Parc naturel régional de la Martinique () is one of 54 French regional nature parks. With a surface area of approximately , it covers more than half of the island, overlapping 32 of 34 communes - including approximately 100,000 inhabitants. The park works to preserve one of 34 biodiversity hotspots on the planet. The biodiversity hotspot map identifies areas for preservation by two criteria, one being a certain rate of

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

: that the flora and fauna are not found elsewhere, and because at least 70% of its primary vegetation has been lost.

History

The area was classified as a Regional nature park in 1976. In the same year, the Caravelle peninsula was classified as a national nature reserve.

Boundary and zoning

The regional nature park is divided into four geographically independent sub-areas.

List of communes

The park includes 32 of Martinique's 34 communes, 15 of which are only partly protected.

Protected areas

The Sainte-Anne Islets National Nature Reserve was created in 1995. It is managed jointly by the park and the National Forests Office. The Etang des Salines wetlands area is classified as a

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

Governing body

The park is administered by semi-public committees, bringing together elected representatives for the local authority and representatives of the communes.

Management team

Programmes and activities

UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Regional Nature Park, in partnership with the island's government, has registered the "volcanoes and forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of northern Martinique" as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

candidate. It was officially designated a World Heritage Site in 2023.

The Zero Chlordecone label

The park has a number of banana plantations within its boundaries, and as a result was affected by the Chlordecone scandal. The regional nature park created a label to guarantee food products as free of contamination. An app was launched to allow consumers to check the provenance of products labelled "Zéro chlordécone" on 11 October 2019. Gecarcinus lateralis 2

The park brand

The park runs a quality control and promotion scheme for honey, lamb and cassava produced there, labelling those which meet its standard with the "marque parc".

Litter picking operation

A monthly litter clean up is carried out at places along the coast on Saturday mornings. These Touloulou operations (named after a crab found in the area) are organised by a group of 50 volunteers on average.

Natural heritage and biodiversity

Martinique's isolation as an island in the

tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

has encouraged diversification of species. It has a high rate of

, a combination of variety and uniqueness in its flora and fauna.

Diversity of fauna and flora

Seventeen species of terrestrial mammals have been recorded in Martinique, along with 21 species of reptiles and 6 species of amphibians which occupy a variety of environments of the island. Among arthropods, naturalists have identified 16 species of crustaceans, a hundred or so spiders and mygalomorphs, 1,139 species of hexapods including 30 species of odonates, 40 species of

butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

and more than 300

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

s and at least 14 species of Hymenoptera apoidea according to a preliminary study, and at least 18 species of

ladybirds Coccinellidae () is a widespread family of small beetles. They are commonly known as ladybugs in North America and ladybirds in the United Kingdom; "lady" refers to mother Mary. Entomologists use the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles t ...

. Martinique has more than 60 breeding bird species. The islets of Sainte-Anne contain nesting places important to seabirds such as the

red-billed tropicbird The red-billed tropicbird (''Phaethon aethereus'') is a tropicbird, one of three closely related species of seabird of tropical oceans. Superficially resembling a tern in appearance, it has mostly white plumage with some black markings on the wi ...

, the

bridled tern The bridled tern (''Onychoprion anaethetus'')Sometimes the name is (wrongly?) spelled as ''S. anaestheta'', for instance in: is a seabird of the family Laridae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. Th ...

Sargasso shearwater The Sargasso shearwater (''Puffinus lherminieri'') is a small tropical seabird in the petrel family. The only shearwater to nest primarily in the Caribbean, it ranges throughout the western Atlantic during the non-breeding season. Its specific ep ...

, the

brown noddy The brown noddy or common noddy (''Anous stolidus'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. The largest of the noddies, it can be told from the closely related black noddy by its larger size and plumage, which is dark brown rather than black. The ...

or the

sooty tern The sooty tern (''Onychoprion fuscatus'') is a tern in the family Laridae. It is a seabird of the tropical oceans, and remarkably, has evolved the ability to fly for years at a time, skimming the sea surface for food, and returning to land only ...

