British Virgin Islands: Forest Cover, 2005
| Total Land Area (ha) | 15,000 | | Total Forest Area (ha) | 4,000 | | Percent Forest Cover | 26.67% | | Primary Forest Cover (ha) | - | | Primary Forest, % total forest | - | | Primary Forest, % total land | - | | Other wooded land (ha) | 2,000 |
British Virgin Islands : Forest types
| Tropical (% forest area) | 100% | | Subtropical (% forest area) | 0% | | Temperate (% forest area) | 0% | | Boreal/polar (% forest area) | 0% |
British Virgin Islands: Breakdown of forest types, 2005
| Primary forest (ha | %) | - | - | | Modified natural (ha | %) | - | - | | Semi-natural (ha | %) | - | - | | Production plantation (ha | %) | - | - | | Production plantation (ha | %) | - | - |
British Virgin Islands: Change in Forest Cover
| TOTAL FOREST COVER | | Forest 1990 (ha) | 4,000 | | Forest 2000 (ha) | 4,000 | | Forest 2005 (ha) | 4,000 | | Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) | - | 0.00% | | Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) | - | 0.00% | | Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) | - | 0.00% | | Change in rate (%) | #DIV/0! | | PRIMARY FOREST COVER | | Primary 1990 (ha) | - | | Primary 2000 (ha) | - | | Primary 2005 (ha) | - | | Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) | - | - | | Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) | - | - | | Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) | - | - | | Change in rate (%) | - | | OTHER WOODED LAND | | Other 1990 (ha) | 2,000 | | Other 2000 (ha) | 2,000 | | Other 2005 (ha) | 2,000 | | Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) | - | 0.00% | | Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) | - | 0.00% | | Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) | - | 0.00% | | Change in rate (%) | #DIV/0! | | PLANTATIONS | | Other 1990 (ha) | - | | Other 2000 (ha) | - | | Other 2005 (ha) | - | | Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) | - | - | | Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) | - | - | | Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) | - | - | | Change in rate (%) | - | TOTAL DEGRADATION/CONSERVSION
Forest area+Wooded Area-Plantations | | Other 1990 (ha) | 6,000 | | Other 2000 (ha) | 6,000 | | Other 2005 (ha) | 6,000 | | Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) | - | 0.00% | | Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) | - | 0.00% | | Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) | - | 0.00% | | Change in rate (%) | #DIV/0! |
British Virgin Islands: Primary
| Primary or "old-growth" vegetation | | Primary Forest 2005 (ha) | - | | Other primary wooded land 2005 (ha) | - | | Other primary wooded land 2005 (ha) | 0 | | Undisturbed vegetation 2005 (% land area) | 0.00% |
British Virgin Islands: Forest designation
| Ownership of forest land, 2000 | | Public (%) | - | | Private (%) | - | | Other (%) | - | | Ownership of other wooded land, 2000 | | Public (%) | - | | Private (%) | - | | Other (%) | - | | Designated functions of forest � primary function 2005 | | Production (%) | - | | Protection (%) | - | | Conservation (%) | - | | Social Services (%) | - | | Multiple Services (%) | - | | None of Unknown (%) | - |
British Virgin Islands: Disturbances affecting forest land 2000
| Forest Area annually affected by | | Fire (%) | - | | Insects (ha) | - | | Diseases (ha) | - | | Other (ha) | - |
British Virgin Islands: Protected areas
| Protected areas | | Biosphere reserves, 2005 | | Wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites), 2005 | 0 | | World Heritage sites, 2004 | 0 | | Protected Areas: IUCN categories I-V, percent of total land | 1.0% | | Protected Areas: IUCN categories Ia, Ib, and II, extent, percent of total land | 0.67% | | Protected Areas: IUCN categories III, IV, and V, percent of total land, 2004 | 0.67% | | Protected Areas: IUCN categories VI and other, percent of total land, 2004 | 0.00% |
British Virgin Islands: Biodiversity - Wildlife
| Amphibians | | total species | 5 | | endemic species | 1 | | threatened species | 2 | | Birds | | total species | 125 | | endemic species | 1 | | threatened species | 2 | | Mammals | | total species | 5 | | endemic species | 0 | | threatened species | 0 | | Reptiles | | total species | 26 | | endemic species | 4 | | threatened species | 6 | | Wildlife diversity | | total species | 161 | | endemic species | 6 | | threatened species | 10 |
British Virgin Islands: Biodiversity - Plants
| Growing stock composition | 3 most common species
% of total growing stock | - | | Growing stock composition | 3 most common species
% of total growing stock | - | | Number of Native tree species | | | Native tree species | - | | Number of tree species in IUCN red list | | Critically Endangered | | - | | Endangered | - | | Vulnerable | - | | Vascular Plant Species, 2004 | | Total | | | Number endemic | 0 | | Number of Threatened Plant Species, 2004 | | Species threatened | 10 |
British Virgin Islands: Value of forests
