Protecting the Natural Areas of St. Maarten
Nature Foundation St Maarten is again urging parliament to ban single-use plastics, such as plastic bags, straws, cups and cutlery and styrofoam food containers.
The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation has requested in writing an update from Parliament on steps currently being taken to ban single-use plastic products such as plastic bags, straws and cutlery and Styrofoam food containers in an effort to reduce marine litter and pollution on St Maarten. Single use plastic pollution is one of the biggest … Continue reading Nature Foundation Requests Update From Parliament on Steps to Ban Single-Use Plastics
The Nature Foundation St Maarten recently established the presence of ‘Tissue Loss Disease’ on several local coral reefs, the Foundation was able to establish through further investigation that in many locations some 90% of coral is either infected or dead. The disease is a relatively new issue that has been plaguing coral reefs in the … Continue reading St. Maarten’s Coral Reefs Are Dying Due to Disease, Poor Wastewater Infrastructure
The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation over the past week has been monitoring the spread and extent of a Harmful Algal Bloom currently ongoing in the Cole Bay Corner section of the Simpson Bay Lagoon. Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, occur when colonies of algae—simple plants that live in the sea and freshwater—grow out of control while … Continue reading Nature Foundation Records Harmful Algal Bloom in the Simpson Bay Lagoon
The Nature Foundation St Maarten outplanted mangroves in Mullet Pond with the help of students from Milton Peters College and Jorakhae Freediving School last Friday. The entire day the students and volunteers worked intensively to enhance St Maarten’s environment and to assist nature in recovering from Hurricane Irma. The mangroves in Mullet Pond experienced and … Continue reading Nature Foundation Plants Mangroves in Mullet Pond to Restore Areas Lost Due to Hurricane Irma
The Nature Foundation organized a beach clean-up session with visitors and volunteers in order to clean-up Belair beach. A group of about fifteen tourists, which came to St Maarten to enjoy the island, decided to give back to our environment and spent a morning cleaning up the beach. The group was very motivated and collected … Continue reading Nature Foundation St. Maarten cleans up Belair Beach with Tourists and Volunteers
Sargassum seaweed in the coming weeks and months, based on weather predictions and aerial surveys.
Last Friday the Nature Foundation St Maarten organized a beach clean-up session for students from the Leonald Connor Primary School which took place at Mullet Bay beach. About 25 students collected over 250 pounds of trash in just half an hour. The students learned about the impact of single-use plastics on our environment, marine life … Continue reading Leonald Connor Primary School Students Clean up Mullet Bay Beach and learn about Coral Reefs with the Nature Foundation St Maarten
Adhering to no fishing rules of the Marine Park important to rebuilding local fish stocks. The St. Maarten Nature Foundation has increased its patrolling of the Man of War Shoal Marine Park in order to combat illegal fishing activities. Foundation staff will be patrolling during weekends and early morning hours in order to increase their … Continue reading Nature Foundation Initiates Early Morning, Weekend Patrols to Combat Illegal Fishing
Nature Foundation Cooperating with Coast Guard to Apprehend Poachers The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation has been recording a number of incidents of poaching within the Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area. The Foundation has been noticing evidence of poaching and have been sent pictorial proof of poaching incidents in the MPA. The area of … Continue reading Incidents of Poaching Recorded Within Man of War Shoal Marine Protected Area