A new study led by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) in collaboration with University of the Virgin Islands’ (UVI) Center for Marine & Environmental Studies researchers Dr. Kristin Wilson Grimes and Allie Durdall, shows that coastal wetlands support a far wider range of wildlife than most people realize, but that those benefits could shrink as sea levels rise and flooding becomes more frequent. The research was funded by the NERRS Science Collaborative, which supports community-driven science to protect communities, ecosystems and economies along the nation’s coasts.
Magens Bay, St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) was one of three island locations represented in the study, which included 32 sites from Alaska to Hawaiʻi to Mexico to the USVI. Using 109 motion-activated cameras, researchers documented 146 species of mammals, birds and reptiles. The images captured everything from bears in Alaska, to feral hogs in Mississippi, to armadillos in Florida and the Koloa Maoli, Hawaiʻi’s native duck. Many of these animals are active at night and rarely seen by visitors, making camera traps a powerful tool for understanding how wildlife uses wetlands.
“The cameras not only shed light on which animals were there, but also what they were doing,” said Dr. Kerstin Wasson, one of the project’s lead scientists and research coordinator at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve in California. “At every Reserve, we saw how important wetlands are as nursery habitats for many species and how they provide foraging opportunities and resting refuges.” Here in the USVI, at Magens Bay, researchers observed 6 species including non-native species like the Javan mongoose (Urva javanica), the Black rat (Rattus rattus), the green iguana (Iguana iguana) and native bird species like the Pearly-eyed Thrasher (Margarops fuscatus) and the Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia). Out of the 32 sites that participated in the study, the USVI was among only 12 that observed non-native species, comprising 60% of observations.
Miranda Goad, a local UVI Master’s of Marine and Environmental Science graduate student who assisted in the study commented, “This study shows how important it is for us to understand our local ecosystems, what’s happening in them, and how they’re being used. Our coastal ecosystems are our most valuable natural resource and deserve our utmost care and stewardship.”
The study represents the first coordinated assessment of wildlife in coastal wetlands across North America. By using the same methods everywhere, scientists were able to compare wildlife use across different regions, something that had never been done before at this scale. The findings challenge the idea that wetlands mainly benefit fish and birds. Large predators such as mountain lions, black bears and wolves were recorded alongside more familiar species like coyotes and raccoons, showing how connected wetlands are to adjacent uplands and how protecting them requires a landscape approach.
The research also raises concerns about the future. Wildlife activity dropped sharply during high tides, suggesting that as sea levels rise and marshes flood more often, these habitats may become less usable for many species. Coastal wetlands with no opportunity to move inland or build elevation could lose much of their value for wildlife.
“These results highlight why it is so important to protect our islands’ wetlands. USVI mangroves support a variety of wildlife. Understanding what’s there and how these animals are using these environments informs our local management and restoration practices,” said Grimes.
For more information, contact Dr. Kristin Wilson Grimes, kristin.wilson@uvi.edu. For media inquiries, contact pr@uvi.edu.
About the National Estuarine Research Reserve System
Established in 1972, the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) is a network of 30 ecologically significant, locally treasured estuarine places in 24 states and Puerto Rico. The NERRS was created to work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to help protect and study these special places and support the communities that depend on them. Each Reserve is a partnership between NOAA and a state agency or university. Reserves are located in places that position them to be essential partners to communities faced with a rapidly changing coast. Reserves staff work with local decision makers, states, universities, nonprofits, and others to set natural resource management priorities and address them through research, environmental monitoring, education, training, and stewardship. In the USVI, UVI and the Virgin Islands Department of Planning & Natural Resources are in the early stages of co-leading an effort to designate a USVI NERR.
About University of the Virgin Islands’ Center for Marine and Environmental Studies (CMES)
The University of the Virgin Islands’ Center for Marine and Environmental Studies (CMES) is a premier research and education center dedicated to the study and stewardship of marine and coastal ecosystems in the Caribbean. With expertise spanning coral reef ecology, mangrove restoration, fisheries science, and climate adaptation, CMES integrates scientific research with education, outreach, and policy engagement. The Center collaborates with local, regional, and international partners to develop innovative, science-based solutions that strengthen environmental resilience and support sustainable development across island communities.
