St. Maarten
The island of St. Maarten is famous for the fact that it is split in half. One half, St. Maarten, is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the other, St. Martin, is a French Overseas Territory. Physically, the west end is an atoll of low land surrounding a lagoon, while the east end is a range of conical hills. The island has white sandy beaches and numerous bays and lagoons.
Natural Pool on South Coast
Photo credit: ยฉ Henkjan Kievit (SHAPE/DCNA)
Nature Park Management
Member Organization
The Nature Foundation is a non-profit organization located on the island of St. Maarten in the heart of the Caribbean. The foundation aims to preserve and enhance the natural environment of St. Maarten for generations to come.
Contact information
For general questions
Telephone: ย +1 721 544 4267
Email: help@naturefoundationsxm.org
Visiting addressย
Wellsberg Street 1A Unit 25-26,
Fishermanโs Wharf Complex,
Cole Bay, St. Maarten
Mon-Fri 09:00-16:00
St. Maarten's Key Species & Ecosystems
Brown Boobies
(Sula leucogaster)
Photo credit: ยฉ Kai Wulf
Gorgonian Corals
(Octocorals)
Photo credit: ยฉ Hans Leijnse (SHAPE/DCNA)
Monarch Butterfly
(Danaus plexippus)
Photo credit: ยฉ Henkjan Kevit (SHAPE/DCNA)
Natural Pool on South Coast
Photo credit: ยฉ Henkjan Kievit (SHAPE/DCNA)
Bananaquit
(Coereba flaveola)
Photo credit: ยฉ Rostislav Stach (SHAPE/DCNA)
Brown Pelican
(Pelecanus occidentalis)
Photo credit: ยฉ
Flamboyant
(Delonix regia)
Photo credit: ยฉ Kai Wulf
American kestrel
(Falco sparverius)
Photo credit: ย ยฉ Diego Marquez
Caribbean Reef Shark
Other Nature Organizations
Latest updates from Nature Foundation St Maarten
โป๏ธ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฒ! โป๏ธ
Today, we celebrate the power of recycling and its impact on our planet. Let all of us make a commitment to reducing, reusing, and recycling to create a sustainable future for generations to come. By recycling, we conserve resources, save energy, and reduce waste. Every small action makes a difference, so let us make the most of this day and spread the word! #GlobalRecyclingDay #reducereuserecycle #sustainableliving โป๏ธ
๐ฆ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฒ ๐
๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐
๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ!๐ฆ
๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐จ๐ญ (๐๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐ฅ๐)
There were once two species of Coot, the American Coot, and the Caribbean Coot because of scientific research the two species were considered the same, and lumped the Caribbean Coot as a regional variation of the American Coot. The way to tell both apart is the frontal face shield, on the American Coot red is present on the shield and the other variant is fully white.
Coots live near water typically inhabiting wetlands, marshes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers. These birds can be found in North America to as far as northern South America and the Caribbean. The American coot can dive for food but can also forage and scavenge on land. Their principal source of food is aquatic vegetation, especially algae. Yet they are omnivorous, also eating arthropods, fish, and other aquatic animals.
Resources for Community Resilience - R4CR , a programmed implemented by VNG International and funded by the World Bank Trust Fund for St Maarten, was created to provide assistance to the island after the devastating hurricane Irma in 2017.
Photo by: Kevin Sammy Photography
๐ขโ ๏ธ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐
๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ๐ฒ!!!โ ๏ธ๐ข
A concerned resident reached out to the Nature Foundation to make us aware that fuel was spilled yesterday in the Puerto Cupecoy Marina. There has been no effort to address or remove the fuel. The Coast Guard, Maritime Affairs, and Ministry of VROMI have been contacted. Currently the Foundation is awaiting a response from the marina regarding the source of the spill and their response to the incident.
As usual humans…
๐ข๐โค๏ธ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ง!๐ข๐โค๏ธ
Very late or early this year, Hawksbill Sea turtle hatchlings surprised us on Anse Marcel Beach, French side of Saint Martin. Rรฉserve Naturelle Nationale De Saint-Martin was called by beachgoers about hatchlings finding their way to the ocean. Thank you for keeping us updated!
Sea turtle nesting season usually runs from late March until November. During nesting season, we patrol 8 different beaches in the early mornings looking for any sea turtle activities. In Sint Maarten you can find 3 sea turtle species, the green sea turtle, the hawksbill and the leatherback turtle! Most sea turtle eggs take about two months to incubate and hatch. The hatchlings have about a 1% chance of surviving to adulthood.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ?
By reading the tips below, you can do your part to make sure they are part of your beach routine!
โ Knock down sandcastles and fill in holes!
โ Throw away your garbage
โ Do not drive on the beach or make any bonfires
โ Donโt interfere with the nesting or hatching process
โ Use sea turtle-friendly lights or no lights at all!
โ Add the Nature Foundation and Rรฉserve Naturelle Nationale phone number into your phone! So, youโll be prepared if you happen to encounter a dead, sick, stranded or injured sea turtle.
Nature Foundation- (+1) 721-544-4267
Rรฉserve Naturelle Nationale- (+590) 690 34-7710
Great tips! ๐ Do you know that The Searial Cleaners BeBot beach sand sifting robot is so light on the sand that it is safe to use near turtle nests. The BeBot can sift debris >10mm in size.
Finish for them in o.b๐
๐Today we celebrate โ๏ธ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ซ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ฒโ๏ธ and the incredible impact of solar energy on our world! ๐
Let us take a moment to appreciate the power of the sun and its ability to provide clean, renewable energy. From powering homes to reducing carbon emission, solar energy is making a positive impact on the environment and our future. So, let us spread the word and continue to promote the growth of this sustainable energy source! #SolarAppreciationDay #renewableenergy #gogreen. โ๏ธ๐๐
โ ๏ธThe Nature Foundation reported ๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฆ on the Western beaches of the Dutch side including ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ. โ
Sargassum is a genus of brown (class Phaeophyceae) seaweed which is distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world. Sargassum first plagued St. Maarten in 2011 and 2012, with the Foundation having to warn swimmers to avoid swimming on certain beaches due to the large amount of seaweed and many beach front residences and hotels having to continuously clean washed up Sargassum.
Along with causing a build-up of seaweed on the beaches that visitors and residents both enjoy visiting the decomposing sargassum can cause potential health problems by emitting a colorless, toxic and highly flammable gas called hydrogen sulfide. Research on how to handle the increased sargassum is still on-going throughout the Caribbean as many islands suffer the effects of mass blooms.
For example, research has shown that sargassum cannot be used as fertilizer as vegetables grown in soil enriched with sargassum had higher levels of arsenic and cadmium, heavy metals that can be toxic to humans and animals. With limited space on the island to process or dispose of sargassum in-depth research must be done on how to best tackle this issue, as rising water temperatures will ensure that sargassum blooms reach our shores for the foreseeable future.
dcnanature.org/sargassum-fertilizer/
