Tourism/Environment - Enjoy the beauty of beaches while respecting biodiversity

With Thanksgiving and the festive season approaching, visitors and residents alike will be flocking to the island's beaches, bays and other natural sites. The Agence territoriale de l'environnement (ATE) has issued a reminder of a few good practices to ensure that visitors' stays on the island also benefit biodiversity.
"The treasures of the beach remain at the beach", says the ATE, pointing out: "Many people are keen to bring back a souvenir of their time spent on the island. However, empty shells, dried starfish, sand dollars, dead coral, rocks or even sand cannot be included. Their presence in the water or on the beach is not insignificant, and serves as food and shelter for many other species. "
Stress-free photos... for the animals. With our lens always in hand, it's easy to take shots of the most beautiful things Saint-Barth has to offer underwater, such as sea turtles and starfish," explains the agency. Be careful, however, to take these shots while respecting the animal. It is strictly forbidden to touch a sea turtle or chase it when it moves away from you. Disturbing a turtle means putting it at risk by going to places more exposed to danger in order to regain lost peace and quiet. Similarly, it's forbidden to take a starfish out of the water; it will asphyxiate. "
Party all right, but not just anywhere! The ATE points out that within the Nature Reserve (Colombier and Fourchue bays, in particular), music on beaches or aboard ships is a major source of pollution for species that take advantage of the night to rest. Night-time lighting also disturbs many species which, attracted by the light, expose themselves to over-predation.
Lastly, the Agency explains the changes in regulations within the Nature Reserve. Boats over 25 meters in length are no longer allowed to anchor in the Fourchue and Colombier bays. The use of buoys, limited to vessels of 25 meters and 20 tons maximum, is strongly encouraged before resorting to anchoring. "These ecological moorings are designed to preserve the seabed," insists ATE. Finally, the maximum parking time in the bays mentioned is 96 consecutive hours.