British Virgin Islands

Location

System of Marine Protected Areas, British Virgin Islands

Description

The British Virgin Islands (BVI) are located 100km (62 miles) east of Puerto Rico in the north-eastern Caribbean and are part of the Leeward Islands, which stretch from the BVI to Antigua. Composed of over 60 islands and cays, the BVI represent a total land area of 153.67km² (59 square miles). The BVI are the most easterly islands in the Greater Antilles at 18° north latitude, approximately halfway between the southern tip of Florida to the north, and the Caribbean coast of Venezuela to the south. The BVI are separated from the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) and Puerto Rico by the ocean today, but millions of years ago during the time of lower sea levels (i.e. ice ages) they were all joined together. Additionally, all islands in the BVI were largely created as a result of volcanic action and are therefore comprised of volcanic sediment with steep terrain, except for the flat limestone island of Anegada.

Throughout the British Virgin Islands there are many different habitats, including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass meadows, and sandy beaches (utilized for turtle nesting). Every island in the BVI is surrounded by coral reefs of varying size, health and composition. In addition to the stony corals which build the reefs, soft corals and sea fans dominate many of the reefs. The Anegada Horseshoe Reef is the third largest continuous reef in the Eastern Caribbean at 63km (39 miles) long, containing both patch reefs and barrier reefs. There are 63 popular dive sites in the BVI, which include 57 coral reef sites and 6 artificial reefs that have been created by shipwrecks. These reefs are home to approximately 500 fish species, many marine snails, and crustaceans that include the Caribbean spiny lobster, hermit crabs and banded shrimp. The marine snails include the queen conch and whelk which are commonly harvested for consumption. In addition to these rich zoological resources, diverse mangroves and seagrass species are present in the BVI.

The Anegada Horseshoe Reef. Photo © Shannon Gore

The BVI has been threatened by both natural disasters and anthropogenic impacts. Hurricanes have frequently impacted the area over time, including the hurricanes of Hugo (1989), Marilyn (1995), Bertha (1996), George (1998), Lenny (1999), and Frances (2004). Flooding from torrential rains has resulted in landslides which subsequently harm the marine resources dues to increased sedimentation. Most recently, the bleaching event of 2005 has had devastating impacts, resulting in almost 90% of the BVI reefs being bleached. Human impacts on the BVI are vast and include, the following: anchor damage from charter, private vessels, mega yachts and mini cruise ships; coastal development of marinas, hotels, villas, and golf courses; over harvesting of conch, spiny lobster and whelks; fishing practices that include fish pots and spears; increased sedimentation due to development on steep slopes, the creation of unpaved roads, and improper erosion control; sewage discharge from charter and private vessels and ocean outfall disposal of terrestrial waste; and overcrowding of vessels that originate from the BVI, USVI, Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean.

The primary goals of the British Virgin Island MPAs are:

To create a Marine Protected Area (MPA) network that reflects the major marine and coastal habitats of the BVI;
To protect 30% of the important biological habitats across the BVI. (e.g. hard corals, soft corals, seagrasses, mangroves, turtle nesting beaches, fishery habitats);
To cluster protected areas together so that they can be easily managed; and,
To ensure that there are protected areas across the BVI to ensure ‘resilience.’

The overall goal was to create a system of protected areas for the BVI, in order to have a more comprehensive approach to protected area planning, based upon the IUCN protected area management categories. To start, ground-truthing of marine habitats was completed to update a 1991 GIS dataset of the coastal resources of the BVI, which had been the basis for the initial MPA network design. The updated GIS dataset was then inputted into MARXAN software, a decision making program that provides alternative solutions for meeting conservation goals. The National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands collaborated with The Nature Conservancy to provide the expertise required to run the MARXAN software, although staff members from the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands and the Conservation and Fisheries Department were involved in the process and received training in using the software.

Shannon Gore, Conservation and Fisheries Dept., and Finfun Peters, National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands, groundtruthing sites using aerial photographs as a guide. Photo © BVI National Parks Trust

To begin the MARXAN modeling exercise, the BVI was divided into three geographic units to build resilience into the system through even distribution of MPAs in each unit. This process eliminated the potential to place heavy reliance on extensive reef system surrounding Anegada (Horseshoe Reef), to the detriment of other areas. Certain areas were ‘locked in’ the MARXAN software to ensure that they would be included in the MPA network. These included areas that the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands and the Conservation and Fisheries Department identified as important due to their biodiversity, importance as fish nurseries or breeding habitats. Additionally the MARXAN software was programmed to select at least 30% of each biological habitat type (i.e. soft corals, hard corals, algae, seagrasses, mangroves) from the 2006 coastal resource dataset. Four potential MPA networks were created with varying levels of clustering of MPA areas and locked in areas. These maps were then taken to stakeholders for feedback, including fishermen, dive operators, charter boat industry and relevant government departments. To ensure participation in the stakeholder review process meetings were organized on the four main islands in the BVI (Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke) using existing organizations such as fisheries associations, the Charter Yacht Society, the Dive Operators Association, and the Marine Association.