. File:Oiseau sauvage de la martinique; le kayali (petit héron) (MARTINIQUE).jpg, alt=Kayali (Butorides virescens), Kayali (''Butorides virescens'') File:Lézard, Martinique.jpg, alt=Anolis, a lizard,

Anolis ''Anolis'' is a genus of anoles (), iguanian lizards in the family Dactyloidae, native to the Americas. With more than 425 species, it represents the world's most species-rich amniote tetrapod genus, although many of these have been proposed to b ...

, a lizard File:Petit crabe.jpg, alt=A small crab, A small crab File:Bananaquits.jpg, alt=Bananaquits, Bananaquits File:RED BILLED TROPIC BIRD.jpg, alt=Red billed tropic bird, Red billed tropic bird There are 396 species of tree in Martinique, of which 20% are endemic to the Lesser Antilles, the greatest diversity of trees among the islands. As of 2010, 56 were in danger of local extinction and 12 of total extinction. More generally, the island has 1238 native

spermatophytes A seed plant or spermatophyte (; New Latin ''spermat-'' and Greek ' (phytón), plant), also known as a phanerogam (taxon Phanerogamae) or a phaenogam (taxon Phaenogamae), is any plant that produces seeds. It is a category of embryophyte (i.e. la ...

and 259 native

pteridophytes A pteridophyte is a vascular plant (with xylem and phloem) that reproduces by means of spores. Because pteridophytes produce neither flowers nor seeds, they are sometimes referred to as " cryptogams", meaning that their means of reproduction is h ...

. Of the total spermatophytes, 39 species are endemic to this island, 177 to the

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, forming part of the West Indies in Caribbean, Caribbean region of the Americas. They are distinguished from the larger islands of the Greater Antilles to the west. They form an arc w ...

and 172 to the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. File:Forêt de fougères arborescentes à.jpg, alt=Forest of tree ferns, Forest of tree ferns File:Haematoxylum campechianum (Campêche).jpg, alt=Campêche, Campêche flower File:Rose de porcelaine.jpg, alt=Rose de porcelaine, Rose de porcelaine File:Swietenia macrophylla (30680883066).jpg, Mahogany File:Acacia cornigera 4zz.jpg, alt=Bullhorn acacia, Bullhorn acacia

Endemic species

The White-breasted thrasher is a bird endemic to Martinique, found in the

dry forest The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...

of the Caravelle peninsula and in

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

. Also endemic to the island is the Martinique oriole, known locally as the "Carouge", which belongs to the

Icterid Icterids () or New World blackbirds make up a family, the Icteridae (), of small to medium-sized, often colorful, New World passerine birds. The family contains 108 species and is divided into 30 genera. Most species have black as a predominant ...

family of birds. Finally, Martinique has an endemic bat, ''Myotis Martiniquensis'' or Schwartz's myotis, a

vesper bat Vespertilionidae is a family of microbats, of the order Chiroptera, flying, insect-eating mammals variously described as the common, vesper, or simple nosed bats. The vespertilionid family is the most diverse and widely distributed of bat famili ...

which appears in the early to late evening. Martinique is home to 11 other species of

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

. The

Lesser Antillean Iguana The Lesser Antillean iguana (''Iguana delicatissima'') is a large arboreal lizard endemic to the Lesser Antilles. It is one of two species of lizard of the genus ''Iguana'' and is in severe decline due to habitat destruction, introduced feral pre ...

(''Iguana delicatissima'') is endemic to Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Martin and some other smaller islands. This species is considered vulnerable by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

, and is threatened, among other things, by hybridization with the

Green Iguana The green iguana (''Iguana iguana''), also known as the American iguana or the common green iguana, is a large, arboreal, mostly Herbivory, herbivorous species of lizard of the genus ''Iguana''. Usually, this animal is simply called the iguana. ...

, an invasive alien species in Martinique.

