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October 25 2006
Beverly Mae Nisbeth. e-mail: beverly@naturefoundationsxm.org Comments for Sint Maarten Marine Park Management Plan
Thomas J. Goreau, PhD INTRODUCTION The Global Coral Reef Alliance is delighted that the Sint Maarten Marine Park Management Plan is finally moving forward. By way of support for this important effort we would like to submit the following general comments and site-specific notes on the ecological condition of Sint Maarten coral reef habitats for inclusion in the public Stakeholder’s comments. These comments are based on a limited number of dives made with the kind assistance of Ocean Care Sint Maarten during the course of setting up the island’s first coral reef restoration project. GENERAL COMMENTS The purpose of Marine Parks should include protecting the coral reef habitat that provides the greatest marine biodiversity and ecosystem services, including ecotourism, fisheries habitat, and shore protection. Sadly, most marine parks in the Caribbean have failed to serve this role, because they have largely been selected for commercial tourism advertising, rather than based on a rational assessment of the best places that could provide the greatest benefits if protected, and because most of them have not been managed in a way that protects them from deterioration. The late Professor Thomas F. Goreau, who was responsible for assessing and establishing the management plans of the first marine parks in the Eastern Caribbean nearly 50 years ago, the St. John Marine Park in the US Virgin Islands and the Buccoo Reef Marine Park in Tobago, did so based on extensive field assessment of the reef community. While both remain parks today, forming the base of the tourism economy in each island, neither has been managed in a way that has prevented the loss of most of their corals, fish, and invertebrates. Around the world, marine parks are seen to be full of dead and dying corals because the management usually lacks the funding, skills, and/or mandate to prevent the major factors killing the corals and the habitat for reef organisms. The major causes of coral death today, global warming, new diseases, and land based sources of pollution, are beyond control of marine parks whose mandate only extends to control damaging activities in the water (and often not even that). To be effective at protecting and enhancing coral reefs, management of marine parks must extend well beyond preventing destructive physical activities (such as ship groundings, anchor damage, diver damage, and destructive fishing practices) within the designated marine park boundaries. They must also be integrated with rational sustainable development of adjacent watersheds to prevent regional land-based sources of pollution, mainly from sewage and fertilizers, soil erosion, as well as international policies to reverse global warming and sea level rise. Therefore we urge the Sint Maarten Marine Park Management Plan to base their designation of the protected areas on current assessment of the conditions of coral reefs all around Sint Maarten, to integrate their management with strict efforts to prevent all land-based sources of pollution to the marine environment, including nutrients, soils, hydrocarbons, and persistent organic pollutants, and to push the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which represents the interests of Sint Maarten in international environmental negotiations, to strongly support reversing the buildup of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere and to end use of mutagenic chemicals which are stimulating the explosive spread of pathogenic organisms in coral reefs and all ecosystems. During mid October 2006, we had an opportunity to dive at a number of sites on the south and east sides of Sint Maarten during the course of setting up the first coral reef restoration project in the northeastern Caribbean. We have compiled brief ecological notes of these sites as a contribution to the information base to be considered by the Sint Maarten Marine Park Management Plan, due to the extreme paucity of coral reef assessment studies previously carried out. All sites examined are included, whether or not they lie inside the currently proposed park boundaries, since we recommend that all the best sites be protected regardless of their locations. We strongly urge that large-scale assessment studies of the island’s reefs be carried out during the course of refining the plan, in order to identify all areas deserving protection. We do not recommend use of the traditional extreme small scale transect or quadrat methods that are commonly used, because these cover so little area that they are not statistically representative, and even if they were, would miss the larger ecological patterns and gradients. Instead of such intensive, small scale. assessment methods, we advise application of extensive, large scale, non-parametric analysis of ecological gradients such as is being used by the Turks and Caicos Islands to