SCORM
Low-Ground is a common French, located in the department of the Guadeloupe. island of Low-Ground is also the name of one of the two principal islands which form the Guadeloupe. The Low-Ground inhabitants are called the Low-Land .
Geography
The town of Low-Ground is located at the South-west of the Low-Ground island, and at the foot of the Volcan of the Soufrière.
Environment
the town of Low-Ground is marked by the presence of the volcano, geographically forced by the relief and the sea, and victim of daily congestions by the cars (pollution, noise, harmful effects, health issues).the island of Low-Ground still shelters some landscapes with high degree of Naturalité and typical Biocénose S of the original mediums of Caribbean, in altitude, and along some rivers, but the anthropic pressure does not cease growing.
underwater medium . There remained badly studied until in the years 1970, but for 30 years, a hundred studies of the inhabitant of Guadeloupe seamen circle have shown that he sheltered a great ecological richness, but in fast track and accelerated degradation. Biocénose S very differentiated naturally colonize the shores and sea-beds until - approximately 30 m; according to whether they are hard, detrital or movable and according to their depth. These habitats have also characteristics modelled by their exposure to the wind, waves, running, sun, and by the slope of the continental shelf.
principal the biocénoses and habitats are ;
- - the Mangrove S, with red mangrove ( Rhizophora mangrove ) often degraded or disappeared near the residential areas and/or agricultural
- - the reefs bioconstruits
- - covered rock coral funds (but not bioconstruits), which in the Lesser Antilles is generally even richer in biodiversity than on the Atlantic American coasts
- - the detrital funds, which accommodate Spongiaire S, Gorgonaire S, Anthipataire S, Hydraire S…
- - vases and/or famous rollers of less ecological interest (settlements of gorgonaires), but rather little studied, except under the mangroves.
- - the underwater herbaria of Phanérogame S, which in Guadeloupe cover the sedimentary funds normally Lagon S or sandy bays not polluted. These herbaria associate often two phanérogames: Thalassia testudinum which pushes from 0 to 10 m basic, formant true Prairie S underwater, fatty and dense, sheltering a great number of species. One finds also thread-like Syringodium which evokes the European herbaria of Posidonie S, formant of the meadows to the finer and sparse sheets, but pushing much more deeply (up to 30 m basic) thanks to the clearness of water caribéennes. thread-like Syringodium is more resistant to pollution and impacts of the human activities, but presents a biomass much lower than equal surface. Halophila and Halodule S colonize normally the Estuaire S where water is Saumâtre S). By calm sea, the herbaria are clearly visible sky up to 20 m of depth. Thalassia testudinum is regarded as best the Bioindicateur and the state climacic of the herbarium inhabitant of Guadeloupe.
- - the reefs bioconstruits
the herbaria are médiatisés than the corals, but they are a essential habitat, irreplaceable nursery for many species of which of Oursin S marketed ( Tripneustes ventricosus ), of Strombus ( Strombus gigas , or “Lombi” , well-known of the tourists, but in regression).
To 50-60 m basic and until falling (edge of the continental Shelf), the corals yield the place to associations of species more adapted to the movable and/or detrital funds (towards sailors, Holothurie S.). With beyond is the less known field of the species depths, present at weak density in very black and oligotrophic water.
the human activities became one of the determinants of quality, even of the survival of the underwater biocénoses, especially those which are close to the communes, the estuaries, the banana plantations and cultlure of cane with sugar and to the fishing zones or of unloading of fish. They are exposed to the rejections anthropic at sea and the exploitation of the sea by the man. They are in all the Caribbean one and in particular in degraded Guadeloupe aujourdh' ui all, and for the corals; marked with more than 50% by the appearance of S, bleaching, the death of corals Necroses. The retreat of the herbaria and/or the silting and/or the appearance of soft macro-algae on these funds are also considered to be alarming by the experts.
Corals: the Atlantic littoral of low-ground very shelters formations bioconstruites frangeantes, presques of coral origin (of Point-with-Clown with Capesterre Belle Water). The Caribbean coast of the Lowland, for reasons probable of exposure (wind-current) does not have such reef, but rock funds supporting of other coral communities whose biodiversity is even higher, in particular close to the Point Crack and the islets Pigeon (area of Ebullient).