As the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands has a long established relationship with the charter and dive industry, due to over 25 years of managing mooring buoys in sensitive reef sites, it was relatively easy to ensure the participation of this sector of the marine industry. However as the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands did not have a similar relationship with fishermen, the fisheries extension officers at the Conservation and Fisheries Department were critical in assisting with this process (as the fishermen recognized and responded to their requests to attend the stakeholder meetings). Separate meetings were held for fishermen and the dive/charter industry due to the potential conflict of interests, and to make participants feel more comfortable when providing feedback. The meetings were held in locations familiar to the different groups, and brief PowerPoint presentations were given to present the project background and pictures of the types of habitats that the MPAs sought to protect. The main focus of the meetings was to have stakeholders draw on large printed maps that displayed the four MPA network models, indicating areas they currently use for fishing, diving, and anchoring, in addition to making suggestions of areas that should be protected. Stakeholders were also asked to select the MPA network model they preferred the most. One MPA network model was selected based upon all feedback, which was the one with the highest level of clustering and locked in areas. Some amendments were then made to this MPA network based upon the stakeholder feedback. Very small isolated areas were also removed to leave larger MPAs more evenly distributed across the BVI. This map was then included in the overall proposed System Plan of Protected Areas for the BVI. The System Plan of Protected Areas for the Virgin Islands (UK) was approved by Cabinet in January 2008, with all of the proposed MPAs approved. The Trust is now collaborating with the Survey Department to create the legal maps for these areas so that they can be officially designated as MPAs. These maps will then be used to consultatively create the zoning plan for the MPAs. In addition to this the boundaries of the MPAs and zones will be identified in the marine environment using marker buoys. As the MPA network is very extensive, a public relations campaign will be required to inform all stakeholders of the zones and permitted use. This will include all media sources, such as internet, newspapers, publications and brochures in the BVI and the US Virgin Islands.

Lessons Learned

Selecting areas that are naturally protected from use due to location, rough seas, or depth will assist in achieving conservation goals with less stakeholder conflict.
Stakeholder meetings and government involvement throughout the planning process ensures that everyone is aware of the MPA goals (the 30% goal became very well known in the BVI and regionally).
It is critical to plan field work in a strategic manner that ensures optimal field assessment and representation of geographic units. The BVI was divided into three geographic units for the MARXAN analysis to ensure equal groundtruthing of polygons to maintain accuracy in the selection of 30% of each habitat type for inclusion in the MPA network.
GIS is a very effective tool in storing, analyzing and manipulating information and was central to the MPA network design. However, if GIS is used to store information, it is critical to plan ahead for data entry, aerial photo analysis, and verification of aerial interpretation. For example, as there were four people entering GIS data into different files the final merge of datasets was very problematic due to conflicting headings and other technical issues.
A greater understanding of the stakeholder groups is important. As the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands did not traditionally have a relationship with fishermen it was not always possible to engage fisherman. Therefore, working with the Conservation and Fisheries Department fisheries extension officers was essential and helped improve these relationships.
Stakeholder meetings must be located in the communities where fishermen live and a relationship must be created with community members. There are broad issues of fisherman incomes directly conflicting with conservation, therefore, these issues must be addressed and future activities should aim to create alternative sources of income.

Dive Operators and Director Joseph Smith Abbott discuss MPA scenarios on Anegada. Photo © National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands

The way in which information is presented to stakeholders can affect how much feedback is provided in return. For example, using large paper maps laid out on tables enabled people to look at, draw on, and talk informally about the areas. People were also more inclined to attend meetings when they saw that their opinions were being recorded and taken into consideration.
It is critical to build trust between the government and the community. This entails continued engagement of stakeholders throughout the MPA planning process, particularly when zoning areas. In some cases, areas may have to be swapped (e.g. if 30% of a habitat can still be achieved by protecting another area and there is less conflict, then it may be wise to swap.)
Many small island nations do not have access to university experts or scientific researchers so field work can be limited by capacity issues and resources. Therefore, scientific, management, and monitoring training is an important part of the long term project goals. Finding the right people to undergo training is equally important to ensure that capacity is retained within an organization.
Building in resilience using geographic distribution across an area and natural features can reduce conflict between stakeholders and conservationists. For example, some areas that have been included in the MPA network are located on the north or south sides of islands that are naturally too exposed, deep or rough to be utilized by stakeholders, therefore there is no conflict involved in protecting the area, but the 30% goal of habitat protection is still being achieved.

TNC and NPT staff discuss the maps with the Fisheries Association of Virgin Gorda. Photo © National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands

Lead Organizations

National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands
P.O. Box 860
Road Town, Tortola
British Virgin Islands
Tel: 284-852-3650/494-3904/494-2069
Fax: 284-852-3660

Conservation and Fisheries Department
Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour
P.O. Box 3323
Road Town, Tortola
British Virgin Islands
Tel: 284-494-5681/3429, 468-3701 Ext. 5551/3/5
Fax: 284-494-2670
www.bvidef.org

Warwick University
Dept Biological Sciences
Warwick University
Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
Tel: +44 2476 524975, fax: +44 2476 524619

The Nature Conservancy
Southeastern Caribbean Program
3052 Estate Little Princess
Christiansted, VI 00820
Tel: 340-718-5575, ext. 206, Fax: 340-718-1613
www.nature.org

Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour
Central Administration Complex
Road Town, Tortola
British Virgin Islands
Tel: 284-494-3701, ext. 2147/2137
Fax: 284-494-4283

Funding Summary

Partners

Conservation and Fisheries Department, British Virgin Islands
Warwick University, Warwick, England
The Nature Conservancy Eastern Caribbean Programme, St. Croix, USVI

Return to Top