Protecting Our Natural Resources

Goals, Policies & Strategies

The USVI’s natural resources are central to cultural identity, public health, ecological systems, and economic well-being. Forests, water resources, coastal areas, floodplains, wetlands, and marine habitats are part of larger ecosystems connected by water and natural processes that are vulnerable to impacts from development. Environmental degradation inherently impacts human well-being and affects the ability of natural resources to provide important hazard mitigation benefits, such as cooling and storm protection. These losses affect the USVI's overall resilience to climate change, as well as the quality of coral reefs and fish stocks. Maintaining natural resources is also a major contributor to the economy through tourism, in particular the shorelines and coastal areas. The actual monetary value of the services provided by the USVI’s natural resources has been examined only recently (see inset), but these early estimates provide a glimpse into the burden that could be placed on future generations if our current policies fail to provide adequate protection.

Land and water use policies should focus on conserving and restoring the Territory’s most critical resources, considering the cumulative impacts of both existing and new development and water uses. Where development or water use is appropriate, policies should focus on reducing, managing, and mitigating impacts through the most up-to date best practices and enforcement. Steps should be taken to apply these best practices to existing development and water uses to lessen their impact.

Below you may click on the button to read the Goals, Policies, and Strategies related to the Protecting Our Natural Resources section of the Plan in PDF.