Cáyoli Junior’s vocation is to create projects and pedagogical tools with and for students. During the school year 2018-2019 we worked with the class of CM2 of Mrs. GRUEL of the Externat Saint Joseph de Cluny..

DISCOVER THE MANGROVE TO BETTER PROTECT IT

Discovering the mangrove was the objective of the work with this class. Animations in class and exchanges with the teacher have punctuated this year to discover the wetlands of Guadeloupe : their history, their functioning. This long term awareness action led to the collective realization of a booklet on the mangrove with the story of Cáyoli the little crab, entirely written and illustrated by the children.

To end this beautiful adventure, we went with them to the contact of these wetlands by visiting Taonaba, the house of the Mangrove. For this outing, the association “Zye a mangrov’la” proposed to the children an animation to deepen their knowledge.

Photo crédit: HappyMan Photography

Cáyoli Junior’s vocation is to create projects and pedagogical tools with and for students. During the school year 2018-2019 we worked with eight primary classes on the project “I adopt a mangrove tree”.

TAKE OWNERSHIP TO BETTER UNDERSTAND AND PROTECT

Cáyoli Junior is the pedagogy and environmental awareness component of the program. The principle is simple: to protect well, you have to know well. And it is clear that coastal natural environments are often little or poorly known. In order to strengthen this knowledge, Guadeloupe Port Caraïbes has been committed for 3 years in the development of innovative educational tools and projects around natural coastal areas.

It is in this context that the project “I adopt a mangrove tree” is part of, bringing together ecological restoration and awareness program. It was conducted throughout the school year with schoolchildren aged 7 to 10.

The principle of this project? Maintain and monitor the growth of young red mangrove seedlings and to plant them at the end of the year.

On June 6 and 7, 2019,, for the World Oceans Day, these young red mangroves were transplanted by the students to a degraded mangrove site to regenerate it.

Many thanks to the students and teachers for their involvement in this project!

In 2018-2019, the following 8 classes participated in the project:
– The Moyenne Section class of the Dubouchage School and the CM1/CM2 class of the Raphaël Cipolin School (Pointe-à-Pitre)
– The classes of CM2 A and CM2 B of the Saturnin Jasor school (Le Gosier)
– The classes of CE2 B CM1 A of the school Lucie Calendrier Bicep (Sainte-Anne)
– The class of CE1/CE2 of the Jean-Gabriel school, Montauban (Le Moule)
– The second grade Corossol class of the Pierre Mathieu School (Baie-Mahault)
– The class of CM1/CM2 of the Robert Freti school (Petit-Bourg)
– The class of CM1 of the school François Auguste (Goyave)

photo credit: HappyMan Photography

In April 2019, 400 cuttings of Acropora Cervicornis coral raised in nurseries were implanted in the natural environment. This large-scale operation is the first on the scale of Guadeloupe.

IMPLANTATION OF 400 CORAL CUTTINGS

Since 2016, the Grand Port has been implementing and maintaining a coral nursery containing two species of coral emblematic of the Caribbean: the “stag horn” coral Acropora cervicornis and the “moose horn” coral Acropora palmata.

The choice of these two varieties is first of all linked to the threats they face (both species are threatened and classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)). They also have the particularity of having a relatively rapid growth and are part of the “reef-building” corals. They are therefore particularly interesting for the restoration of damaged reefs.

In April 2019, 400 cuttings of Acropora cervicornis, “deer horn” were implanted. This large-scale action, the first on the scale of Guadeloupe, has strengthened the presence of this species on the « Caye de Mouchoir Carrée » in Petit-Cul-de-Sac-Marin where individuals were becoming rare.

The time has now come for monitoring, which will be carried out regularly for a period of 5 years. We will keep you informed of their evolution.

The first observations, after one month of follow-up, are very encouraging!

See the video of the operation

Photographic credit: Coraïbes and Amélie CHATAGNON

The Ministerial Order of April 25, 2017 aims to protect 16 species of coral endemic to the Caribbean region. This list covers most of the reef building species of the Caribbean region.

A REGULATORY TEXT TO PROTECT

Coral reefs have a major importance in the tropics. Protectors of the coast and reservoirs of biodiversity, these ecosystems are subject to alarming degradation.

Faced with this alarming observation, the State adopted in 2017 a decree aimed at greater protection of certain species of coral.

