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Caribbean Islands
At one time the islands of the Caribbean were covered with tropical rainforest, but these have been diminished since the arrival of Columbus in 1492. Originally, hardwood was used to construct ships, homes, and furniture for the early colonists, and the rest of the forest was reaped of fuelwood and then burned for plantations. Today, very few of these islands have any forest cover, let alone primary forest. With forest loss, species have disappeared, including 35 mammals species. Some of the island nations recognize the importance of forest cover and have moved to protect the remaining forests or have begun reforestation programs.
In the Bahamas, the Bahamas National Trust has reseeded original hardwoods in Exuma National Park. In addition, the trust is restoring species that were near extinction or have gone extinct in the wild. Islanders have noticed that rain levels are returning to levels measured before original deforestation. The government of the Bahamas is working to promote eco-tourism that will bring in foreign currency and investment, yet protect the environment at the same time.
A small section (28,000 acres) of rainforest exists in Puerto Rico's El Yunque National Park which contains more than 200 species of plants and the endangered Puerto Rican parrot. The park was established in 1876 (the oldest reserve in the Western Hemisphere) by Spain, who controlled the island at the time. In the 1930s, with the island now a territory of the United States, the Civilian Conservation Corps built a road that divided the forest in half.
Cuba's natural forests are very rare. The island was more than 90 percent forested in 1492, but by 1900 forest cover had fallen to 5 percent. Since 1960, when the forest cover stood at 13.5 percent, forest area has been increasing due to reforestation. The dry conditions of 1998 resulted in forest fires. Rare species are threatened by collection for export.
In the late 1920s forest still covered three-quarters of the Dominican Republic, though by 1981 this had been reduced to roughly 14 percent from clearing for sugar cane, residential development, and logging for timber. The Dominican Republic is one of ten forested nations that proposed compensation from wealthy countries for rainforest conservation at the 2005 climate conference in Montreal.
Country / Area | | Total Forest Area
(ha) | | Percent Forest Cover | | Primary Forest Cover
(ha) | | Total Change 1990-2005
(ha) | | Total Change 1990-2005
(%) |
| Anguilla | | 6,000 | | 58.8% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| Antigua and Barbuda | | 9,000 | | 20.5% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| Aruba | | 0 | | 0.0% | | 0 | | - | | - |
| Bahamas | | 515,000 | | 51.5% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| Barbados | | 2,000 | | 4.7% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| Bermuda | | 1,000 | | 20.0% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| British Virgin Islands | | 4,000 | | 26.7% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| Cayman Islands | | 12,000 | | 45.8% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| Cuba | | 2,713,000 | | 24.7% | | 0 | | 655,000 | | 31.83% |
| Dominica | | 46,000 | | 61.3% | | 27,000 | | -4,000 | | -8.00% |
| Dominican Republic | | 1,376,000 | | 28.4% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| Grenada | | 4,000 | | 11.8% | | 1,000 | | - | | 0.00% |
| Guadeloupe | | 80,000 | | 47.3% | | 19,000 | | -4,000 | | -4.76% |
| Haiti | | 105,000 | | 3.8% | | 0 | | -11,000 | | -9.48% |
| Jamaica | | 339,000 | | 31.3% | | 0 | | -6,000 | | -1.74% |
| Martinique | | 46,000 | | 43.4% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| Montserrat | | 4,000 | | 40.0% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| Netherlands Antilles | | 1,000 | | 1.3% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| Puerto Rico | | 408,000 | | 46.0% | | 11,000 | | 4,000 | | 0.99% |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | | 5,000 | | 13.9% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| Saint Lucia | | 17,000 | | 27.9% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | | 11,000 | | 28.2% | | 0 | | 2,000 | | 22.22% |
| Trinidad and Tobago | | 226,000 | | 44.1% | | 14,000 | | -9,000 | | -3.83% |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | | 34,000 | | 79.1% | | 0 | | - | | 0.00% |
| United States Virgin Islands | | 10,000 | | 29.4% | | 0 | | -2,000 | | -16.67% |
| Total Caribbean | | 5,974,000 | | 26.1% | | | | 624,000 | | 11.66% |
Recent articles | Caribbean news updates | XML
Fast-growing coral may help reefs survive global warming
(3/13/2008) Two fast-growing coral species may hold the key to Caribbean reefs surviving global warming, report researchers writing in the journal Science.
