Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Oct 17, 2025

BVI to participate in regional mangrove symposium

BVI to participate in regional mangrove symposium

The Virgin Islands will be joining various organisations from across the Caribbean to share scientific best practices and techniques for mangrove restoration in a virtual Regional Mangrove Symposium.

The symposium started yesterday and will go on until March 3. It is expected to promote and accelerate the uptake, resourcing and implementation of mangrove restoration and build new partnerships among national, regional and global players.

The symposium is just one of the many moves the territory is making as the government tries to ramp up climate change initiatives to protect and preserve the Virgin Islands.

First line of defence


Minister of Natural Resources Vincent Wheatley said he is looking forward to the ideas that will be shared and the potential partnerships that will be made tol ultimately benefit everyone involved going forward.

“The territory’s mangroves are vital in the face of global climate change. They are our first line of defence in the form of prevention of coastal erosion, protection from wave energy and storm surges, carbon storage, water filtration, and key nursery habitat for many local and commercial fisheries,” Wheatley said.

He added that after hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, the territory suffered substantial damage — estimated at £3.1 million — to a large portion of its key coastal ecosystems like coral reefs, mangroves, beaches, seagrass beds and other environmental infrastructure assets.

“The Ministry of Natural Resources and its partners have been working since then to sustainably manage and restore those key ecosystems by natural means as much as possible. This symposium is needed so that we can continue our work using the best methods available to us going forward,” Wheatley added.

Meanwhile, Marine Biologist Mervin Hastings commented on the importance of the mangrove symposium as it relates to capacity building in the territory.

BVI a leader in mangrove nursing, replanting


“The BVI is one of the leading countries as it relates to mangrove nursing and replanting. It is my hope that our methods can be used or emulated across the region to help other countries and small island developing states to assist them in any areas that they may be having issues in relation to mangroves,” Hastings said.

Representatives from the Virgin Islands are expected to share and highlight mangrove restoration initiatives in the territory post hurricanes Irma and Maria. Since the hurricanes which saw the destruction of more than 90 percent of the territory’s mangroves, three nurseries have been established, including the H Lavity Stoutt Community College nursery on Tortola, the Jost Van Dyke Preservation Society Nursery and the National Parks Trust Nursery on Anegada. To date, these nurseries have planted more than 2,100 mangroves and there are close to 6,000 plants in propagation.

Territory-wide assessment


Under the Post-Disaster Restoration of Mangroves (PROM) project, a territory-wide assessment of mangroves was conducted in 2020 using the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Ecosystems protocol.

The assessment has categorized the mangrove ecosystems of the Virgin Islands as Endangered and projects a total loss of 64-81% by 2040 if current trends continue.

The Caribbean Regional Mangrove Symposium is being held by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The event was organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Virgin Islands (VI) Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Coastal Habitat Restoration Team (CHRT), Jost Van Dyke Preservation Society (JVDPS), the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF), the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA), and the Global Mangrove Alliance (GMA).

The event is supported by The Darwin Initiative.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
×