well after, especially when moving in between islands. Nature Foundation also advises all divers to be aware of their fins and to not touch any diseased or healthy coral; as you will transmit the disease to other corals!

Graph 1: Shows the total percentage of SCTLD diseased ‘primary susceptible’ coral colonies per survey period for St. Maarten, the graph also shows the decrease in total coral colonies recorded in 2.5 hours (blue line) per survey period.

The Nature Foundation St. Maarten selected five local students to participate in their first Junior Ranger Year Program with support of the ‘Prins Bernard Cultuurfonds Caribisch gebied’, Yacht Club Port de Plaisance, the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC) and Ocean Explorers. On Saturday, August 15^th the Nature Foundation held its first meeting with the new Junior Ranger Participants for the 2020-2021 program, last year the Foundation already organized a Junior Ranger Exchange to Bonaire with the support of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance. The goal of the Junior Ranger Program is to educate and motivate St. Maarten’s youth to learn more about their natural environment and what they can do to help protect it. Thanks to the generous contributions of both the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and Ocean Explorers Dive Center these members will also be able to earn their PADI Junior Open Water Diver Certification. The course which consists of theory, skills, and open water diving will give members the chance to see St. Maarten’s coral reefs firsthand. Yacht Club Port de Plaisance funded the position of Educational Outreach Officer at the Nature Foundation, the AUC supported toward the Save St. Maarten Corals projects which will be a leading part in the Junior Ranger Program.

“The Junior Rangers Program is an amazing opportunity for students to be introduced to several aspects of our local environment and the ecological threats the island is facing. The only way to make lasting change for St. Maarten is to educate the next generation to regard our natural resources with respect and instil a sense of responsibility to protect these resources,” says Nature Foundation Educational Outreach Officer Leslie Hickerson, “Including the Junior Open Water Diver Certification is an outstanding addition as it is a lifetime certification that these students will be able to apply either recreationally or in their future careers.”

The selected 2020-2021 Nature Foundation Junior Rangers are; Florianthe Boasman (K-12 International Academy), Stéfanie Frederiks (CIA), Seybian Ortega (LU), Jai Shahani (St. Dominic High), and Nubia Stomp (St. Dominic High). Local students ages 12 to 14 applied to join the program over the summer by submitting essays about what we can do to help the island’s natural resources. In the student’s essays they highlighted local issues like the use of the landfill, plastic pollution, and lack of recycling.

Applicant Stéfanie Frederiks said, “The environment of Sint Maarten (and actually the environment of the planet) is something we really must protect, as if it is a golden nugget. Because if you own a golden nugget, you will take very good care of it, you would not want it to become dirty and you would not want it to break. This is how we must treat this planet and our island. If we protect the environment, we are ensuring that we can breathe clean air. Also, it is important that our island remains clean and that it stays like that. A messy island is not a nice island. Not for the people living here but also not for the tourists.”

The Rangers took to their first meeting to discuss the environmental threats they think have the most impact on St. Maarten and what residents and the Nature Foundation can do to combat them. Members will focus on these threats in monthly meetings and activities throughout the year. Each meeting will cover a different aspect of conservation or St. Maarten’s terrestrial and marine environment.

“I am very excited to learn about ways I can help protect the environment as a young child. I want to be able to make my ideas become real and be a role model,” said Junior Ranger Florianthe Boasman, “I hope to learn more about the animals on St. Maarten. I find a lot of joy in helping animals and learning about plants.”

“I am so happy that I was chosen to become a Junior Ranger because I love nature and I would like to learn more about the natural environment of Sint Maarten, especially the underwater life. I was born and raised in Sint Maarten and I think it is very important for young persons like myself to learn more about the nature and the environment so that we can help with protecting the nature and the environment of our island. I would love to make new friends who also think the same as I do and who love nature,” said Junior Ranger Stéfanie Frederiks.

Those wishing to contribute to this program or volunteer their time can contact the Nature Foundation at info@naturefoundationsxm.org.

Photo Caption: Educational Outreach Officer Leslie Hickerson together with Stefanie Frederiks and Florianthe Boasman during the first meeting, Junior rangers Seybian Ortega, Jai Shahani, and Nubia Stomp joined in online via Zoom.