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The Nature Conservancy in Africa - Conservation in Africa

The Nature Conservancy in Asia Pacific - Conservation in Asia-Pacific

The Nature Conservancy in the Caribbean - Conservation in the Caribbean

The Nature Conservancy in Central America - Conservation in Central America

The Nature Conservancy in North America - Conservation in North America

The Nature Conservancy in the United States - Conservation in the United States

The Nature Conservancy in South America - Conservation in South America

Virgin Islands Marine and Coastal System

What the Conservancy is Doing

    St. Croix
    The waters off the east coast of St. Croix
    contain a 37-kilometer-long barrier reef.
    © Jonathan Kerr

     
  • Local conservation organizations, universities and agencies helped the Conservancy identify remaining forests in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and prioritize them for potential protection. This project - called an Assessment of Need - was contracted through the U.S. Forest Service. Once completed, it will make the U.S. Virgin Islands eligible for money from the federally funded Forest Legacy Act. A 2,600-acre (1,052-hectare) forest on the northwest coast of St. Croix -five percent of the island - was identified as a prime site.

     
  • The Conservancy is in the midst of devising a master plan that will guide long-term conservation work throughout the Virgin Islands. A key part of the plan is a project identifying reef fish spawning aggregation sites across the Virgin Islands. The Conservancy will work with local governments to legally protect these spawning sites via a network of marine protected areas.

     
  • The Conservancy's long-term goal is to protect 20 percent of the region's land, which adds up to about 35 square miles (91 square kilometers) and 40 percent of the surrounding waters, which is some 140 square miles (363 square kilometers). Right now, the Conservancy's focus is on four sites in the U.S. Virgin Islands, often referred to as "America's Paradise:"