Allobates chalcopis ''Allobates chalcopis'', also known as the Martinique volcano frog or ravine rocket frog, is a species of frog in the family Aromobatidae. It is endemic to Martinique, where it is found at high-altitude areas including Mount Pelée and potential ...

, or the ravine rocket frog, is a species of frog endemic to Mount Pelee. Caribena versicolor 9 Fh

The Antilles pinktoe tarantula or Matoutou falaise is an endemic species of tree-dwelling mygalomorphs. Its young are dark blue with black stripes on the abdomen. Adults can be identified by their bright red abdomen decorated with a pink spot, with purplish pink legs; they can reach a size of across. It is not advisable to touch these tarantulas because their bristles sting. Martinique has 95 species of insects (or more generally

hexapoda The subphylum Hexapoda (from Greek for 'six legs') or hexapods comprises the largest clade of arthropods and includes most of the extant arthropod species. It includes the crown group class Insecta (true insects), as well as the much smaller c ...

) which are strictly endemic including '' Athis pinchoni'', a moth. The

bromeliad The Bromeliaceae (the bromeliads) are a Family (biology), family of monocot flowering plants of about 80 genera and 3700 known species, native mainly to the Tropics, tropical Americas, with several species found in the American subtropics and on ...

''aechmea reclinata'' is an endemic

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphyt ...

plant species that was discovered very recently by botanists of the Martinique National Park. It has lost a large part of its distribution area due to illegal forest clearing where it used to grow.

Extinct or locally extinct species

According to the

, cited in the park's charter, eleven species have disappeared from Martinique, including the Lamentin, the Ara (endemic to the two islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique), the

Martinique amazon The Martinique amazon (''Amazona martinicana'') is a hypothetical extinct species of Caribbean parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is not known from any material remains, but was said to be similar to the red-necked amazon (''A. arausiaca'') f ...

, the

Burrowing owl The burrowing owl (''Athene cunicularia''), also called the shoco, is a small, long-legged, primarily terrestrial—though not flightless—species of owl native to the open landscapes of North and South America. They are typically found in gra ...

and the

Boa constrictor The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also known as the common boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the Family (b ...

Invasive alien species

In total, 38% of vertebrate fauna are thought to have been introduced by humans. All these species are considered harmful and some are already causing problems for local wildlife. In the wetlands several exotic plants have become established such as

water hyacinth ''Pontederia crassipes'' (formerly ''Eichhornia crassipes''), commonly known as common water hyacinth, is an aquatic plant native to South America, naturalized throughout the world, and often invasive species, invasive outside its native rang ...

Pistia stratiotes ''Pistia'' is a genus of aquatic plants in the arum family, Araceae. It is the sole genus in the tribe ''Pistieae'' which reflects its systematic isolation within the family. The single species it comprises, ''Pistia stratiotes'', is often call ...

, Hydrilla verticillata and

Salvinia molesta ''Salvinia molesta'', commonly known as giant salvinia, or as kariba weed after it infested a large portion of Lake Kariba between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is an aquatic fern, native to south-eastern Brazil. It is a free-floating plant that d ...

Geology

The island of Martinique is mainly volcanic, being formed in three main stages of volcanism: #

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

, i.e. 25-21 million years ago, evidenced in places on the Caravelle and Sainte-Anne peninsula; #Intermediate period between 17 and 7 million years ago during the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

#Recent era, beginning 5.5 million years ago (

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

) until the present day. This includes the formation of Mount Pelee, which became active 126,000 years ago and has erupted in the modern era, in particular in

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's ...

. Of the 43 geological heritage sites identified by the

Bureau de recherches géologiques et minières BRGM is France's public reference institution in Earth science, Earth Science applications for the management of surface and Geology, subsurface resources and risks. It also deals with geological surveys of French territory. BRGM was founded in ...

in Martinique, 34 are located within the perimeter of the park.

