Landscape Corridors

The Southeast Blueprint also includes a least-cost path connectivity analysis that identifies corridors that link coastal and inland areas and span climate gradients. These corridors will guide lands conservation efforts and baseline monitoring for DFW from 2025-2035. The corridors connect hubs across the shortest distance possible, while also routing through as much Blueprint priority as possible. The hubs that anchor the connectivity analysis are large patches of highest priority Blueprint areas and/or protected lands. About 58,382 acres (24.4%) of the USVI are considered a hub or corridor, providing many conservation opportunities to support species movement and migration—an important strategy for helping wildlife adapt to landscape-level changes.

The Blueprint recognizes more than 65,000 acres, or roughly 40% of the territory, as a priority for connecting the region’s lands and waters (Table 1, Figure 2). About 55,500 acres are rated as highest or high priority, with an additional 45,869 acres in medium priority (totaling about 36% of the territory). Together, these classes represent the most important areas for shared conservation action, based on a suite of natural and cultural resource indicators. The Blueprint includes more than 60 indicators across its geographic scope. Some indicators only occur within specific ecoregions and in the Caribbean portion of the Blueprint, there are about 18 indicators to represent important natural and cultural resources. Some indicators are unique to the Caribbean, representing unique ecosystems and species like corals and some are analogs to Continental indicators in the Blueprint as a result of variable data availability. Indicator examples include Caribbean karst habitat, landscape condition, greenways and trails, coastal shoreline condition, Caribbean fish hotspots, and more. Indicator data is available on the Blueprint page of the SECAS Atlas.

An additional 9,828 acres (3.9%) are considered priority connections, or key linkages between priority areas that can help facilitate the flow of species and ecological processes within across the territory, while also considering connectivity across the broader region.  

The Southeast Blueprint also includes a least-cost path connectivity analysis that identifies corridors that link coastal and inland areas and span climate gradients. The corridors connect hubs across the shortest distance possible, while also routing through as much Blueprint priority as possible. The hubs that anchor the connectivity analysis are large patches of highest priority Blueprint areas and/or protected lands. About 58,382 acres (24.4%) of the USVI are considered a hub or corridor, providing many conservation opportunities to support species movement and migration—an important strategy for helping wildlife adapt to landscape-level changes.