establish their national coral reef management and restoration strategy (Goreau, 2006). We also urge that the sport diving community be involved in such assessment under the direction of the Marine Park. Ocean Care and other groups have carried out a number of assessment exercises using traditional small scale transect methods. The dive industry is largely using low quality reef sites because these are close to the cruise ship terminals and hotels, and falsely describing these degraded sites as “pristine reefs”. They are forced to do so for commercial reasons and the almost universal dishonest advertising throughout the diving industry. However the more conscientious dive operators know of much better sites that need to be protected, and their knowledge will be invaluable. During the course of this work we had a chance to look quickly at almost the entire coastline of Sint Maarten and Saint Martin with the exception only of the westernmost portions. While the assessment of sites below focuses on areas where diving was done to look at coral health, numerous other sites were also seen from land or sea where serious pollution was evident from the green turbid water and high concentrations of algae indicative of severe nutrient pollution. These included the opaque green waters of Simpson Lagoon, with algae smothering sea grasses in the Lagoon, very high concentrations of some of the worst sewage-indicating algae on rocks and pilings in northeastern and northwestern Great Bay, near Marigot, and in almost every developed bay. We urge serious efforts to identify and control all sources of land-based pollution that is damaging St. Maarten coral reefs. SITE SPECIFIC NOTES 1. East Little Bay Diving was mainly conducted in the area of St. Maarten’s first coral reef restoration project, west of Fort Amsterdam, and in the adjacent areas between Divi Hotel and the roped in tourist snorkeling and diving area. Deeper sand areas were composed of seagrass, unusually dominated by Syringodium filiforme rather than by Thallassia testudinarium, and by dense stands of the calcareous green algae, Halimeda monile and Halimeda tuna. However the latter were overgrown by fuzzy halos of fine filamentous algae, suggesting that nutrients are already getting too high. The ecological significance of this is that these Halimeda species are the major source of white sand grains on the beaches, and if nutrients increase they will be overgrown and killed by weedy algae that do not produce sand. Inshore of the sandy area are rock outcrops, which are inhabited by exceptionally dense populations of the black long spined sea urchin, Diadema antillarum. Their grazing activities keep the deeper rock outcrops clean of algae, but they clearly do not venture into the deeper sandy areas or the shallow wave swept rocky areas, where algae densities are much higher. This evidence supports claims that very high densities of Diadema can suppress algae growth in areas of moderate nutrient input, but if nutrient levels increase further they will be unable to control the algae, as is seen in Jamaica and Barbados. The basalt rock outcrops of the peninsula on which Fort Amsterdam is located are exceptionally favorable to coral settlement. The species diversity of young corals is remarkably high, and includes many species not commonly found in shallow water, such as Flower coral (Eusmillia fastigiata), Mushroom coral (Mycetophyllia sp.), Pillar coral (Dengrogyra cylindrus), and many others. Although few large or old corals are to be seen, there is a truly remarkable density of young corals of very high species diversity. It is likely that this is due to the chemical properties of the rock outcrops being particularly attractive for coral larvae. This makes protection of this site, enhancement of coral growth, and protection of the area from land-based sources of pollution especially important, and it would be wise to include it under the proposed marine park management. The high diversity of young corals in the area has been further enhanced by the solar-powered Biorock Reef Restoration Project by Ocean Care and the Global Coral Reef Alliance, which has not only propagated naturally broken corals of almost all species in the area, but also added naturally broken coral species from other reef areas of St. Maarten that are not found in the area, such as the rare Elkhorn and Staghorn corals. This area has unfortunately been used as a dumping ground for unsightly concrete and fiberglass trash in the name of “artificial reef” snorkeling “attractions”. Although this area lies outside the designated Marine Park, we argue that this site is deserving of the strongest possible protection due to its unusually high coral settlement and diversity, its importance as the most important tourist snorkeling site on the island due to its proximity to the cruise ship tourism operations, and the coral reef restoration projects underway at this site. We recommend that restoration projects be expanded, and trash structures removed. 