The ministerial order of April 25, 2017 aims to protect 16 species of coral endemic to the Caribbean region. This list covers most of the reef building species of the region.

In order to continue active coral restoration actions, the Grand Port has submitted a request for a waiver to the State’s instructor services.

The Prefectorial Order DEAL/RN n°971-2019-03-07-002 of March 7, 2019 which follows this request for exemption authorizes the Grand Port to collect, use, transport and reintroduce into the natural environment specimens of the following protected species: Acropora cervicornis (Deer horn), Acropora palmta (Elk horn), Orbicella annularis (Massive star) et Orbicella faveolata (Mountain star) for the purpose of experimenting with techniques for the conservation of species.

The decree precisely defines the operations that can be carried out and provides for an independent scientific committee in charge of validating the operating protocols for each action.

Thanks to this order, the Cáyoli program will begin a new decisive stage: the reintroduction of corals rose in coral farms into the natural environment.

Photo credit: Dany MOUSSA and Axel LOPEZ

The search for solutions to restore seagrass beds is a major focus of the port’s environmental policy. But even before restoration can take place, it is necessary to develop and control : plant production, cultivation and establishment in the natural environment. These are crucial and complex steps in a field that is still little studied. An on-going process.

THE CHOICE OF AN INNOVATIVE METHOD

Seagrasses are descended from terrestrial plants. They have a development by fructification and by their rhizomes. In the world, the most commonly used method of restoration is the cutting of rhizome tips from natural seagrass meadows. This method requires significant sampling in the natural environment. In order to limit its impact on the seagrass meadows, Guadeloupe Port Caraïbes has chosen a more innovative method through the collection of seagrass seeds. The first steps consisted in identifying the flowering period for seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) in Guadeloupe and observe the germination process of these seeds until the production of plantlets in a nursery. These two steps were quickly validated; the next step was then to estimate the feasibility of transplanting the plantlets into the natural environment.

A first transplant on a modest scope allowed us to identify some of the pressure factors facing young seedlings in the natural environment. This test was also used to evaluate whether the selected plantlet attachment technique is effective.

Three months after this operation, a first assessment is necessary. At first glance, the plantlet fixation technique is effective since the fixation supports and some seedlings are still present on the site. Unfortunately, we note that sea urchins and sea cucumbers are formidable predators : a large proportion of the young and tender plantlets. The balance is thus mitigated since nearly 80% of the transplanted seedlings have disappeared.

However, based on scientific studies, a survival percentage of 20% is commonly observed for similar seagrass transplant experiments. The Grand Port is now mobilizing its scientific team to improve seagrass transplant techniques, as the new season for collecting the fruits of Thalassia testudinum begins in May.

Photo credit: HappyMan Photography

Good news for the mangrove ! This Wednesday, December 19, 240 red mangrove trees raised in nurseries were planted in a natural environment in order to rehabilitate a mangrove area in Bergevin. An operation that symbolizes the entry into a new phase of the Cáyoli project, that of the first active restoration operations of natural coastal environments.

ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW MANGROVE NURSERIES

Mangroves and swamp forests are an essential element of resilience to climatic hazards. They mitigate the risks of flooding and coastal erosion. These wetlands represent a major challenge for the protection of our ecosystems

One of the major components of the Cáyoli program is the implementation of active restoration protocols for natural environments, based on local and regional expertise. The protocol for harvesting, cultivating and planting on degraded sites is stabilized and functioning. This has made it possible to take an essential additional step: entrusting the management of a nursery to a local association as part of an integration project.

The President of the Supervisory Board, Mrs. Marie-Luce PENCHARD, and the President of the Executive Board, Mr. Yves SALAÜN, and the teams of the «Yon A Lòt» association’s integration project planted the first mangrove tree seedlings.

« YON A LÒT » – ONE TO THE OTHER, A SOLIDARITY ASSOCIATION COMMITTED TO THE ENVIRONMENT

This project is implemented by the association « YON A LÒT » – One to the other. Created in 2014, it has made coastal management and raising awareness of the preservation of natural areas its main focus. After creating a training course for coastal workers to develop skills adapted to local issues, the association has committed itself alongside Guadeloupe Port Caraïbes to set up a mangrove nursery by employing employees in integration.

See the video of the operation

Photo credit: : FaireSens