Sint Maarten Nature Foundation Cleans Up Balloons Littering Sea over the Weekend

Posted on by Melanie
Plastic balloons on the ocean near St Maarten

PHILIPSBURG — The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation over the weekend removed numerous balloons from littering the ocean. Both on Saturday and Sunday out on patrol the Foundation collected balloons drifting in the sea. Previously the Foundation had urged various organizations, including the SCDF who organized two balloon related activities over the weekend, to find sustainable alternatives to using balloons during … Continue reading Sint Maarten Nature Foundation Cleans Up Balloons Littering Sea over the Weekend

Nature Foundation Calls on all Local Businesses for their Support

Posted on by Melanie
reefsupport

The Nature Foundation St. Maarten is in need of help from local businesses, tour operators, hotels and trade organizations in order to expose their donation page. Currently, the organization could use extra support and awareness from the tourists, tour operators and businesses on the island. The Foundation encounters challenges to receive structural funding in order … Continue reading Nature Foundation Calls on all Local Businesses for their Support

Nature Foundation Researches the Immense Impact of Coral Disease on St Maarten Reefs.

Posted on by Melanie

The Nature Foundation has been monitoring the impact of the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease on St Maarten coral reefs since it was first discovered in October 2018. Recently, a more elaborate research from the Nature Foundation established on average a 60% infection and mortality rate of the most susceptible stony corals in the Marine … Continue reading Nature Foundation Researches the Immense Impact of Coral Disease on St Maarten Reefs.

Sint Maarten Nature Foundation Places Satellite Tracking Device on Second Tiger Shark in St. Maarten Territorial Waters 

Posted on by Melanie

As part of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance Save our Sharks Project a second tiger shark has been tagged in the territorials waters of Sint Maarten with a satellite tracking device. A Wildlife Computer SPOT (Smart Position or Temperature Transmitting) satellite tag was attached to the first dorsal fin of a sub-adult tiger shark late … Continue reading Sint Maarten Nature Foundation Places Satellite Tracking Device on Second Tiger Shark in St. Maarten Territorial Waters 

Nature Foundation Detects Worrisome Coral Disease Epidemic on St Maarten Coral Reefs

Posted on by Melanie

The Nature Foundation St Maarten has recently established the presence of ‘Tissue Loss Disease’ on several local coral reefs. The disease is a relatively new issue that has been plaguing coral reefs in the Atlantic Basin for the last few months.

Two Dutch Caribbean Tagged Tiger Sharks Follow Similar Migration Patterns in the Caribbean

Posted on by Melanie
captured shark on a hook

Two years ago the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) organized the first of its kind shark tagging expedition to the Saba Bank and St Maarten as part of the Dutch Postcode Lottery funded “Save our Sharks” project. Eight shark researchers with a support crew and two camera teams captured and tagged tiger sharks on St … Continue reading Two Dutch Caribbean Tagged Tiger Sharks Follow Similar Migration Patterns in the Caribbean

Nature Foundation Facilitating Research on Post Irma Response and Recovery Processes

Posted on by Melanie
people clearing debris

Cole Bay – The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation has started a new research project under the lead of Master student Joey de Hamer, who is studying Development and Rural Innovation at the Wageningen University located in the Netherlands, concentrated on disaster studies and in particular disaster governance. His research is focused on disaster governance on … Continue reading Nature Foundation Facilitating Research on Post Irma Response and Recovery Processes

Sint Maarten Nature Foundation Records Coral Bleaching During Annual Coral Reef Surveys

Posted on by Christian
bleached coral

During its annual Coral Reef Monitoring activities the Sint Maarten Nature Foundation has recorded incidents of coral bleaching both inside and outside of the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area. The Foundation started it's monitoring dives on Tuesday and discovered numerous coral colonies showing signs of coral bleaching. Coral bleaching occurs when coral polyps expel algae that live … Continue reading Sint Maarten Nature Foundation Records Coral Bleaching During Annual Coral Reef Surveys

Researchers Record Significant Damage to St. Maarten’s Terrestrial Flora and Fauna Due to the Impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria

Posted on by Christian

Hurricanes Irma and Maria have done considerable damage to buildings and infrastructure, but also St. Maarten’s nature has suffered a dramatic blow, researchers Wendy Jesse and Rotem Zilber recently discovered.