Human activity is killing coral reefs in the Caribbean
(1/8/2008) A wide and thorough study of the Caribbean's coral reefs--including 322 sites in 13 countries--has shown that the main indicator of coral destruction in the Caribbean is the proximity of human populations: the larger the population the greater the deterioration of the reefs. Contributing factors are numerous, but the study showed that coastal development causes the most damage to coral reefs and fish populations, because of increased sewage and fishing pressure; while proximity to agriculture results in macroalgae due to runoff of agricultural chemicals.
Dean was 3rd most intense Atlantic hurricane at landfall
(8/21/2007) Hurricane Dean was the third most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall, according to forecasters at the National Hurricane Center who measured the storm's central atmospheric pressure.
Hurricanes can help coral reefs
(7/17/2007) A close call with a hurricane can be beneficial to a stressed coral reef, reports a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Cuba Energy Crisis Solved
(7/5/2007) Cuba may be overcoming its intermittent energy crisis, according to a top U.N. official. Power shortages and brownouts have long been a problem in the small communist island nation, but it was daily 16 hour-electricity cuts in 2004 that finally forced the government to act. Its efforts are apparently paying off.
Frogs rafted from South America to the Caribbean 29M years ago
(6/4/2007) Large populations of frogs in Central America and the Caribbean rafted, over the ocean from South America more than 29 million years ago, reports a new study published in the June 4 early online edition of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Europeans may have caused extinction of large mammals in Caribbean
(1/25/2007) New evidence suggests that the arrival of Europeans in the New World corresponds with the extinction of mammal species on the Caribbean islands.
Historic Caribbean sea turtle population falls 99%
(8/1/2006) Current conservation assessments of endangered Caribbean sea turtles are too optimistic due declines of populations on historically important nesting beaches, according to new research from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The plunge has significant ecological consequences.
Severe damage expected for Caribbean coral reefs in 2006
(7/4/2006) Caribbean Sea temperatures have reached their annual high two months ahead of schedule according to a report from The Associated Press. Scientists are concerned that the region's coral reefs may suffer even worse damage than last year when 70 percent of coral was bleached in some areas.
Dominican Delights - Dominica, the real Caribbean
(5/4/2006) Prepare yourself. Here, there are no white sand beaches, no golf courses. Here, you'll find a boiling lake, winding cliff-side roads, bubbling surf and waterfalls that will make your head spin. This is Dominica, and this is the real Caribbean. Our Easter holiday to this (officially) English-speaking leeward island sandwiched between French neighbors Guadeloupe to the north and Martinique to the south gave us six days to explore enchanting coves, impressive mountains and dozens of rivers. In six short days, we were overwhelmed by Dominica's charms -- her incredible natural beauty and local creole style. Travelers looking to explore and discover, to be educated and reinvented, should consider this an ideal place for a serious Caribbean adventure.
Global warming could dry Caribbean, Central America
(4/14/2006) Parts of the Caribbean and Central America are likely to experience drier summers by 2050 according to research presented by UCLA atmospheric scientists in the April 18 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Analyzing 10 global climate computer simulations from various agencies, the researchers found that the majority of the computer models predict a substantial decrease in tropical rainfall to occur by mid-century. By the end of this century, the models show that summer rainfall could decline by 20 percent or more in parts of the Caribbean and Central America.
Damaged Caribbean reefs under attack
(4/10/2006) After experiencing one of the most devastating coral bleaching events on record during September and October of 2005, reefs in the Caribbean are under attack from deadly diseases according to Reuters.
New resource documents Caribbean marine life of Bocas del Toro
(12/27/2005) Coral reefs, coastal rainforest, land-grab, industrial bananas and organic cacao, mangroves, tourist boom, eclectic cultural mix: A Caribbean Journal of Science special issue presents the first scientific overview of the marine environment in Bocas del Toro Province.
Caribbean: Environmental Profile
(2/15/2005) An overview of tropical rainforets found in Caribbean. Includes forest cover and deforestation statistics.
Suggested reading - Books
Unless otherwise specified, this article was written by Rhett A. Butler [Bibliographic citation for this page]
Other resources
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Image copyright Google Earth, MDA EarthSet, DigitalGlobe 2005
Last updated: 7 Feb 2006 |
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