Development and Land Use Impacts on Marine Ecosystems in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI)

Abstract

Anthropogenic and natural stressors have long been a source of concern as they relate to water quality and marine ecosystem health, particularly in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). Although many studies have been conducted in the USVI on factors influencing near-shore ecosystems, most are concentrated on just one or two inputs leaving data gaps. By conducting a meta-analysis of available long-term data produced by different organizations in ArcGIS, correlations between the following factors were observed: 1) land use 2) development 3) water quality and 4) coral health. In areas with a high percentage of land development, lower water quality and reduced live coral cover were observed at corresponding time scales. The results indicate the importance of linking multiple parameters to overall ecosystem health in order to develop focused management strategies to protect fragile near-shore environments.