Landscape and environment

North and South landscapes

The landscapes of Martinique are classified into six groups, which in turn divide into 27 habitats. The regional nature park includes examples of each. Topology differs between the north and the south divided along a line between Fort-de-France on the Caribbean coast, to Trinité facing the Atlantic: The north has steep slopes with mountains which can climb to over , Mount Pelée the highest, at . The mountains are carved by deep gullies. There is dense forest vegetation, accompanied by water-demanding crops such as bananas. Geological formations in the South are older and the topography is closer to sea level, only exceeding at a point, the coasts are more indented, and here sedimentary rocks become visible among the ancient basalts. Settlements are more agricultural, typically divided between cattle breeding and sugar cane cultivation.

Wetlands

In 2012, 1230

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

s were identified on the whole island of Martinique, categorised into 156 "

ecosystems An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

", covering a total surface area of . These include man-made environments, areas which are always waterlogged, or only during the wet season and the water may be fresh, salt or

brackish Brackish water, sometimes termed brack water, is water occurring in a natural environment that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater. It may result from mixing seawater (salt water) and fresh water together, as in estuari ...

. These environments are home to a variety of fauna, and provide a stopover for birds. In 2015, during the last census, 2276 ponds,

marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

es, ponds,

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripar ...

areas,

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

s and aquaculture or purification basins of ecological interest were listed.

Mangroves

Salt tolerant trees, known as

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

s, grow in the island's tidal zone. The ecosystem covers to , the largest areas being located in the bay of Fort-de-France (on the Caribbean coast to the west) for about and to the east, in the bay of Galion (commune of La Trinité). They grow in a pattern similar to Guadeloupe's mangroves, in three zones: red mangrove growing closest to the sea, then black mangrove and finally white and grey, most inland. It provides a home for snowy egrets,

green herons The green heron (''Butorides virescens'') is a small heron of North and Central America. ''Butorides'' is from Middle English ''butor'' "bittern" and Ancient Greek ''-oides'', "resembling", and ''virescens'' is Latin for "greenish". It was long c ...

and little blue herons. The "Baie de Génipa" site, in the south-eastern end of the bay of Fort-de-France, is home to 93 species of birds. It represents 65% of the mangroves in Martinique with 153 recorded plant species. The Regional Nature Park is planning to have the bay classified as a regional nature reserve. In the two areas mentioned above, the substrate is clay. There are also mangrove

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

s on clay-sand substrate, scattered on the Atlantic coast and to the south of Martinique, sometimes merging with the forest. A study of

ecosystem service Ecosystem services are the various benefits that humans derive from ecosystems. The interconnected living and non-living components of the natural environment offer benefits such as pollination of crops, clean air and water, decomposition of wast ...

, published in April 2017, estimates the economic contribution of the mangrove to the fishery sector at €15,143,000, plus €63,000 for "pêche vivrière" or fishing for food. Mangroves add to the beauty of the area, provide habitat for wildlife and a space for outdoor activities. The benefit they provide as a buffer to

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

is equally important: in 2013 the Ministry of Overseas France estimated the coastal protection and stabilisation provided by mangroves at €8,064 per hectare each year.

Forests in Martinique

Martinique is home to a great diversity of forest environments. In particular, on the slopes of

Mount Pelée Mount Pelée or Mont Pelée ( ; , ; ), meaning "bald mountain" or "peeled mountain" in French, is an active volcano at the northern end of Martinique, an island and French overseas department in the Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc of the Caribbean ...

and the Carbet mountains, forest cover is almost continuous (28% fragmentation) from sea level to more than in altitude: *

Elfin forest A "natural National Park in the Philippines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site file:Mount Kemiri (8187817161).jpg, An elfin forest in Sumatra's Gunung Leuser National Park Dwarf forest, elfin forest, or pygmy forest is an uncommon ecosystem feat ...

**Tropical mountain rainforest ***

Tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are dense and warm rainforests with high rainfall typically found between 10° north and south of the Equator. They are a subset of the tropical forest biome that occurs roughly within the 28° latitudes (in the torrid zo ...