Dans the years 1980-1990, one counted 5591 hectares of settlements corraliens (in the broad sense of the term), including 604 hectares bioconstruits. These zones of major ecological importance are considered sensitive to the climatic risk and the Acidification of the ocean, but in the short run they are the Pollution, the Eutrophisation and the hypersedimentation which threaten them or kills them. The recent evaluations (of the Diren S Guadeloupe and Martinique, of the Laboratory of Biology Navy of the University of the Antilles and Guyana, of the Observatory of the seamen circle of Fort-de-France, within the framework of the program Ifrecor (French Initiative for the reefs corraliens) show for example that 67% of the herbaria of Thalassia and 76% of the coral biocénoses are degraded or very degraded in the Small marine Cul-de-sac of the Low-ground. Around the Low-ground, 39% of the zones corraliennes were degraded or very degraded, especially vis-a-vis the mouth of the Small River with Guava, where the herbaria also are very degraded, whereas the zone corralienne best preserved is on the other hand on the reef of Caye with Dupont. Certain zones as the Petit-Bourg are envasées, but preserved beautiful herbaria in good health (on 128,5 hectares).
For the south of the coast to the wind, and the lee shore, it does not remain any more any zone where one could find biocénoses in good health very; half of the settlements corraliens are degraded, 6 communes out of 10 are more seriously touched. The most degraded zones are those of Deshaies, Point-Black, Bouillante - Northern (the biocénoses are in better health, without being optimal in the south of the commune) and Old man-Inhabitants. The situation being the worst with Baillif and Low-Ground and Gourbeyre. The islets Pigeon (opposite Malendure, in Bouillante) or the site of Three-Rivers preserve underwater habitats remarkable, but always subjected to position risks and degradation.
Origin of degradations: According to a report/ratio of the DDE (Seguin, 1994), principal the sources of pollution are distillings (83% of DBO exported at sea, that is to say 400.000 equivalents-habittants, with a rate of treatment worse than for the inhabitants (only 1/3 of the effluents would be - partially - treaty, horsmis for a distilling having installed a unit of methanisation), the industrial breeding or semi industrialists (pig, poultries, who would be responsible of more than 99% of nitrates and phosphorus) and the slaughter-houses (of which that of Baillif), persons in charge 79% of the greases rejected into nature. the purification plants, of which more than 50% dysfonctionnaient, and probably mini-stations or microphone-sations failing; forward thrusts of industrial effluents and urban surface waste water or water at sea, the careers (suspended matter) and various other traditional pollution by the garages, private individuals, farmers/pesticide-manure, discharges, etc, it with what it is necessary to add the pressure of fishing and the impact of the Antifooling S and Ancre S of the boats and forward thrusts of Organic matter (scrap fish, excrements, soft foods not consumed, etc). The zones more at the risk with the glance of the pollution are Petit-Bourg, which shelters the reefs more improtants of the Small-bottom-of-bag-sailor, Capesterre-Beautiful-Water whose littoral reefs are threatened, Three-River where the corals are already degraded, Bouillante (2 wild discharges, and important flotilla of fishing), point-Black (two wild discharges, and many worn rejections of water or urban streaming at sea (Ecological Diagnosis and of the anthropic pressures)]
Perspective: the French Initiative for the réifs coraliiens (IFRECOR) made it possible to refine the diagnosis but had few concrete impacts still, and SMVM ( Schéma of development of the sea ) in progress envisages the extension of 6 existing ports, and the creation of several new general-purpose ports (Ebullient, Deshaies) and of a fishing port, in Bananier) is also envisaged.
History
Its name comes from the vocabulary of navy of use at the 17th century and which indicated a ground or a litttoral sheltered winds, in opposition to Capesterre.
In 1635, started from Saint-Christophe-and-Niévès, a forwarding seeks a durable site in the Guadeloupe.
With the release of the war of extermination of the Caribbean by Charles of the Olive, the Dominican S come for the évangéliser, dissociate from this company, and obtain a concession.
See too
Administration
Demography
Economy
Low-ground is the seat of the Chamber of commerce and Low-Ground industry.
Famous characters
Marie-Jose Perec, athlete Olympic champion of the 400m.
Rony Martias, racing cyclist.
Luc Sonor, French footballer of ACE Monaco and the FC Metz.
Tourist monuments and places
Low-Ground is classified Ville of Art and History.
Twinning
References
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