An Overview of the Socio-Ecological System of Cays and Islets in the US Caribbean and Their Vulnerability to Climate Change

Murry, Brent A.; Colón-Merced, Ricardo J.; Colón-Rivera, Ricardo; Fury, Cindy; Garcia-Bermudez, Miguel; Herrera-Giraldo, Jose Luis; Jackson, Chester W.; Lilyestrom, Craig G.; Llerandi-Román, Iván; Meléndez‐Ackerman, Elvia J.; Meléndez-Oyola, Melissa; Monzón-Carmona, Omar; Platenberg, Renata; Quiñones, Maya; Ruiz, Héctor; Schärer‐Umpierre, Michelle; Stys, Beth; Swinnerton, Kirsty J.; Toledo-Soto, Glorimar; Vargas, José A.

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-409548-9.12010-x

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Sandwich and Royal Terns were present on 2 of 4 identified nesting cays in the USVI, as recorded in Chardine et al (2000) and Norton (2000), with no colonies found on Flat Cay or Pelican Cay (Table 3). We did not find any Sandwich Tern colonies in the BVI (excluding Anegada) over the 4 years of surveys, and Royal Terns have been extirpated from the BVI (Schreiber and Pierce Roseate Terns show continued evidence for the declines recorded by Soanes et al (2020) in both the USVI and BVI (Table 5), with steeper declines in the BVI since the 1990s (Soanes et al 2020) indicating that VI Roseate Terns are nesting in this territory less than in the past.…”

Section: Migratory Seabirdssupporting

confidence: 60%

“…Ownership and management of cays and islands is complex for both territories. In the USVI, 29 of the 57 islands with potential nesting seabird presence (which varies annually) are owned and managed by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) and are closed to public access (Pierce 2009, Murry et al 2019. Fourteen of the 57 are privately owned and managed (Murry et al 2019).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the USVI, 29 of the 57 islands with potential nesting seabird presence (which varies annually) are owned and managed by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) and are closed to public access (Pierce 2009, Murry et al 2019. Fourteen of the 57 are privately owned and managed (Murry et al 2019). In the BVI, protection varies widely among the 42 cays that represent potential seabird habitat (McGowan et al 2006).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Migratory Seabirds.-For Sandwich and Royal Terns, we relied on population estimates from Chardine et al (2000), Norton (2000), Schreiber and Pierce (2009), and Pierce (2009) for early 21st century records. As with resident seabirds, survey methods were not well characterized, and estimates represent best expert opinion at the time of publication.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Current status and 21st century population trends of breeding seabirds in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands

Paige A. Byerly,

Susan Zaluski,

Daniel Nellis

et al. 2023

JCO

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Data from long-term monitoring (LTM) programs can provide important insights into wildlife population trends and aid in the conservation of declining species. There is a lack of such LTM data across taxa in the Caribbean, which can make accurate identification of population dynamics challenging. When rigorous data derived from LTM are not available, comparison of count data derived from single season surveys can still provide valuable insights into population trends, even when data are collected by different methods. In the Virgin Islands, seabird declines have been noted across species groups, but few estimates of temporal trends exist. We compared estimated population sizes from two time points in the early 21st century to more rigorous count data collected in 2016–2018 for seven seabird species. We found widespread declines, with the magnitude of declines greater for resident species (Brown Boobies Sula leucogaster, Masked Boobies Sula dactylatra, and Brown Pelicans Pelecanus occidentalis) than for migratory species (Royal Terns Thalasseus maximus, Sandwich Terns Thalasseus sandvicensis acuflavidus, and Roseate Terns Sterna dougallii). We also found that Red-footed Boobies (Sula sula) were extirpated from the region. Our results suggest that immediate management intervention is needed in the Virgin Islands to prevent further seabird declines and potential species extirpations. Keywords island conservation, marine environment, population monitoring, seabird, Virgin Islands Resumen Estado actual y tendencias poblacionales del siglo XXI de las aves marinas nidificantes en las Islas Vírgenes británicas y estadounidenses • Los datos de los programas de monitoreo a largo plazo (LTM) pueden brindar información importante sobre las tendencias poblacionales de la vida silvestre y ayudar en la conservación de las especies en declive. Existe una falta de este tipo de datos en todos los taxones en el Caribe; lo que puede dificultar la identificación precisa de las dinámicas poblacionales. Cuando datos rigurosos derivados de LTM no están disponibles, la comparación de datos de conteos obtenidos de muestreos de una sola temporada aún puede proporcionar información valiosa sobre las tendencias poblacionales; incluso cuando los datos se recopilan mediante diferentes métodos. En las Islas Vírgenes, se han observado disminuciones en las poblaciones de aves marinas en todos los grupos de especies, pero existen pocas estimaciones de tendencias temporales. Comparamos los tamaños poblacionales estimados de dos puntos temporales: a principios del siglo XXI con datos de conteo más rigurosos recopilados entre 2016 y 2018 para siete especies de aves marinas. Encontramos disminuciones generalizadas, con una magnitud mayor para las especies residentes (Sula leucogaster, Sula dactylatra y Pelecanus occidentalis) que para las migratorias (Thalasseus maximus, Thalasseus sandvicensis acuflavidus y Sterna dougallii). También encontramos que la especie Sula sula fue extirpada de la región. Nuestros resultados sugieren que se necesita una intervención de manejo inmediata en las Islas Vírgenes para evitar una mayor disminución de las poblaciones de aves marinas y la posible extirpación de especies. Palabras clave aves marinas, conservación de islas, Islas Vírgenes, medio ambiente marino, monitoreo de poblaciones Résumé Situation et tendances démographiques des oiseaux marins nicheurs au XXIe siècle dans les Îles Vierges américaines et britanniques • Les données issues de programmes de suivi à long terme peuvent (LTM) fournir des informations importantes sur les tendances des populations d’animaux sauvages et contribuer à la conservation des espèces en déclin. Ce type de données manque pour les taxons des Caraïbes, ce qui peut rendre difficile la caractérisation précise de la dynamique des populations. Des données issues de dénombrements réalisés au cours d’une seule saison peuvent cependant fournir des indications précieuses sur les tendances des populations, même lorsqu’elles sont recueillies par des méthodes différentes. Sur les Îles Vierges, le déclin des oiseaux marins a été constaté dans tous les groupes d’espèces, mais il existe peu d’estimations des tendances au cours du temps. Pour sept espèces d’oiseaux marins, nous avons comparé la taille des populations estimée à partir de deux points temporels au début du XXIe siècle à des données de comptage recueillies de manière plus rigoureuse en 2016–2018. Nous avons mis en évidence un déclin généralisé dont l’ampleur est plus importante pour les espèces présentes toute l’année (Fou brun Sula leucogaster, Fou masqué Sula dactylatra, et Pélican brun Pelecanus occidentalis) que pour les espèces migratrices (Sterne royale Thalasseus maximus, Sterne caugek Thalasseus sandvicensis acuflavidus, et Sterne de Dougall Sterna dougallii). Nous avons également constaté que le Fou à pieds rouges (Sula sula) avait disparu de la région. Nos résultats suggèrent qu’une intervention de gestion immédiate est nécessaire sur les Îles Vierges pour empêcher de nouveaux déclins des oiseaux marins et la disparition potentielle de ces espèces. Mots clés conservation des îles, environnement marin, Îles Vierges, oiseaux marins, suivi de population

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Section: Migratory Seabirdssupporting

confidence: 60%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Current status and 21st century population trends of breeding seabirds in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands

Paige A. Byerly,

Susan Zaluski,

Daniel Nellis

et al. 2023

JCO

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“…Feral animals and development appear to be the greatest threats to V. anegadensis on Anegada, in common with threats observed in other Caribbean regions (González-M. et al, 2018; Murray et al, 2020). Caribbean forests evolved in the absence of livestock and free from grazing by ungulates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

The conservation and ecology of the British Virgin Islands endemic tree, Vachellia anegadensis

Bárrios

Dufke

Hamilton

et al. 2021

Oryx

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Numerous island species have gone extinct and many extant, but threatened, island endemics require ongoing monitoring of their conservation status. The small tree Vachellia anegadensis was formerly thought to occur only on the limestone island of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands and was categorized as Critically Endangered. However, in 2008 it was discovered on the volcanic island of Fallen Jerusalem, c. 35 km from Anegada, and in 2018 it was recategorized as Endangered. To inform conservation interventions, we examined the species’ distribution, genetic population structure, dependency on pollinators and preferred habitat, and documented any threats. We found V. anegadensis to be locally widespread on Anegada but uncommon on Fallen Jerusalem and established that geographical location does not predict genetic differentiation amongst populations. Vachellia anegadensis produces the highest number of seed pods when visited by animal pollinators, in particular Lepidoptera. Introduced animals and disturbance by humans appear to be the main threats to V. anegadensis, and in situ conservation is critical for the species’ long-term survival.

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Islands and Atolls of the World

Goldstein

2020

Encyclopedia of the World's Biomes

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An Overview of the Socio-Ecological System of Cays and Islets in the US Caribbean and Their Vulnerability to Climate Change

Cited by 4 publications

References 20 publications

Current status and 21st century population trends of breeding seabirds in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands

Current status and 21st century population trends of breeding seabirds in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands

The conservation and ecology of the British Virgin Islands endemic tree, Vachellia anegadensis

Islands and Atolls of the World

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