**** Tropical seasonal evergreen forest *****

Dry forest The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive ...

******Coastal forest The type of forest which develops depends on rainfall. The Atlantic coast receives more rain, so the tropical rainforest extends lower in altitude; dry forest is more common on the Caribbean coast. The forest in the north of Martinique is essentially "primitive" (primary). Its secondary forest is concentrated on lower levels, up to in altitude. Due to climatic and

edaphic Edaphology (from Greek , ''edaphos'' 'ground' + , '' -logia'') is concerned with the influence of soils on living beings, particularly plants. It is one of two main divisions of soil science, the other being pedology. Edaphology includes the st ...

soil conditions caused by the gradient, means that even when the forest is mature, it will not necessarily develop into a

climax community In scientific ecology, climax community or climatic climax community is a historic term for a community of plants, animals, and fungi which, through the process of ecological succession in the development of vegetation in an area over time, hav ...

. A vast wooded area descends from Morne-Rose to the sea, on the slopes of the Carbet Mountains, composed of a mesophilic forest at the highest altitudes changing to dry forest or shrubs at lower levels. The second continuum is located in the north of Martinique, on the steep slopes of the Piton Mont Conil and it is protected by two integral biological reserves: "Prêcheur-Grande-rivière" and "Montagne Pelée". There are areas of primary mesophilic forest, home to rare species such as

Manilkara bidentata ''Manilkara bidentata'' is a species of '' Manilkara'' native to a large area of northern South America, Central America and the Caribbean. Common names include bulletwood, balatá, ausubo, massaranduba, quinilla, and (ambiguously) " cow-tree". ...

. However, at lower altitudes the forest was cleared for cash crops in the 18th century, then in the 19th for cocoa cultivation, shown by the presence of

Samanea saman ''Samanea saman'' is a species of Flowering plant, flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, now in the Mimosoideae, Mimosoid clade and is native to Central and South America. It is often placed in the genus ''Samanea'', which by yet other aut ...

, a tree of Brazilian origin used as a shade plant.

Dry Forest

A few isolated areas of dry forest have been maintained on the Caribbean coast of Martinique, despite being very degraded.

Bursera simaruba ''Bursera simaruba'', commonly known as gumbo-limbo, the tourist tree, copperwood, almácigo, chaca, West Indian birch, naked Indian, and turpentine tree, is a tree species in the family Burseraceae, native to the Neotropics, from South Florid ...

, Ficus laevigata, Tabebuia pallida and T. heterophylla (two species of pear tree) are characteristic of dry forest, where rainfall is between and per year.

Mesophilic forest

Mesophilic forest grows in the north of the island, from the coast to about in altitude, as well as by pocket in the south of Martinique. As cultures have tended to settle here over the history of the island, it is usually secondary forest, including trees such as

Simarouba amara ''Simarouba amara'' is a species of tree in the family Simaroubaceae, found in the rainforests and savannahs of South America, South and Central America and the Caribbean. It was first species description, described by Jean Baptiste Christophore ...

(bois-blanc) and Inga laurina (Pois-doux).

Tropical rainforest

The rainforest receives between and of water per year. The trees are very tall, reaching up to in height, and the characteristic species are

Dacryodes excelsa ''Dacryodes excelsa'' is a tree native to Puerto Rico with a habitat that extends into the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean region. Its English vernacular names include gommier and candlewood. Its Spanish common name is ''tabonuco''. According ...

(white gum tree), Chimarrhis cymosa (river wood), Sloanea truncata or Talauma dodeca petala (a

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

), accompanied by coconut trees and

tree fern Tree ferns are arborescent (tree-like) ferns that grow with a trunk (botany), trunk elevating the fronds above ground level, making them trees. Many extant tree ferns are members of the order Cyatheales, to which belong the families Cyatheaceae ( ...

s. Epiphytes are very common.

Mountain rainforest

The upper transitional rainforest, is the transition from the upper mountain shrublands. Trees are on average less tall and forest cover is less dense, which allows for more development of plants in the

understorey In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but above ...

