BeachManagementintheCaribbean-UniversityofNorth.docVIP

BEACH MANAGEMENT IN THE CARIBBEAN CJ Jackson Department of Earth Sciences (Coastal Management 558) University of North Carolina-Wilmington INTRODUCTION Warm, shallow blue seas, with colorful coral reefs and marine life, lap against white sands backed by ancient volcanic mountains covered with tropical vegetation. These are a few things that attract people to the islands of the Caribbean and why some will make it their home. It has been estimated that 50-70% of the global human population lives within 60 miles of the coastal zone (IPCC, 1996). Each year the islands of the Caribbean continue to encounter a growing number of tourists and continue to experience pressures to increase development along the coast. Effective beach management strategies are needed to resolve and mitigate against problems associated with current/future development of the shoreline, impacts from tourism, and geohazards such as hurricanes and sea-level rise. Failure to implement such practices will result in coastal areas that are unable to meet the demands and expectations of persons who wish to develop or simply visit the coast. Unfortunately, these cases already exist and are rapidly growing in number. COASTAL SETTING The following island countries/territories make up both the Caribbean Greater and Lesser Antilles include Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico (U.S. commonwealth), and U.S. Virgin Islands (U.S. territory). However, this paper will mainly concentrate on issues affecting Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), as they are representative members that are experiencing beach management problems that are Caribbean-wide. Puerto Rico lies just over 1000 miles southeast of Miami, Florida. The island has a land area of about 9104 km2 with an estimated population of 3.9 million people. Near the m