The British Virgin Islands (BVI) are situated in the northern Caribbean some 96 km east of Puerto Rico. The BVI consist of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke, along with over fifty other smaller islands and cays. Tortola and Virgin Gorda, and most of the other islands and cays, are volcanic in origin, comprising steep-sided hills arising from the sea. Anegada, in contrast, is a flat coral limestone island, no higher than 8 m above sea level. The British Virgin Islands enjoy a tropical climate, moderated by trade winds. Rainfall averages around 1150 mm (45 in) per year, with higher amounts in the hills and lower land typically drier.
The BVI, the nearby US Virgin Islands (USVI) and the islands of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico form the Puerto Rican Bank floristic province. Of the 2,221 native plants recorded from the Puerto Rican Bank, 305 are endemic and four are currently thought to occur exclusively in the BVI. The vegetation is dominated by dry forest at lower altitudes with some stretches of coast still protected by mangrove forests. Upland evergreen forests are found at higher altitudes on Tortola and Virgin Gorda, where there is enough rainfall. Anegada's dunes and limestone areas are covered with a mix of dry scrub, usually dominated by cacti and dry thicket vegetation.
Vegetation under threat
Kew's UKOTs Team, in partnership with the National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands (NPTVI) as well as other local and international organisations, have been involved in plant conservation activities in the BVI since 1998. The collaborative work between Kew and NPTVI aims to assess the extinction risk of native plant species and to mitigate against the threats that affect the BVI's vegetation.
Following detailed desk-based data gathering and digitisation of existing herbarium collections, species lists are compiled to guide our field collecting and assist in the identification of areas for survey. Field surveys are undertaken to look for these species by targeting suitable habitat. We document native and non-native plant species and, where possible, undertake control of those species that have become invasive. Data for all new and confirmed occurrences are digitally recorded and new collections (herbarium vouchers and DNA samples) are made where possible. If a native species is found in fruit, seeds are collected for long term storage at Kew's Millennium Seed Bank and for cultivation at Kew and at the J.R. O'Neal Botanic Garden in Road Town, Tortola. Besides the obvious conservation benefits of securing species in ex situ conservation collections, there are many other benefits including raising public awareness and access to material for research.
Areas with high concentrations of threatened species and threatenead habitats have been identified in the BVI as part of a Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) project. Our collaborations in BVI are ensuring that the native flora is well documented and providing the necessary information to make informed conservation decisions.
Please use the links below to see further details on conservation activities in the UK Overseas Territories.
British Indian Ocean Territory
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus
Homepage of the UKOTs Online Herbarium