Philipsburg:--- The St. Maarten Nature Foundation recently restarted efforts to bring the island's SCUBA dive moorings up to speed before the official start of the tourist high season. Despite staff shortages and a limited operational budget, the Nature Foundation managed to re-install six dive moorings using underwater drilling equipment and replace an additional six which were cut by passing vessels. Dive moorings are used by dive boats to secure their vessels instead of dropping their anchors on the reef, which can damage sensitive coral reef habitat. Staff of the Saba Marine Park travelled to St. Maarten at the beginning of December to assist with underwater drilling work; "We would very much like to thank the staff of the Saba Conservation Foundation/ Saba Marine Park for coming over and giving us a hand with our mooring work and the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) for supporting the exchange. It is good to see that the Nature Parks of the surrounding islands are giving each other the support they need to do their work despite a tight budget and being severely understaffed" commented Tadzio Bervoets, Nature Foundation Manager. The Nature Foundation also received help and support from the local dive centres through the free providing of air for underwater work, donations that went towards fuel for the boat, and logistical support in finding the proper locations to place the moorings. Generous support was also provided by Aquatic Solutions for allowing the use of their equipment, FKG Yacht Rigging and Marine Fabricating for equipment repairs and maintenance, Saba C-Transport/ Dawn II for shipping equipment between Saba and St. Maarten and Volunteer Diver Mr. Lucas Berman for his valuable time and expertise. Mooring work will continue in January with the continued maintenance and placement of dive moorings surrounding the island.
The St. Maarten Marine Park was established in June 1997 with funding from the Dutch World Wildlife Fund seeking to protect areas of important natural habitat unique to St. Maarten. The St. Maarten Marine Park is a voluntary protected area until official legislation has been passed offering it official protection. Tourist activities are concentrated on the south and eastern side of the island, where the dive sites Molly Beday, Pelican Rock, Hen and Chicks, and Cow and Calf as well as the Proselyte Reef Complex are located. These areas embody some of the last pristine marine locations on the island, with excellent diving. This area also constitutes an important breeding ground for marine birds, fish, sea turtles, queen conch and other marine life. Based on a recent Nature Foundation study the Coral Reefs surrounding St. Maarten contribute or have the potential of contributing USD $ $57, 586, 976 to the economy of the island, with visitors spending an estimated USD $9, 689, 625 on the local dive industry and associated services.
