Oct. 12, 2006 – Coral reefs provide a higher quality of life for all Virgin Islanders by supporting our commercial fisheries, our tourism market, providing recreational opportunities and protecting our shorelines during storms.
The Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources, the University of the Virgin Islands and VI-EPSCoR are collaborating to host a special workshop during the upcoming 16th U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Meeting from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., on Oct. 24, at the Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Resort. The topic of the workshop is the status of U.S.V.I. coral reef ecosystems and will include presenters from the territory who are experts in their field. It is open to the public to encourage participation by the people of the V.I.
This workshop will generate discussion on how we, as a territory, can most effectively address the issues facing our reefs in order to protect and preserve this valuable resource for generations to come.
The workshop, organized into two sessions: U.S.V.I. Coral Reefs: Issues, Status and Solutions and U.S.V.I. Marine Protected Areas: History, Status and Future, will consist of a series of presentations followed by general discussion. The moderated discussions will include multiple perspectives from federal and local agency managers, academia, NGOs, policy makers and other stakeholders, enhancing the range and depth of the exchanges.
Outcomes from this workshop will be reported to Coral Reef Task Force members during the Friday business meeting session on Caribbean coral reefs. Identification of supporting actions that local and federal policy makers can take to address the issues and challenges facing territorial coral reefs will be discussed.
For more information, contact Paige Rothenberger (DPNR) at 773-1082, ext. 2310 or Elizabeth Ban (UVI) at 693-1392.
