Understanding and addressing the impact of threats to marine ecosystems in the UK Caribbean Overseas Territories Comparing coral reefs and dependent communities across Anguilla, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the British Virgin Islands WC1032 Final Report to Defra v5: October 2016 Clare Fitzsimmons, Sarah Young, Steve Newman, Selina Stead, Nicholas V.C. Polunin1 1) School of Marine Science & Technology Newcastle University Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU 1 With special thanks to the field team: Pia Schuchert, Katherine Hart, Georgina Beresford, Niall McLoughlin, Alex Scott, Beth Taylor, Phoebe Mottram, Charlie Dryden, Charlotte Wiseman, Christina Skinner; and the people of Anguilla, Turks and Caicos Islands and British Virgin Islands. Thank-you to Johanna Forster for training data entry assistants, introducing the field team to the FORCE methods and significant contributions to the survey instrument design with Rachel Turner on the FORCE project (www.force-project.eu). In Anguilla: Dougie Carty from Special D Diving; Anguilla Fisheries Department; Department of Environment; National Trust; Chinnicks. In TCI: DEMA (Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs); TCI Reef Fund; Talbot’s Adventures; Grand Turk Diving. In BVI: the Department of Conservation and Fisheries, and special thanks to Commercial Diving BVI for logistical support throughout the project. And many others in the UKCOTs who provided invaluable support….. Thank-you to Defra, JNCC and OT government reviewers who provided helpful comments on earlier drafts of this document. Report to be cited as: Fitzsimmons C, Young S, Newman S, Stead SM, Polunin, NVC. Understanding and addressing the impact of threats to marine ecosystems in the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean. Final Report to Defra, March 2016 2 CONTENTS Contents ................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 5 Aim ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Policy Context ..................................................................................................................................................... 5 Methods ............................................................................................................................................................. 5 Results ................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Reef Health ..................................................................................................................................................... 6 Community Perceptions ................................................................................................................................. 6 Management Effectiveness ............................................................................................................................ 7 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................. 7 Implications ........................................................................................................................................................ 8 1 Background ..................................................................................................................................................... 9 1.1 The future of Caribbean coral reefs ......................................................................................................... 9 1.2 Threats to UK Caribbean Overseas Territories’ reefs ............................................................................. 10 1.3 The FORCE project – a precursor............................................................................................................ 10 1.4 Understanding and addressing the impact of threats to marine ecosystems in the UKCOTs ............... 11 1.4.1 Site selection ................................................................................................................................. 11 1.4.2 Work completed ........................................................................................................................... 13 1.5 The Purpose and structure of this document......................................................................................... 13 2 Summary of Ecological Surveys .................................................................................................................... 15 2.1 Methods ................................................................................................................................................. 15 2.2 Anguilla, May 2013 ................................................................................................................................. 15 2.2.1 Dive Survey Sites ........................................................................................................................... 15 2.2.2 Results ........................................................................................................................................... 15 2.2.3 Implications................................................................................................................................... 17 2.3 Turks and Caicos Islands, June 2013 ....................................................................................................... 18 2.3.1 Survey Sites ................................................................................................................................... 18 2.3.2 Results ........................................................................................................................................... 18 2.3.3 Implications................................................................................................................................... 20 2.4 British Virgin Islands Surveys, March 2014 ............................................................................................ 21 2.4.1 Survey Sites ................................................................................................................................... 21 2.4.2 Results ........................................................................................................................................... 21 2.4.3 Implications................................................................................................................................... 23 2.5 Pan-Caribbean Comparisons .................................................................................................................. 24 3 Summary of Social Surveys ........................................................................................................................... 25 3.1 Survey sampling ..................................................................................................................................... 25 3.2 Community level data ............................................................................................................................ 26 3 3.2.1 Anguilla ......................................................................................................................................... 26 3.2.2 The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) ................................................................................................ 31 3.2.3 The British Virgin Islands (BVI) ...................................................................................................... 36 3.3 Key informant interviews ....................................................................................................................... 41 4 National Level Consultation .......................................................................................................................... 42 4.1 The policy cycle process as a basis for governance assessment for the UKCOTs ................................... 42 4.2 Policy cycle reviews delivered at National level meetings ..................................................................... 43 4.2.1 Summary of Meetings ................................................................................................................... 45 4.2.2 The Turks and Caicos Islands ........................................................................................................ 47 4.2.3 The British Virgin Islands ............................................................................................................... 49 4.2.4 Management implications ............................................................................................................ 51 4.3 Reef Governance Surveys – Compared .................................................................................................. 52 5 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................... 55 5.1 Ecology ................................................................................................................................................... 55 5.2 Society