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Fort-de-France, the capital city of Martinique, is a unique case in the Naturescapes project. This blogpost gives a brief overview of our research in Fort-de-France, and we discuss one way our project goes about identifying the role and boundaries of naturescapes.

Identifying Naturescapes

History of Fort-de-France

Fort-de-France is the capital and largest city in Martinique. As one of 12 case study sites in the Naturescapes project, the city has a unique and complex colonial, political and environmental history that influences present and future initiatives for Nature-based Solutions (NBS).

One of Martinique’s biggest sustainability challenges involves the legacy of Chlordecone pollution. Chlordecone is a persistent pollutant and it is deeply tied to the island’s long colonial history with France. In addition to Chlordecone pollution, the island also faces coastal erosion and the loss of marine biodiversity, such as corals, due to rising sea surface temperatures and the increased frequency and magnitude of tropical hurricanes.

Despite these sustainability challenges, hope, resistance, and adaptability thrives in Martinique, and NBS are currently working to tackle issues of biodiversity loss and mitigate the negative impacts of climate change.

Marina in Fort-de-France, Martinique (Source: Séréna Aupoix)

Nature-based Solutions in Fort-de-France

NBS in Martinique aim to transform the island’s political, social and economic conditions and support people and nature in the face of climate and post-colonial uncertainty. Many NBS projects in Fort-de-France are not only ecological solutions tackling issues of biodiversity, but are also highly linked with social, cultural and political issues.

For example, the Jardin de la Croix Rouge et de D’antilles et D’ailleurs was established with the idea of creating a therapeutic garden to support women in conditions of vulnerability who work in the sex industry. The project has both a social and ecological mission: to foster lively encounters between women, and establish pathways out of poverty by using NBS.

Successful NBS interventions in Martinique also often rely on coordinated efforts across multiple stakeholders. Many NBS demonstrate the power of partnerships, both local (e.g., municipal collaboration and community members) and international (e.g., global networks and organizations).

For example, project REMA, the Restoration and Maintenance of Antilles Pools, was initiated in 2012 via the careful coordination of the French Government, the IUCN, and local organizations and leaders. Community members drove the project’s development, and REMA’s work has since shown how important ponds are to biodiversity and flood mitigation in the West Indies.

While most NBS projects have demonstrated initial success in Martinique, challenges remain in ensuring long-term sustainability, including colonial legacies, financial resources, governance, and climate change impacts.

REMA pond site (Source: Séréna Aupoix)

Martinique’s emergent naturescapes

A large part of the Naturescapes project involves defining what a naturescape is, and there is more than one way to do this. Some naturescapes focus on a particular ecosystem, while others are more concerned with political or socio-cultural issues. Regardless of the type of naturescape, these assemblages of NBS influence their surroundings in ways that are greater than the sum of their parts, and — importantly — may represent sources of transformative change.

In Martinique, we looked at how an idea or narrative of change was shared between NBS, creating an assemblage of “like-minded” projects. For example, our research identified a powerful Political Seascape. Based on a shared idea and narrative of responsibility, the Political Seascape is the result of four different NBS initiatives working together to transform the way communities and policy makers take responsibility for Martinique’s marine environment.

Naturescapes in Martinique do more than reshape and rebuild ecosystems through carefully planned projects. They are also forces that shift the fundamental perspectives of society, including people’s understanding of issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and toxicity, as well as their role in responding to these urgent issues. Across our case study sites, our project will continue to think about the different ways naturescapes form and their influence on social, political, colonial, and environmental issues.

[1] Bulkeley, H., Lecavalier, E. and Basta, C., 2023. Transformation through transdisciplinary practice: cultivating new lines of sight for urban transformation. Local Environment, 28(7), pp.829–836.

[2] Scoones, I., Stirling, A., Abrol, D., Atela, J., Charli-Joseph, L., Eakin, H., Ely, A., Olsson, P., Pereira, L., Priya, R. and Van Zwanenberg, P., 2020. Transformations to sustainability: combining structural, systemic and enabling approaches. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 42, pp.65–75.

[3] Blythe, J., Silver, J., Evans, L., Armitage, D., Bennett, N.J., Moore, M.L., Morrison, T.H. and Brown, K., 2018. The dark side of transformation: latent risks in contemporary sustainability discourse. Antipode, 50(5), pp.1206–1223.

[4] Anguelovski, I. and Corbera, E., 2023. Integrating justice in Nature-Based Solutions to avoid nature-enabled dispossession. Ambio, 52(1), pp.45–53.

Author: JJ Blackwatters

JJ is a postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University’s Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development. His research focuses on issues of environmental (in)justice, especially as they relate to marine conservation. JJ loves football, writing science fiction and travelling with his wife, Casey, and son, Gael.