Molinière - Beauséjour MPA
Note: The data were entered in the language of the country of origin (English, French or Spanish) and there is no translation available yet.Chapter 3. SITE DESCRIPTION
c - Biological features
Habitats
Brief description of dominant and particular habitats (marine and terrestrial)*: List here the habitats and ecosystems that are representative and/or of importance for the WCR (i.e. mangroves, coral reefs, etc):
Coral Reefs:
There are roughly 0.4 square km for the reef surface within the Molinière-Beauséjour MPA that extends from Molinière Point to the southern part of Flamingo Bay in the north. The Molinière Reef consist of a series of fringing coral reefs and sea fans beds.
Seagrass Bed
There is a signifcant seagrass bed on the northern side of Flamingo Bay. The seagrass bed is domintade by Thalassia testudinum and Syringodium filiforme.
Mangroves
A small mangrove is located in Beauséjour, behind the beach berm, the system is dominated by Laguncularia racemosa but scattered Avicennia germinans were observed. A deep pool occurs within the center of the system and are home to various marine and fresh water species as well as birds.
Detail for each habitat/ecosystem the area it covers:
| Marine / coastal ecosystem categories Detail for each habitat / ecosystem the area covers |
Size (estimate) | Description and comments | |
| unit | Area covered | ||
| Mangroves |
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| Beausejour Mangroves | ha | not given | This is a small basin-type mangrove system protected from coastal storms from a high beach front formation. It is dominated by Laguncularia racemosa with scattered Avicennia germinans. A deep pool occurs within the center of the system, collecting freshwater. The central lagoon is home to several freshwater and a few marine species that are tolerant of low salinity conditions, including needlefish (Belonidae), schoolmaster snapper (Lutjanus apodus) and mojarra (Eucinostomus sp.). |
| Coral reefs |
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| Moliniere Beausejour Reef Complex | ha | 40 | The reef extends from Molinière Point to the southern part of Beausejour Bay in the north. |
| Sea grass beds |
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| Moliniere Beausejour Seagrass Beds | ha | not given | Seagrass beds dominated by an exotic invasive species, Halophila stipulate but includes Thalassia testudinum and syringodium filiforme and found in Flamingo Bay, Dragon Bay and Beauséjour Bay at depths over 10 m. |
| Rocks |
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| Moliniere Beausejour Rocky Shores | ha | not given | The shoreline of the headlands that separate the three major beaches within the MPA are lined by rocks. These rocks form the primary habitat for large quantities of marine and intertidal organisms. |
| Sand cover |
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| Moliniere Beausejour MPA Beaches | ha | not given | There are three main beaches with the MBMPA, Beausejour Bay, Flamingo Bay and Dragons bay. The beaches at Dragons and Flamingo Bays are white sand while the beach at Beausejour Bays is a black sand (basalt) beach |
| Terrestrial ecosystems |
Size (estimate) | ||
| unit | Area covered | ||