E71 Sargassum Management with Leslie Hickerson and Fleur Hermanides in St. Maarten

The Sargassum Podcast

In this episode we interview Leslie Hickerson and Fleur Hermanides. Leslie is a St. Maarten native In this episode we interview Leslie Hickerson and Fleur Hermanides. Leslie is a St. Maarten native with a degree in sustainable tourism. Leslie's journey began as a volunteer with the Nature Foundation, tagging sea turtles and sharks and leading educational programmes. Now, as the Foundation's manager, she's been making waves and shaping the island's sustainable tourism landscape for over three years. Fleur has a Masters in Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience. Fleur served as a Senior Policy Advisor for Environment & Hygiene on Sint Maarten and has organised the island's largest volunteer event, SXM DOET, for nine years. As President of EPIC (Environmental Protection in the Caribbean Foundation), in existence since 2001, she continues to champion environmental education, research and conservation efforts. Tune in for a deep dive into her powerful stories and contributions!

2:08 Introducing our hosts

4:35 What Sargassum means to Fleur

5:20 What Sargassum means to Leslie

7:00 The impact of Sargassum in St Maarten

8:00 Initiatives of the Skateholders in the management of Sargassum

10:35 How Sargassum wrecks may affect female sea turtles

15:10 The role of the Nature Foundation

15:40 The process of sargassum removal

19:37 What are SXM DOET and Samenwerkende Fondsen Cariben and how do they relate to Sargassum?

24:40 Climate CleanUp research and the importance of understanding more about Sargassum

27:20 Experiences and learning from the Sargassum Champions Course to Fleur

28:55 Experiences and learning from the Sargassum Champions Course to Leslie

30:10 The anniversary of SXM DOET and the next steps

32:20 Opportunities for collaboration

37:00 Thoughts on the episode from Jenna and Evelyn

The Sargassum Podcast is made possible through funding by the Resilience, Sustainable Energy, and Marine Biodiversity Programme (RESEMBID). Financed under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories Regional Programme, RESEMBID is being implemented by Expertise France, with the primary stakeholders being the 12 Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories.

Relevant links

Links:

Linkedin

Leslie Hickerson https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-hickerson-4b0b9014/

Fleur Hermanides https://www.linkedin.com/in/fmhermanides/

Website:

https://naturefoundationsxm.org/

https://epicislands.org/