503
Goyaves (G.R.G.)
1:20000 reduced
, 3 Low prairie
-yperaceae (was
i icaco thicket ;
9 Acrostichum
.-Avie.-Lagune.
hromatic photos
.nopies) has to
•istic-pedological
e of areas to
mapping scale,
quite sufficient
>gical units
and low banks,
.rge vegetation
inundable
mestone, peat,
, ).
generally more
lowing in detail
d growth condi-
;y classes. The
idely different
one side, the
e , barely meca-
jLES
the vegetation
iblications but
scales between
illy introduced
•ms of mangrove
! palustre (for
Figure 6. Sketch of Grande Rivière à Goyaves mouth
From ORSTOM colour photo 1:10000 reduced to about
1:13000
A old mouth ; B present mouth ; 1 pure tall Rhiz.
2 Overwash mangrove ; 3 tall Rhiz. ; 4 Cycloned
Rhiz. invaded by Rhabdadenia ; 5 Pterocarpus ;
6 Avic. thicket ; 7 Avic. park-like ; 8 Saltflat
About the same time Beard (1949) did a similar
pioneer work in the Lesser Antilles (except Guade
loupe and Martinique), especially in vegetation
classification. Unfortunately, wetlands are so small
in the English-speaking Islands that they are not
shown in his sketchmaps about 1:240000.
Portecop (1976,1980) produced two colour vegetation
maps 1:150000 with comments showing mangrove (and
two facies, Conocarpus and Acrostichum) for Marti
nique ; mangrove, Pterocarpus, Cladium swamp and
halophilous pastures (the most inland belt) for
Guadeloupe.
Tandy (1983) drew a tentative unpublished colour
map 1:20000 in 7 sheets for Guadeloupe with the
following legend and no comment : mangrove, Ptero
carpus, xerophilous forest, Cyperaceous swamp, fern
swamp, mudflats and saltflats altogether.
Rioux et al (1984) published a colour map 1:50000
of the wetlands of Guadeloupe with short comments
and the following legend : mangrove, Pterocarpus,
Chrysobalanus thicket, Haematoxylon swamp thicket,
Cladium swamp, Acrostichum swamp, two types of brac
kish inundable prairies (Philoxerus, Eleocharis)
and 3 types of freshwater prairies. This map is
fairly detailed and was established for health pur
poses to show mosquitoes breeding sites in relation
to salinity and inundation.
Feller et al are preparing an ecological map 1:50000
in colour (one sheet) of the wetlands of Guadeloupe,
a joint interpretation of soil and vegetation with
comments on both aspects.
Chanteur et al (1980,1981) produced unpublished
tentative sketchmaps 1:10000 on the mangroves of
Martinique with the legend : Rhizophora, Avicennia,
Laguncularia, mixtures, grass swamps, saltflats,
xerophilous vegetation.
The objectives of research and mapping at 1:10000
or 1:20000 were to substantiate the procedure of
mangrove reserve establishment in Guadeloupe and
Martinique for conservation purposes, not for produc-
Figure 7. Morne rouge
Photo IGN 68.69 ANT 104-200 294 original 1:20000,
reduced to about 1:27000
1 Mixed thicket Rhiz.+Avic.+Lagunc. ; 2 Rhiz. 5-
6 m + scattered Lagunc. ; 3 Pterocarpus ; 4 Nephro-
lepis thicket ; 5 Acrostichum fringed by Pterocarpus
6 this point is Cyperaceae in 1984, was Rhiz. in
1968 ; 7 pure Rhiz. thicket ; 8 Cyperaceae swamp
9 tall Rhiz. ; 10 mixed Conocarpus thicket.
tion which is minute compared with the energy con
sumption of both Départements.
Actually some adjustments are necessary on the
available maps.
10. THE IMPORTANCE OF WETLANDS IN THE LESSER ANTILLES
The largest wetlands in the Lesser Antilles occur
in Guadeloupe : mangroves 2 900 ha, Pterocarpus
forest 2 300 ha, open swamps 1 000 ha. Next in impor
tance is Martinique : mangroves 1 900 ha, Pterocarpus
less than 10 ha, grass swamps 700 ha ?
Dominica has too steep shores for any significant
development of mangroves ; there are no stands al
though Laguncularia is locally present (Portsmouth) ;
only Pterocarpus occurs in small clumps with Annona
glabra nearby and small Acrostichum patches.
The mangroves of St-Lucia have been drained during
the Second World War : a large swamp near Vieux
Fort disappeared leaving few remnants. Pterocarpus
is found South of Micoud on the Windward coast.
In St-Vincent, Grenada and Barbados only relicts
of mangrove and apparently no Pterocarpus occur.
Floristic poverty in the Lesser Antilles Wetlands
is directly linked to their small size and isolation
in spite of the existence of two feeding sources,
from the Greater Antilles in the North, from the
Continent and Trinidad in the South.
11. THE CARIBBEAN BACKGROUND
It is worthwhile mentioning even briefly the impor
tance of wetlands in the Caribbean area for the
sake of comparison, at least for mangroves. Many
islands are provided with rather modest mangrove