| Biomass stock in forest, 2005 | | Above-ground biomass (M t) | - | | Below-ground biomass (M t) | - | | Dead wood (M t) | - | | Total (M t) | - | | Carbon stock in forest, 2005 | | Carbon in above-ground biomass (M t) | - | | Carbon in below-ground biomass (M t) | - | | Carbon in dead wood (M t) | - | | Carbon in litter (M t) | - | | Soil carbon (M t) | - | | Change in growing stock 1990 - 2005 | | Annual change rate (1000 cubic m/yr) | | 1990-2000 | - | | 2000-2005 | - | | Growing stock per hectare 1990 - 2005 | | Annual change rate ( cubic m/ha per yr) | | 1990-2000 | - | | 2000-2005 | - | | Wood removal 2005 | | Industrial roundwood (1000 cubic m) | - | | Wood fuel (1000 cubic m) | - | | Total wood removal 2005 (1000 cubic m) | - | | Total wood removal 2005 (% of growing stock) | - | | Plant products 2005 | | Food (t) | - | | Fodder (t) | - | | Raw material for medicine and aromatic products (t) | - | | Raw material for colorants and dyes (t) | - | | Raw material for utensils, handicrafts & construction (t) | - | | Ornamental plants (t) | - | | Exudates (t) | - | | Other plant products (t) | - | | Animal products 2005 | | Living animals (units) | - | | Hides, skins and trophies (units) | - | | Wild honey and bee-wax (t) | - | | Bush meat (t) | - | | Raw material for medicine and aromatic products (t) | - | | Raw material for colorants and dyes (t) | - | | Other edible animal products (t) | - | | Other non-edible animal products (t) | - | | Value of wood and non-wood forest product removal 2005 | | Industrial roundwood (US$) | - | | Wood fuel (US$) | - | | Non-wood forest products (US$) | - | | Total value (US$) | - | | Total value ($USD/ha) | $- | | Employment in forestry 2000 | | Total people employed | - |
British Virgin Islands : Production, trade and consumption of forest products, 2002
| Woodfuel ('000 cubic m), 2002 | | Production | - | | Imports | - | | Exports | - | | Consumption | 0 | | Industrial roundwood ('000 cubic m), 2002 | | Production | - | | Imports | 0 | | Exports | - | | Consumption | 0 | | Sawnwood ('000 cubic m), 2002 | | Production | - | | Imports | 4 | | Exports | - | | Consumption | 4 | | Wood-based panels ('000 cubic m), 2002 | | Production | - | | Imports | 1 | | Exports | - | | Consumption | 1 | | Pulp for paper ('000 metric tons), 2002 | | Production | - | | Imports | - | | Exports | 0 | | Consumption | 0 | | Paper and paperboard ('000 metric tons), 2002 | | Production | - | | Imports | 0 | | Exports | 0 | | Consumption | 0 |
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British Virgin Islands: Environment
| Environment - current issues | limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments) | | Environment - international agreements | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) |
British Virgin Islands: Land use / Resources
| Land use (%) | arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67%
other: 73.33% (2001) | | Natural resources | NEGL |
British Virgin Islands: Economy
| Economy - overview: | The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar as its currency since 1959. | | GDP - per capita | $38,500 (2004 est.) | | GDP - real growth rate (%) | 1% NA (2002 est.) | | Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish | | GDP - composition by sector (%) | agriculture: 1.8%, industry: 6.2%, services: 92% (1996 est.) | | Industries | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center | | Economic aid - recipient | NA | | Debt - external | $36.1 million (1997) | | Population below poverty line (%) | NA | | Labor force - by occupation (%) | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
British Virgin Islands: Population / Demographics
| Population (July 2005) | 22,643 | | Population growth rate (%) (2005) | 2.06% | | Population density (people/sq km) (2005) | 148.0 | | Percent rural (2003) | 38.9% | | Median age (years) | total: 30.9 years | | Total fertility rate (children born/woman) | 1.72 (2005 est.) | | Ethnic groups (%) | black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed |
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British Virgin Islands: Infrastructure
| Telephones - main lines in use | 11,700 (2002) | | Telephones - mobile cellular | 8,000 (2002) | | Roadways (km) | total: 177 km
paved: 177 km (2002) |
British Virgin Islands: Health
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | total population: 76.49 years
male: 75.41 years
female: 77.62 years (2005 est.) | | Infant mortality rate | 18.05 deaths/1,000 live births | | HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) | NA |
British Virgin Islands
: References & Data Sources
 Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005
Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005) and the State of the World�s Forests (2005, 2003, 2001)
Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.
Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.
RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.
World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site
The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund
With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com
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