2. Procelyte This site is marked by a buoy since the rock comes close to the surface and causes a navigation hazard, as shown by anchors, chains, and other shipwreck debris. Despite interesting topography for diving, live coral cover was very low, no more than 5%, and while some large old dead Elkhorn were seen, along with a few small live Elkhorn and Staghorn colonies, the bulk of corals were composed of small head corals of various species. Few of these corals looked healthy, having dull colors, and surrounded by high levels of algae, almost all two species of brown Dictyota, and with high abundance of sponges and soft corals. 3. Tintamarre Observations were made at two snorkeling and diving sites, one near the northeast of the island, and the other at the northwest. The first site had extremely poor visibility due to resuspended limestone sediments, that left the water milky white with only a few feet of visibility, conditions that are apparently unusual. The bottom had extremely low live coral cover, with only a few young brain corals, and was largely made up of old dead elkhorn corals overgrown by Dictyota algae. The second site was much clearer, with around 50 feet visibility. Here the bottom also had low live coral cover, largely small colonies (typically less than 20 cm across) of various brain corals and branching corals (but not including Acropora), few fish, and was almost entirely covered by Dictyota. Despite its use for ecotourism, the area appeared to have low conservation value. 4. Corralita This site, which has some of the best Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and Staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) reefs left in Sint Maarten, was unfortunately impossible to dive on during our visit due to the extremely high wave surge at the time. Because this site is next to the proposed Marine Park area and is located very close to shore, since Elkhorn and Staghorn corals provide the best fish habitat and shore protection of all corals, yet are the most sediment intolerant of Caribbean corals and at the same time extremely sensitive to diseases linked to sewage pollution, and because these species have suffered the strongest declines of all Caribbean coral species in the last 30 years, this reef is one of the most important ecological treasures of the island, and needs the strongest possible protection against development on the watershed adjacent to it. 5. Moon Hole Due to the strong current at the time we did not have the time to get to the Moon Hole itself, an unusual circular hole that is a popular dive site. The mooring site is on a flat sand covered channel with few corals or fish. On the adjacent higher rock surfaces the live hard coral cover was very low, with many soft corals and sponges. Almost all corals were small, less than 30 cm across. As we moved further east the live coral cover and coral sizes increased steadily, up to about a meter in diameter, suggesting improved conditions for coral growth. However the amount of dead coral was always much larger than that of live coral, and most of the bottom was covered by Dictyota algae. Much of this coral was seen by local divers to die following coral bleaching after the unusually hot conditions in 2005. 6. Hen and Chicks Of all sites examined this area was remarkable because it had the highest live coral cover, the largest corals, the least dead corals, the highest species diversity of both corals and fish, and the most vibrant and healthy looking corals. All of these factors make this area a top conservation priority in the proposed Marine Park. Further exploratory work is badly needed to determine if there are other sites of equivalent biodiversity importance, and to ensure that they are not damaged from excessive fishing or diving pressure. 7. Some general remarks on the reef sites examined. The high algae cover by Dictyota indicates that there are moderately high nutrient levels even in areas that are not exposed to land based sources of nutrients. This suggests that there are high natural inputs from deep cold waters, probably caused by the shallow thermocline and the activity of breaking internal waves in Atlantic waters to the east of Sint Maarten. The high background of nutrients is also indicated by high turbidity caused by suspended plankton, high abundances of sponges, which are bacteria feeders, of soft corals including gorgonians and Palythoa, many of which can take up suspended organic matter, and of jellyfish, primarily Aurelia aurita, which feed on zooplankton that eat the phytoplankton that bloom in upwelling nutrient rich waters. High natural nutrient backgrounds offshore indicate that even stricter control of land-based sources of nutrient pollution is needed to prevent explosive weedy algae overgrowth, or eutrophication, of coastal waters. Coral diseases were relatively low in frequency compared to most Caribbean sites. No White Plague was seen, the most common and fastest spreading coral disease in the Caribbean. Nor was White Pox noted. Only a few cases of Yellow