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Experiences shared at the Sustainable Tourism and Marine Protected Areas exchange Saint­Martin 12 to 14 June, 2013 Group of participants © Brigitte Delaitre. Left to right: Nicolas Boulard, project leader for the Conservatoire du littoral en Martinique (Martinique Coastal protection agency); Béatrice Galdi, project leader for the Conservatoire du Littoral (Coastal protection agency) at Saint­Martin ; Fabien Védié, marine environment referent for DEAL Martinique; Nicolas Maslach, director of the Saint Martin Nature reserve and representative of Conservation du littoral; Romain Renoux, head of the regional cooperation and environmental education unit at the Saint­Martin Nature Reserve; Franck Gourdin, SPAW­RAC international project leader; Harvé Viotty, president of the Saint­Martin Nature Reserve; Hélène Souan, SPAW­RAC director; Yanick Clain, head of the "monitoring and police" unit at the La Réunion Marine nature reserve; Laure Vincent, overseas project leader for ATEN; Randall Richardson, "research officer" at the Department of fisheries and marine resources of Anguilla; Soraya Issop­Mamode, director of the Réserve naturelle marine de La Réunion; Stéphane Petit, project leader at the Direction du tourisme de la Collectivité de Saint­Martin (Saint Martin Tourism department); Wendy Élie, interpreter; Michel Tillmann, technician specialised in water­based activities for the Guadeloupe National park; Nadio Spanner, ranger for the Saint Eustatius Marine Park; Olivia Moudy, trainee at the Saint Eustatius Marine Park. Event presentation / Introduction Sustainable tourism at the heart of exchanges The Caribbean is home to remarkable, globally important biodiversity, not least 26,000km of reef including the second and third largest coral reef in the world, 6 species of sea turtle, thirty or so species of marine mammals and hundreds of species of fish. This natural and notably marine heritage constitutes a great tourist attraction for the region, tourism being the first source of income for Caribbean countries and territories with 30 million tourists Seabed © RNN Marine de la Réunion per year, arriving by plane and especially by boat. However, the tourism sector relies heavily on the indirect Developing the best tourism management tools is a (beaches and landscapes) and direct (activities such as common priority for all marine protected area managers, diving – the Caribbean attracts two thirds of the world’s especially overseas. Management structures from 6 diving) use of natural marine and coastal resources. different islands, concerned with this issue, met from 12 to Tourism represents a major opportunity for the region but it 14 June 2013 in Saint Martin for three days of technical can have negative, even not to be reversed, impacts on exchange. These meetings fall within the scope of the Te the very same resources on which it relies, if not Me Um programme that notably strives to reinforce local supervised and implemented adequately. Territories, and skills and encourage interregional cooperation. more particularly MPA managers, have to deal with issues related with welcoming visitors in protected and fragile Each came to share their experiences, questions and areas (bays, islets, diving sites, beaches). How to welcome ideas, working on the four chosen themes: tourists without changing the nature of marine protected • Welcoming visitors and regulations areas, how can tourism development be an asset for MPA • Marketing and fees managers, how can it produce benefits that in turn • Charter and ecolabel participation in the management and conservation of • Communication campaigns and partnerships with natural areas? operators. Developing the best tourism management tools is a The event was jointly organised and funded by GIP Aten common priority for all marine protected area managers, (Acteur territoire espaces naturels ­ Public interest group especially overseas. for local natural area players) via the Te Me Um programme, the SPAW­RAC and Saint Martin National Natural Reserve. Document content: This compilation is aimed both at this event’s participants and anyone interested in the theme of sustainable tourism and marine protected areas. It does not aim to transcribe the wealth of exchanges that took place over these three days, but to sum up the various subjects broached and the main thoughts and ideas discussed. Text boxes highlight specific examples. A list of useful contacts and documents has been added to the end of the publication for those wishing to delve deeper into the subject matter. SUMMARY : 1 . Presentation of territories and MPA .................................................................................................... Page 3 2 . Regulations and welcoming visitors onsite ......................................................................................... Page 5 3 . Partnerships ........................................................................................................................................Page 8 4 . Marketing and fees ............................................................................................................................. Page 9 5 . Charter and ecolabel .......................................................................................................................... Page 11 6 . Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................ Page 13 7 . Participant contact details ...................................................................................................................Page 14 Page 2 / 15 1 . Presentation of territories and marine protected areas and their links with tourism Martinique Guadeloupe Four projets of marine protected areas are currently on­ Guadeloupe counts a going in Martinique. The projected Regional Nature number of marine Reserve of Prêcheur (strictly marine habitat) is the most protected areas. advanced: this Reserve should be made soon official by Guadeloupe National decision of the Regional Council of Martinique. The project Park includes a of Regional Nature Reserve of Genipay Bay (marine number of marine habitats and mangrove) is also well advanced with areas, notably Grand­ boundaries and draft regulations adopted by the steering Cul­de­Sac Marin, committee. The project of adding a marine part to the once a Nature reserve National Nature Reserve of La Caravelle is currently in the managed by last stages of concertation with all the relevant National Parc Cartography Guadeloupe National stakeholders of the target area. Finally, the project of © PN Guadeloupe Park (1990­2009­ adding a marine part to the boundaries of the National dates to be checked), and the Ilets Pigeon (since 2009), Nature Reserve of St Anne Islets, which meets the highest two very popular yet very different marine protected areas. reluctance from professional fishermen, is also subject Located between Grande Terre and Basse Terre, Grand­ currently to a first concertation phase. Cul­de­Sac Marin is a large mangrove area, bordered by a long coral reef at sea. The National Park strives to protect On the one hand, the the islets. Some, such as Ilet Caret, which belong to the Conservatoire du Conservatoire du Littoral, have been no less than a Littoral owns 2 000 nautical tourism mecca in the past few decades. The Ilets hectares in Martinique Pigeon islands are near the coastline and visited by diving and some sites are clubs and tourists who dive without any breathing subject to strong apparatus and come by kayak. More than 60 000 dives are pressure from human organised there every year. activity: 1 million A nesting site for green and hawksbill turtles, Petite Terre is visitors every year on also a sanctuary for a great number of species of bird and Les Salines beach, a reptile. The 2 small islands are home to a 1/3 of the stone’s throw away world’s population of Lesser Antilles iguanas (the from the lake bearing Camera allowing simultaneous virtual tour population of Lesser Antilles iguanas is an endemic the same name and of Rocher du Diamant species that can now only be found on La Désirade, Petite © Conservatoire du littoral Martinique protected by the Terre and Dominica, and is one of the main reasons Petite Conservatoire. The two other "flagship" sites are La Terre was listed as a nature reserve). Caravelle peninsula, popular for its hiking trails, and the Located twenty kilometres from Saint François, Petite Terre footpath between Le Prêcheur and Grand­Rivière. Over a is one of the most beautiful six­hour walk, this easy­access, shaded and entirely protected sites in Guadeloupe. natural path winds its way between the two old plantations Peak tourist frequentation is of Anse Couleuvre and Fond Moulin, enhanced by the between November and April, and Conservatoire. At Cap Salomon, where 13 000 dives a year during school summer holidays. have been recorded, Martinique’s first underwater trail will be ready by the end of 2013. Airplane view of Petite Terre © RNN Petite Terre Page 3 / 15 Saint Eustatius (diving clubs, boat rental companies, ecotouristic guides etc), all partners of the Nature Reserve, offer supervised activities and Saint Eustatius National Marine Park, spanning 27.5 km2, participate in the effort surrounds the entire island out to 30 meters deep. Two to manage and protect marine reserves, to the North and South, are marked out it. With around by buoys and welcome three local diving clubs and passing 400,000 visitors a yachts on 10

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