Improving collaboration thanks to Dominican lizards
The MERCI project is a research program aiming at improving the knowledge on several species of invasive exotic reptiles in the Lesser Antilles. Another ambition of the project is to reinforce the collaboration between the different territories. The last mission, which took place in Dominica, shows that both objectives are successful!...
Turtles and geckos: a mission with a double challenge in Martinique
Invasive alien species represent a major threat to island biodiversity. Many species of reptiles, recently arrived or established for a long time, can negatively impact the populations of local and sometimes endemic species from several territories of the Caribbean. The MERCI project (Managing Exotic Reptiles on Caribbean Islands) aims...
Martinique: a three-week mission to study freshwater turtles
Freshwater turtles may seem harmless, but some species are nonetheless invasive and potentially dangerous for local biodiversity. This is the case for two species in the West Indies: the Antillean slider (Trachemys stejnegeri), native to Puerto Rico, and the Yellow-bellied slider turtle (Trachemys scripta), native to the United States....
Looking for anole lizards: A mission in Dominica
A new mission has just ended in Dominica. Although conducted for scientific purposes, the mission was also a great human adventure in this island that is referred “The Nature Island of the Caribbean” in reference to its exceptional conservation. Here is the story of a week dedicated to anoles. The island of Dominica, like many...
On the way to the next field missions in Dominica and Martinique
Six months after the first field mission to Saint Lucia and Dominica, a new field mission combining once again training and data recording is about to begin. Annabelle Vidal, who specialized in the study of populations of anole lizard during her doctoral work, will be training five collaborators working in the Forestry, Wildlife and...
Reptiles: success for the first field mission for the MERCI project
Island of Saint Lucia, November 2021. Among the branches, a furtive movement betrays the fear of a lizard that has just been spotted, not by a predator, but by a scientist. Over the last few days, a team from the MERCI project, aimed at studying invasive reptiles of the Lesser Antilles, has been on the …...
Caribaea Initiative gets support from the Caribbean program Interreg for its project about invasive reptiles
A success with a taste of victory for the association, accompanied by a great challenge to come. The MERCI project (Managing Exotic Reptiles on Caribbean Islands), led by Caribaea Initiative, was selected by the Caribbean program Interreg for a FEDER (European regional development fund) grant of € 403,628. The ecosystems of the insular...
