Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tortola and Virgin Gorda) and begun work on a series of forest conservation projects to
slow erosion.
LEND A HAND
»
Reef Environmental Education Foundation (
www.reef.org
)
This one's for the
scuba buffs in the crowd. REEF asks divers to fill out a survey sheet documenting
marine life in the area they've just explored, which REEF then compiles and uses to
monitor the region's health.
»
Friends of Virgin Islands National Park (
www.friendsvinp.org
)
Volunteer for
beach clean-ups or trail clean-ups to remove invasive plant species on St John; takes
place at 8am every Tuesday and Thursday from November through April.
»
St Croix Environmental Association (
www.stxenvironmental.org
)
This has pro-
grams (from $35) where you can help count sea turtles.
Mangrove Destruction
As with the islands' other environmental problems, mangrove destruction was at its worst
decades ago when the rush to develop business and housing lots saw the devastation of
mangrove swamps around urban areas. Some bays now lined with marinas, hotels and busi-
nesses, such as the harbor at Road Town, were mangrove estuaries just 50 years ago. Envir-
onmentalists began fighting to preserve the Virgin Islands' remaining mangrove estuaries
in the 1980s, and the late 1990s brought some victories in this arena, helping preserve the
mangroves at Paraquita Bay on Tortola, Salt Pond Bay on St Croix and Mangrove Lagoon
on St Thomas.
Freshwater Shortage
If not for the miracle of desalination plants, which make freshwater out of seawater, the
Virgin Islands could not support even a quarter of its population - let alone the hotel guests.
When a hurricane strikes, islands lose power and the desalination facilities shut down.