. Epiphytes are extremely abundant:

liana A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the Canopy (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

s, mosses, ferns, etc. Micropholis guyanensis, Pouteria pallida in the

Sapotaceae 240px, '' Madhuca longifolia'' var. ''latifolia'' in Narsapur, Medak district, India The Sapotaceae are a family of flowering plants belonging to the order (biology)">order Ericales">family (biology)">family of flowering plants belonging to th ...

family or Myrcia deflexa (

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All ...

) and Prestoea montana (a palm tree), already present in the rainforest, become dominant in this zone.

Elfin forest

These woodlands are referred to as "forêt des elfes" because of their stunted height, and the reliability of misty, humid conditions in the high elevations where they grow, which they rely on for moisture.

Historical and cultural heritage

Creole culture

The Creole culture of Martinique is inherited from multiple sources, a mixture of the Amerindian culture of the Taïnos, the first inhabitants of the island, with European and African cultures. This culture is carried through by the Creole language and expressed in the island's built heritage and islander's traditional knowledge. The park supports cultural transmission by providing educational activities in schools and in practice, by communicating in Creole in its official documents (as proposed in its charter, signed in 2012).

Local crafts

Pottery

Amerindians used the islands' numerous deposits of clay to make pottery from their earliest days in Martinique. "Canari", "Coco-neg" or "Tesson" kitchen utensils still made today using the Colombin technique, are the heirs of this

Arawak The Arawak are a group of Indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. The term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to different Indigenous groups, from the Lokono of South America to the Taíno (Island Arawaks), w ...

tradition. With colonisation, a ceramics industry developed. The range of pottery being made on the island expanded from everyday objects to moulds for the sugar industry, bricks and round roof tiles. A pottery established in the 17th century is still in operation in Trois-Îlets.

Basketry, braiding, rope making

Basketry and weaving techniques have their origins in the practices of the early Amerindian inhabitants. Several local plants, often palms, are used as materials for various purposes: *Aroman ('' Ischnosiphon arouma'') and cachibou (

Calathea ''Calathea'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Marantaceae. They are commonly called calatheas or (like their relatives) prayer plants. About 200 species formerly assigned to ''Calathea'' are now in the genus '' Goeppertia''. ...

lutea) are used in weaving, for example to make baskets. *Bakwa (

Pandanus utilis ''Pandanus utilis'', the common screwpine is, despite its name, a monocot and not a pine. It is native to Madagascar and naturalised in Mauritius and the Seychelles. Description The trunk features aerial prop roots. The leaves are linear and spi ...

) and latanier (

Latania lontaroides ''Latania lontaroides'' is a species of palm tree. It is endemic to Réunion. It is also used as an ornamental plant. Its common names include the Red Latan, ''latanier de la Réunion'', and ''latanier rouge''. The armored scale insect '' Hemi ...

) are woven and assembled in a spiral shape to make Bakwa hats. Traditionally, fishermen wore a hat woven into a conical shape, while farmers wore a round hat. *

Banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...

fibres (Musa genus) are used to weave ropes that were once used to tie up

pirogue A pirogue ( or ), also called a piragua or piraga, is any of various small boats, particularly dugouts and canoes. The word is French and is derived from Spanish ''piragua'' , which comes from the Carib '. Description The term 'pirogue' ...

s or cattle.

Settlement and human activity

Agriculture

Banana plantations

The first banana trees were cultivated in the French West Indies at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries as a shade plant for cocoa and coffee crops, giant grasses were also used to feed the workers on these plantations. From 1736 onwards, by royal decree, a minimum number of banana trees had to be planted on the plantations to feed the slaves, who could also grow bananas for their own benefit. In 1928, a cyclone damaged coffee and cocoa plantations so badly, that farmers began to grow bananas instead. In 1933, regular shipping was set up between Martinique and the France. Banana plantations became widespread on the island thereafter. However, use of pesticides, in particular

chlordecone Chlordecone, better known in the United States under the brand name Kepone, is an organochlorine compound and a colourless solid. It is an obsolete insecticide, now prohibited in the Western world, but only after many thousands of tonnes had be ...

