Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is composed of two islands: Basse-Terre which is high and volcanic and Grande-Terre which is flat and calcareous. The two islands are separated by a narrow channel which is nowhere more than 200 m wide. Other islands in the archipelago include La Desirade, Marie-Galante and Les Saintes Archipelago plus some small islets.

On the Caribbean coast there are diverse coral communities on the rocky bottoms, particularly around the Pigeon Islets. The Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin in the north is surrounded by a barrier reef, 20 km long, that encloses a 10 km-wide lagoon covering 150 sq km. [1] The island's Atlantic coast has fringing reefs, which are more developed on the eastern part of the Basse-Terre (Petit Cul-de-Sac Marin). The surrounding islands are devoid of coral reefs (Les Saintes) or possess narrow fringing reefs (Marie-Galante, La Desirade). [2]

According to the Reefs at Risk analysis, all the 400 sq km of reefs around Guadeloupe are threatened by human activities. Almost all reefs were rated as threatened by overfishing. Fishing is an important activity in Guadeloupe. In 1998, there were more than 2,000 professional fishermen, with another 1,000 thought to be fishing regularly. Most of the nearshore communities are considered to be overexploited. [3] Coastal development was identified as a threat to 85 percent of reefs, while sedimentation from the land was identified as threatening about 45 percent of reefs. Threats from anthropogenic sources come from agricultural (banana and sugar cane plantations) pollution, urban pollution, and sediment runoff caused by extensive deforestation for agriculture. About one quarter of reefs were estimated to be threatened by marine-based pollution.

The islands are at risk from hurricanes. Hugo (1989) hit the archipelago head on, while Luis and Marilyn (1995) severely damaged the islands of St. Barthélemy and St. Martin. Of the 40,000 Caribbean traps around Guadeloupe, about 20,000 are lost each year during hurricane season, but continue to catch fish for many months (known as "ghost fishing").

The marine reserve of the Grand Cul-de-Sac Marin (Guadeloupe) was created in 1987 and covers about 37 sq km, including coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves. This MPA is managed by the Parc National de la Guadeloupe, and is also a Man in the Biosphere (MAB) Reserve and a RAMSAR site. On Guadeloupe's Atlantic side, the nature reserve of Petite-Terre, created in 1998, covers 10 sq km and is administered by the Office National des Forêts (ONF). [4]

[1] A.H. Smith et al., "Status of coral reefs in the eastern Caribbean: The OECS, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, The Netherlands Antilles and the French Caribbean," in Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000 . C. Wilkinson, ed. (Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2000), p.318

[2] A.F. Smith, C.S. Rogers, and C. Bouchon. 1999. "Status of Western Atlantic Coral Reefs in the Lesser Antilles." Proceedings of the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium, pp 351-356

[3] M. Spalding et al., World Atlas of Coral Reefs (Berkeley, California: University of California Press and UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Center, 2001), p. 162

[4] A.H. Smith et al., "Status of coral reefs in the eastern Caribbean: The OECS, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, The Netherlands Antilles and the French Caribbean," in Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000 . C. Wilkinson, ed. (Townsville: Australian Institute of Marine Science, 2000), p.325