Meanwhile, wetlands are also a matter of concern in a place that could scarcely be more different from Iraq: the island of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. The Virgin Islands Indigenous and Endangered Species Act of 1990 specifies that the policy of the territory is to “prevent a net loss of wetlands to the maximum extent possible,” but about half of the mangrove wetlands on St. Croix have been damaged or destroyed. The remaining wetlands are threatened by human disturbance, pollution, dredging, population growth, sedimentation, non-native species, and other causes. In response, the Virgin Islands Department of Natural Resources’ Fish and Wildlife Division plans to spend the next year and a half developing a conservation plan for the wetlands.
