abstract_cwcsusvi

FLOYD HAYES

Platenberg, R. J., F. E. Hayes, D. B. McNair, and J. J. Pierce. 2005. A Comprehensive Wildlife
     Conservation Strategy for the U. S. Virgin Islands. Division of Fish and Wildlife, St. Thomas, U. S.
     Virgin Islands. 216 pp.

     Executive Summary.--Situated near the eastern terminus of the Greater Antillean chain of islands in the northern Caribbean Sea, the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) comprise three major islands (St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix) and more than 50 smaller cays for a total land area of 353 square kilometers. Within the USVI the Division of Fish and Wildlife of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources is the agency responsible for the assessment of marine and wildlife resources. Given the increasing threats from development to the fish and wildlife resources of the USVI, a growing public awareness of environmental issues, and a shift from consumptive to non-consuptive uses of wildlife, a proactive strategy for wildlife conservation is urgently needed. The strategy presented herein is intended to provide guidelines, subject to revision as new information becomes available, for prioritizing the research, management, and conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitats of the USVI for their intrinsic and instrumental values.
     This management strategy document is a compilation of two separate planning efforts. The first is a strategic management plan for the USVI with funds from a USFWS FW16 grant. The strategic plan focuses on species or species groups that are harvested commercially or recreationally, and in the USVI this translates to animals with "fur" or "feathers". The second is for a comprehensive management plan with funds from a Comprehensive Plan Grant (T2) under the State Wildlife Grant program. This plan focuses on all of the other non-harvested species or species groups that make up the wildlife and marine resources of the USVI. Both of these plans have been combined here into this one comprehensive wildlife conservation strategy. In July 2004, USFWS provided guidelines for writing this plan in the form of eight specific elements. This plan was developed based on these eight elements.
     This plan is divided into four parts: 1) Introdution, providing background information; 2) Habitats of the USVI, focusing on major ecosystems as conservation targets; 3) Wildlife Species of the USVI, focusing on taxonomic groups and high priority species as conservation targets; and 4) Implementation of the CWCS, addressing the relationships between the Division of Fish and Wildlife and its stakeholders. Within parts 2 and 3, each chapter 1) describes the status of each conservation target, identifies its major threats, and summarizes past efforts at research, management, and conservation; 2) identifies the species of concern; 3) outlines our strategies for implementing research, management, and conservation of the target; 4) briefly describes current and future needs for assessing conservation status and effectiveness of implemented actions for conservation; and 5) provides pertinent references of previous studies in the USVI. Part 4 of the plan outlines the status and issues for each subject, the priorities for action, and (when necessary) the literature cited. Finally, a collection of appendices provide the supporting documentation for the CWCS. Appendix one provides a list of the plan species of concern, followed by a comprehensive list of amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal species of the USVI (fish and other marine resources are covered in the Marine Resources and Fisheries Strategic and Comprehensive Conservation Plan), and a summary of their statutory status and management concerns. Appendices two and three contain the current USVI Endangered Species list and a proposed revision to this list reflecting up-to-date research and inventory findings. Appendix four presents habitat maps of the major islands, while Appendix five lists the available habitat by area. Appendix six lists the wetland types of the USVI. Appendix seven lists the personnel and organizations to whom the plan was sent for review.
     Each of the eight required elements is addressed within the plan. Distribution and abundance of species of wildlife (Element 1) are treated in parts 2 and 3 (Habitats and Wildlife Species), and the locations and conditions of the key habitats for these species (Element 2) are treated in part 2 (Habitats). For each species or species group and habitat we list the species of concern and address the conservation threats and action priorities and research required to overcome these threats (Element 3). In part 1 we present an overall territory-wide prioritization of conservation effort needed to improve the conditions of wildlife territory-wide (Element 4). In part 4 we outline the monitoring effort required to ensure long-term sustainability of wildlife populations, and to ensure the effectiveness of conservation efforts (Element 5), and we list specific monitoring needs for each species group and ecosystem in parts 2 and 3. In part 1 we also outline the procedure for the review of the plan into the future (Element 6). We address the level of coordination with other agencies required to develop and implement the plan in part 1 and more in detail in part 4 (Element 7). Parts 1 and 4 describe the public participation in the plan (Element 8).

ABSTRACTS