Coral reefs are critically important to the United States Virgin Islands. Coral reefs support our economy through the provision of food, livelihoods and recreation. Coral reefs are integral to our culture. Reef products can be seen in the walls of our historic buildings and streets. Reef fish are staples of island cuisine, and our reefs create the calm, clear bays that soothe the body and soul as we lime and bathe on weekends and holidays. Coral reefs are responsible for our beautiful beaches and colorful dive sites which lure tourists to our islands. Coral reefs are also a strong natural defense that prtect our shorelines, homes, businesses and lives from natural hazards such as flooding caused by hurricanes. In fact, the protective ecosystem services provided by our coral reefs are sizeable. Intact coral reefs provide the USVI with $47 million in annual flood protection benefits in the form of averted damages to property and economic activities alone.
The Department of Planning and Natural Resources, as trustee for the Territory’s coastal and marine resources, recognizes the incredible economic and cultural value that coral reefs provide, and works in collaboration with our partners to manage these important habitats.
The management of coral reefs in the United States Virgin Islands is guided by the 2020-2025 Coral Reef Management Priorities Document. The suite of coral reef management goals, objectives and activities presented within the document are wide-ranging and ambitious. Achieving them will require the buy-in and participation of all Virgin Islanders if we want to ensure the persistence of our coral reefs.
The territory also works outside of its boundaries to manage coral reefs through the U.S. All Island Coral Reef Committee (AIC). The AIC ensures coordination and cooperation within and among State, Commonwealth, and Territorial agencies, along with Freely Associated States. Aligned priorities can be found in the September 2022 AIC Chair’s Report. DPNR Commissioner Jean-Pierre Oriol currently serves as the AIC chair.
Within the Division of Coastal Zone Management, the Coral Reef Initiative Coordinator helps to ensure that research, permitting, and outreach aligns with the goals set forth in the priorities document and helps to expand the coral program with new projects and partners.
The Territorial Coral Reef Monitoring Program is funded by and coordinated with the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, NOAA Protected Species, and the USVI Department of Planning and Natural Resources and collaborates with the VI NSF-Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Reserach, and NOAA National Marine Fisheries and is completed by the University of the Virgin Islands.
The objectives are to:
- Monitor the status and trajectories of coral reefs across a majority of habitats and threats, including land-based sources of pollution & thermal stress
- Link changes in coral reef health with specific stressors, indicating specific management interventions most effective for preserving reefs
- Integrate assessments of understudied mesophotic coral reef ecosystems and threatened species in the USVI
- Provide data, outputs, and advice to stakeholders and create a nexus of information for reef research
Coral restoration efforts are a jurisdictional management priority for the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) as territorial coral reefs are facing rapidly increasing human caused stressors such as land-based sources of pollution, overfishing, and intensive tourism. This is further compounded by stressors from climate change, hurricane damage, and stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) first noted in St. Thomas in 2019. The 2020 Coral Reef Condition report for the USVI rated the reefs as fair. Coral reef ecosystems are critically important to the communities of USVI for subsistence fishing activities and provide substantial economic value through coastal fisheries and tourism. Other important services that coral reefs provide include cultural value, coastal flood protection, and recreational uses.
In 2022, management agencies of the USVI and Puerto Rico signed a joint letter of support committed to increasing capacity for disease response and restoration efforts in the two jurisdictions. This commitment has led to increased regional collaboration and partnership on this devastating coral disease.
The USVI Coral Reef Management Priorities: 2020-2025 suggested developing a prioritized restoration plan that identifies potential restoration sites to be used in mitigation of planned impacts and identify areas where previous restoration efforts were implemented. The USVI coral restoration planning team (i.e., the USVI Restoration of Coral Squad or “VI-RoCS”) was established in late 2020 to develop the territory’s first comprehensive coral restoration plan. VI-RoCS consists of representatives from the USVI Department of Natural Resources (DPNR), the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), the Nature Conservancy (TNC), Coral World Ocean and Reef Initiative (CWORI), Thriving Islands LLC, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Park Service (NPS). The recently published plan can be found below.
The United States Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) members from 13 federal agencies, seven U.S. states, territories, commonwealths, and three Freely Associated States will hold their annual jurisdictional meeting in the USVI in 2023 on St. Thomas from October 20th – 27th, 2023. Members, Principals, and Invited Guests will attend working group meetings, site visits, and special sessions.
Stay tuned for information on venue, registration, event schedule, and more!
Check out our newly released US Virgin Islands Coral Reef Restoration Plan here ->
VI-CRAG
Virgin Islands Coral Reef Advisory Group is made up of various local government, non-profit, and private entities to collaborate on best management practices for our natural coral resources throughout the territory by coordinating resources and implementing priority activities. The Department of Planning and Natural Resources works with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), National Park Service (NPS), Coral World Ocean and Reef Initiative (CWORI), University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) and other coral practitioners to protect and conserve USVI reefs in the present and plan for future generations to come.
This Coral Reef Initiative group currently oversees the VI Coral Disease Advisory Committee (VI-CDAC) and the VI Restoration of Corals Squad (VI-RoCS).
Check out VI-CRAG social media pages coming soon!