, has caused extensive pollution. A study published in 2015 by 15 contributors assessed biodiversity in banana plantations in Guadeloupe and Martinique, and the results tend to show that some biodiversity has returned to plantations after the end of chlordecone use. This is particularly the case for soil macrofauna and birds, compared to another study made in 2008.

Herpetofauna Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (incl ...

are diverse, with a higher density in comparison to forest environments.

Arthropod Arthropods ( ) are invertebrates in the phylum Arthropoda. They possess an arthropod exoskeleton, exoskeleton with a cuticle made of chitin, often Mineralization (biology), mineralised with calcium carbonate, a body with differentiated (Metam ...

diversity is low compared to natural environments. Overall, most species there are common and the biodiversity now present depends a great deal on the continued use of phytosanitary irradiation treatments on farms.

The Creole garden

Creole gardens are kept near the home, in small plots. This type of landscaping is found in particular on the hillslopes of the south, where terrain is too uneven to build on. Gardens grow

breadfruit Breadfruit (''Artocarpus altilis'') is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry and jackfruit family ( Moraceae) believed to have been selectively bred in Polynesia from the breadnut ('' Artocarpus camansi''). Breadfruit was spread into ...

trees,

coconut trees The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the f ...

mango trees ''Mangifera indica'', commonly known as mango, is an evergreen species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is a large fruit tree, capable of growing to a height and width of . There are two distinct genetic populations in modern ma ...

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

trees,

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...

es,

taro Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...

s, yams,

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

and other local vegetables. In addition to food crops, sections contain

aromatic In organic chemistry, aromaticity is a chemical property describing the way in which a conjugated system, conjugated ring of unsaturated bonds, lone pairs, or empty orbitals exhibits a stabilization stronger than would be expected from conjugati ...

and

medicinal plants Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including Plant defense against h ...

and small-scale livestock farming. The Creole garden appeared with the abolition of slavery, when former slaves settled on cleared land, and developed further with the decline of the sugar industry, which employed many agricultural workers.

Support programmes for the farming community

The Regional Nature Park supports the agricultural sector, with aid programmes for: *the development of

anthurium ''Anthurium'' (; Schott, 1829) is a genus of about 1,000Mantovani, A. and T. E. Pereira. (2005)''Anthurium'' (section ''Urospadix''; subsection ''Flavescentiviridia'').''Rodriguesia'' 56(88), 145–60. species of flowering plants, the largest g ...

cultivation, through development of greenhouses and agricultural education. *The planting of "living hedges" on sheep farms and their scientific study in collaboration with the

University of West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the Tertiary education, higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking Country, cou ...

-Guyana. Since the 1920s, Gliciridia sepium has been planted as a fodder hedge, and at the southern tip of the island, acacia sundra or ox-stop is the main component of the hedges. *The reintroduction of donkeys and mules for agricultural transport in steep areas, logging and tourism.

Caribbean natural parks

The territorial waters of Martinique are protected by the Parc naturel marin de Martinique. The Regional Nature Park of Martinique participates in the

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement on biosafety as a supplement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) effective since 2003. The Biosafety Protocol seeks to prot ...

and the programme on the marine environment of the greater Caribbean region, set up by agreement between France and the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

. The

Guadeloupe National Park Guadeloupe National Park () is a national park in Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France located in the Leeward Islands of the eastern Caribbean region. The Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin Nature Reserve (French: ''Réserve Naturelle du Grand Cu ...

is another protected area in the French West Indies. To launch its programme of international cooperation, the Parc naturel régional de la Martinique carried out a consultancy mission for the creation of a discovery trail across the island of Dominica, from north to south.

References

{{reflist Protected areas of Overseas France Regional natural parks of France French Caribbean