Man O War Shoal Marine Park
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
h - Information and knowledge
Information and knowledge available
Despite it being a relatively newly established MPA there is quite a bit of documentation available on the species composition, baseline inventories, and social and economic valuations;
Each of the information types described below are available to staff and have been identified via the DCNA Management Success Project or by Kenchington, R. A. (1990) (Managing Marine Environments, Taylor and Francis, New York.) as important background information for the running of any PA;
Nautical chart; Nature Foundation St Maarten Imray chart.
Tide tables; Web/press.
Community descriptions; very basic descriptions in the Management Plan.
Species lists; Keystone species as listed by nature Foundation St Maarten.
Status of commercially important species; Some shark data, anecdotal data on other species.
Status of endangered, threatened and endemic species; online CITES list and RED List data, endemic species information does not exist.
Aerial photographs; 2011 photos of run off shoreline, none of the MPA itself.
Land use plans; 1993 VROM zoning plan for St. Maarten
Topographical maps; 1977, VROM Arcview programme
Economic valuation; carried out by Nature Foundation St Maarten in 2010.
User Fee Survey; carried out by Nature Foundation St Maarten 2011 (willingness to pay).
GIS; Basic files for producing location (base) maps.
The following important sources of information for the MPA are not available;
Maps of currents
Bathymetric charts
Baseline habitat maps
Digital Satellite Images
Hydrological survey
Cultural valuation
Traditional usage
Current use and usage levels
Socio-economic survey
List of the main publications
Title | Author | Year | Editor / review |
Nature Foundation Bleaching Response Plan | Tadzio Bervoets | 2010 | N/A |
Nature Foundation Lionfish Response Plan | Tadzio Bervoets | 2010 | N/A |
Report St. Maarten Marine Mammal Census | Tadzio Bervoets | 2011 | N/A |
Report Halophilia stipulacea | Tadzio Bervoets | 2011 | N/A |
RESULTS OF NATURE FOUNDATION AQUATIC RESEARCH PROJECT | Tadzio Bervoets | 2010 | N/A |
REPORT ON THE VALUATION OF ST. MAARTEN’S CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEMS | Tadzio Bervoets | 2010 | N/A |
Briefly indicate in the chart if any regular monitoring is performed and for what groups/species
Species / group monitored (give the scientific name) |
Frequency of monitoring (annual / biannual / etc...) |
Comments (In particular, you can describe here the monitoring methods that are used) |
Marine Mammals | Annual | Marine Mammal Monitoring Occurs from January to May |
Lionfish | Monthly | Lionfish monitoring for effects on coral reefs occurs on a monthly basis |
Coral Bleaching | Six times anually or higher | Coral Bleaching monitoring is conducted six times yearly or more frequent based on bleaching events |
Coral Reef Monitoring | Monthly | Coral Reef Monitoring Occurs once a month |
Seagrasses | Bi-anually | seagrasses are monitored twice a year |