Band and White Band disease were seen. However Dark Spot disease was fairly common, and Sea Fan disease (Asperillogosis) was fairly common. The relatively low amount of coral disease may be due to the low density of corals and their location upstream of the major sources of Caribbean pollution. There was a fairly high level of residual coral bleaching, in late stages of recovery, remaining in corals that had survived the 2005 bleaching event, the worst to affect the northeast Caribbean to date, primarily in Montastrea cavernosa and Agaricia agaricites. Long-term satellite sea surface temperatures in the region, tabulated for Anguilla, St. Kitts, Barbuda, and Antigua, show about a 1 degree C increase in the last 20 years (Goreau and Hayes, 2005). Increased severity of bleaching in the coming years is certain as global warming accelerates, making the importance of coral reef restoration projects using Biorock technology especially crucial because this is the only method that can increase coral growth rates and survival from environmental stress (Goreau and Hilbertz, 2005). Although there have been few studies of reefs in St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Bathelemy, and Anguilla, all observers agree on the rareness of well developed coral reefs, compared for example to the well developed (but almost entirely dead) reefs that surround Antigua and Barbuda (Goreau, Goreau, and Derrick, 1996). The general low coral cover and small coral size suggest that this area has never had very well developed reefs, and that corals were in early stages of colonizing the region. Due to the fact that this corner of the Caribbean is upcurrent of the rest of the region, it is very difficult for coral larvae to reach this area upstream of the normal currents, so it is one of the last parts of the region to develop reefs. This makes protection of existing reefs, and expansion of live coral coverage especially crucial, since the coral reefs have had little chance to develop and mature prior to their current severe stress from accelerating global warming. Many of the corals seen were small and young, and the coral larvae that produced many of them may have been due to the exceptional reverse movement of Hurricane Lenny in 1999, which may have transported coral larvae against the normal current directions. Several distinctive features include unusually high levels of young corals of species that are especially common in Curacao and Bonaire, where Lenny originated, especially Flower Coral, Eusmillia fastigiata, abundant young corals of colors that are very unusual in other parts of the Caribbean, including pink Porites divaricata, green Diploria clivosa and Diploria labyrinthiformis, and low morphotype diversity of most coral species. This suggests that the area has an unusual and restricted range of coral genetic diversity.
Beverly Mae Nisbeth. Nature Foundation Sint Maarten,
Phone + (599) 542 0267�
Cell (599) 520 2003�
Fax + (599) 542 0268
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e-mail: beverly@naturefoundationsxm.org 
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MERGEFORMAT Stakeholder Invitation St Maarten Marine Park Management Plan 2006. The vision, mission statement and goals of St Maarten Marine Park VISION A thriving, actively managed and sustainably used marine environment around St. Maarten.
MISSION To manage, conserve and restore St. Maarten’s marine natural, cultural and historical resources for education and sustainable use with continued stakeholder participation, for the benefit of current and future generations.
1) Manage St. Maarten’s marine environment effectively within a firm legislative framework and with commitment from Government. 2) Conserve and restore, through practical conservation and active management; a) the natural values of the marine park, including threatened, rare and endangered species, habitats biological diversity, ecosystem processes, life support systems and aesthetic values. b) the cultural and historical resources of St Maarten 3) Facilitate the use of St. Maarten’s marine environment as an educational tool to raise awareness, provide for research, monitoring, interpretation and training. 4) Promote the marine environment as a valuable, sustainable, multiple use resource whilst establishing rules, guidelines, permits and enforcing legislation in cooperation with stakeholders. 5) Involve the local community and stakeholders comprehensively, to cultivate a sense of ownership and support for the zoning, regulations and management practices of St. Maarten Marine Park. The structure of the St Maarten Marine Park Management Plan
Key areas of input required During the stakeholder meeting you are invited to it is vital that we get as much feedback on the following questions as possible. It will then be incorporated into the Management Plan due for publication in December 2006. The information captured during each meeting will also be made available to those interested.
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