The Caravelle peninsula

Presqu’île de la Caravelle

Territory : Martinique
Area : 380 ha
Status : Part nature reserve, part belongs to Conservatoire du Littoral (Coastal conservatory), the remainder unprotected
Owner : French state, Conservatoire du Littoral
Management authority : Regional Nature Park, Conservatoire du Littoral, ONF (National Forestry Agency)
Biotopes : dryland forest, savannas, thickets
Uses : Conservation studies, tourism, school excursions, hiking

The Caravelle peninsula is a small peninsula situated in north-eastern Martinique. The area ranges from east to west for approximately 10 km and is between 1 to 4 km wide

Caravelle peninsula, Martinique, J. Riegel

At the end of the 17th century, significant portions of the Caravelle peninsula’s forests were cut down, in particular to make way for crops (sugar cane) and pastures. These were abandoned a century later and the area given over to farms shrank and was replaced by grassy savannas with orchids, thickets and secondary forests presenting a closed canopy over a shady understory.

Following discussions and conservation actions undertaken during the 1970s, part of the peninsula was made into a nature reserve, managed by the Martinique Regional Nature Park. Another part belongs to the Conservatoire du Littoral and a third part is managed by the ONF

The White-breasted thrasher, a species endemic to the Lesser Antilles and globally threatened, is found in Martinique, only on the Caravelle peninsula. Studies show that the White-breasted thrasher frequents areas both outside and within the nature reserve, ranging from Morne Pavillon to Baie Gros Raisins and Baie Grandjean, and according to certain birdwatchers, all the way to the sector of Tartane.