US Virgin Islands Climate Change Ecosystem-Based Adaptation

Summary

Coastal and marine communities in the U.S. Virgin Islands face growing risks from climate change, including rising sea levels, extreme precipitation, and increasing coastal hazards. With support from NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, The Nature Conservancy’s Caribbean Program led an ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA) initiative to help the territory understand and respond to these challenges.

In 2013, TNC convened a multi-sector workshop bringing together community leaders, scientists, resource managers, and adaptation practitioners to document ongoing climate adaptation efforts, demonstrate GIS-based decision-support tools, and develop nature-based solutions for coastal and marine environments. Using stakeholder input and spatial tools available through coastalresilience.org, the project identified the territory’s most vulnerable coastal areas based on ecological and socio-economic criteria.

This initiative lays the foundation for long-term climate resilience planning in the U.S. Virgin Islands by integrating data, policy, communication, and ecosystem services to guide adaptation strategies that benefit both people and nature.