As you may know, in 2023 the Blueprint update included a major overhaul of data and priorities in the U.S. Caribbean. We worked closely with the (at the time) newly formed Caribbean Conservation Community of Practice to get feedback on draft priority areas and held indicator team calls to get input from partners on the ground about the best data available to represent the unique landscapes of the U.S. Caribbean.

For the last year, Louise and I have been providing user support to our partners in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, helping with protection efforts, priority setting, and grant proposals. Grant support is one of the most common uses of the Blueprint. With grant support, our user support specialists work with you to help tell a story about how a proposed project is contributing to a connected network of lands and waters! We provide language and quantitative data that you can plug into any grant proposal, illustrating how your work ties into a larger regional strategy (i.e. the Southeast Conservation Blueprint!).

As a result of these efforts, SECAS has helped the Government of the Virgin Islands secure over $72 million (you read that correctly) worth of grant funding. The largest of these awards is a $69 million grant through NOAA’s Coastal Resilience Regional Challenge Fund. This project aims to advance community-led projects and government-led initiatives that will protect important natural and cultural areas across the USVI, providing increased access to public lands, enhanced water security, flood and drought protection, as well as protection for important cultural and ecological resources.

Other exciting projects include a $1.4 million Recovery Land Acquisition grant for the permanent protection of a critical parcel on St. Croix. This proposal was actually submitted prior to the Blueprint release in the Caribbean but was able to draw on early Blueprint indicators to illustrate the co-benefits that the parcel exhibited. Facing development pressures, this parcel encompasses one of two remnant populations of the endangered tropical lily-thorn (Catesbaea melanocarpa) and the protection of this parcel will also directly contribute to recovery efforts for the federally endangered St. Croix agave (Agave eggersiana), leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), and St. Croix ground lizard (Pholidoscelis polops).

And to round out the roundup, SECAS was also able to support a successful $2.1 million America the Beautiful Challenge grant in the USVI. As a result of this funding, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources is creating the first conservation corridor that spans the length of St. Croix by partnering with local organization and employing a youth green skills corps. This project will expand public access, contributing to the Territorial Park System, while stemming erosion along 2.11 miles of beach. Additionally, the project aims to restore a total of 260 acres of wetlands on St. Croix, which is roughly 27% of the wetlands on the island.

We are so proud to support the incredible work our partners are doing in the U.S. Caribbean! All of these projects move us closer to the SECAS vision of a connected network of lands and waters that supports thriving fish and wildlife populations and improved quality of life for people. If you are interested in learning more about conservation efforts in the U.S. Caribbean, I encourage you to check out the Caribbean Conservation Community of Practice, which works to advance conservation planning, action, and research in the Caribbean. They will be hosting their third annual in-person meeting on St. Thomas, March 25-27.

Lastly, if you’re working on a grant proposal and would like some user support, please reach out to one of user support staff today!