Biodiversity Mangrove Nursery: a new window onto the mangrove
Previously visited by schoolchildren as part of the Marine Education Areas programme, the Biodiversity Mangrove Nursery, on Route du Galion opposite the Salines d’Orient, is now open to the public. This new educational space invites everyone to discover the richness of the mangrove ecosystem whilst raising awareness of the need to preserve this fragile ecosystem.
The project was first conceived in 2022, under the chairmanship of Pierre Aliotti, and it took nearly four years for it to take shape and be officially opened on Monday 29 June by Karine Fleming, the current chair of the Saint-Martin Nature Reserve Management Association, alongside Anne-Marie Bouillé, director, and Medhi Broussillon, deputy overseas representative of the Conservatoire du littoral. Previously a shelter for young saplings, the site has now become a gateway to the mangrove forest, offering a better understanding of how a degraded and dried-up environment can regenerate through the planting of mangroves. A branch of the Salines d’Orient pond was dredged to create space for the nursery for the island’s endemic mangroves, and staff at the Nature Reserve patiently collected seeds from various sites to replant them in the hope that they would survive… and 5,463 red, white or grey mangroves have already been planted! The site is maintained daily by two staff members from the Nature Reserve.
As the mangrove forest recovers, it is once again becoming an essential habitat for fish, a nesting refuge for birds and a wonderful open-air laboratory for scientists. Today, thanks to the Conservatoire du littoral and the Fondation de France, partners in the project, the site is open to visitors. A wooden jetty allows visitors to walk through the heart of the mangrove forest and observe its development, or to take a break surrounded by nature under the covered area; the whole site is accessible to people with reduced mobility. Educational signage, funded through the Contrat d’engagement républicain, will soon be added to the trail.
The second phase of development – the benches under the covered area – received support from the Rotary Club Sunset. At the opening ceremony, Anne-Karine Fleming called on the island’s associations – and particularly those in the Quartier d’Orléans neighbourhood – to make this new natural space their own. The aim is to bring this place of discovery and awareness to life, where young and old alike can come and share a special moment in the heart of the mangrove forest, whilst respecting this exceptional environment.
