Island Harbour is one of Anguilla’s most important fishing villages. It also lines the island’s largest marine park, Shoal Bay-Island Harbour Marine Park.

Shoal Bay-Island Harbour. Around the bend from Island Harbour, one of Anguilla’s premiere fishing villages, a beach with sparkling white sand stretches out for more than a mile. The village looks out at an expansive patch reef system and an Atlantic Ocean that seems to have no end. Over three miles of coastline and gorgeous mix of topography, the Shoal Bay-Island Harbour area is arguably one of Anguilla’s most popular destinations – a few years ago, Shoal Bay beach was voted as one of the top ten beaches in the world. An impressive feat for an island so small.

Little Bay. Sea turtles skirt the coral-spotted cliff-line while pelicans dive-bomb into the blue-green waters. An important seagrass bed lines the sandy sea-bottom. One of Anguilla’s treasures, Little Bay is the perfect place to relax – the soothing pulses of the ebb and flow of the tide combined with its secluded-ness can make you believe (and feel) as if there was nothing else in the world – except for you, the water, and that fish that just skimmed the surface.

Little Bay’s seagrass bed is one of the main reasons why the site was designated a marine park.

Sandy Island. It could be one of those tropical deserted islands that are seen in those shipwreck-type movies. With only a few palm trees and a make-shift hut for a restaurant, the island is close enough to the mainland to be seen, but far away enough to make you feel as though you are alone. Under the water, fish manoeuvre through patchy reef-building corals and swaying sea fans. It is as peaceful below the surface as it is above it.

Prickly Pear Cays. The two islands are lined with scrub and more than just speckled with seabirds. Home to thousands of brown boobies, a walk along the coastline of Prickly Pear East and West shows the rugged terrain of the weather- and sea-beaten cays. Two restaurants cater to the appetites of thousands of visitors – many travelling by charter boat from St. Martin – who want to escape the mainland for a day of swimming, snorkelling, and relaxing. The clear waters provide ideal conditions for coral reef growth while the reefs themselves provide food and shelter to countless numbers of fish.

The sign at Dog Island outlines the do’s and don’ts of the Marine Park.

Dog Island. Prickly Pear’s neighbour. Goats frolic through the dense shrubland, carving trails through prickly scrub and fields of cacti. Close to the cliff-line, hundreds of thousands of seabirds nest and search for food. Their noisy calls carry in the wind. When disturbed, they raise themselves to the air – creating a moving blanket of dark bodies. It is an image so spectacular that it is enough to take your breath away. Characterised by rough seas, drama can be found above and below the water line. Tiger and black-tipped sharks stalk prey around the deep patch reef. Fish munch on algae growing on the reef. Sea turtles hide in the crevices – trying to rest while avoiding the hungry predators. The strong current keeps the less-experienced skin and scuba divers closer to the mainland.

These five sites – significant in their own right – have something in common: they are all marine parks.




Anguilla’s Marine Park System. In 1993, the Government of Anguilla established a network of five marine parks: Shoal Bay-Island Harbour, Little Bay, Sandy Island, Prickly Pear East and West, and Dog Island. The primary purpose behind this move was to protect the fragile coral reef and seagrass beds areas from boat and anchor damage and other destructive boating practices, including the dumping of pollutants and the release of septic tank fluids into the water. These vulnerable habitats lie under the water and close to the shoreline. They support a critical coastal fisheries industry, form the basis of Anguilla’s multi-million dollar tourism industry, and provide much-need protection to Anguilla’s coastline by acting as a barrier to powerful waves. Can you imagine what would have happened to Anguilla during the Easter ground swells if the island wasn’t protected by the reefs?

The establishment of marine parks marked an awareness of the need to protect Anguilla’s natural resources. Creating these parks also signalled a realisation that whole ecosystems need to be protected, not just individual species – that individual organisms cannot be protected unless the habitats in which they live are also secured.

The Role of Marine Parks – the bigger picture. So why does the marine environment need to be protected? Almost 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. The sheer enormity of the world’s oceans and seas can easily lead us to believe that it is boundless, indestructible, and that it will be able to support our needs and absorb our impacts forever. Unfortunately, after centuries of use and misuse, the repercussions of our actions are being felt – fish stocks have collapsed around the world, flooding is now a common occurrence, erosion of coastlines and loss of beaches (and the life that is a part of them) is widespread, fresh and saltwater systems have been poisoned with acid rain and contaminated by sewage and grey water, and sea levels are rising. It is not a pretty picture. And with coastal populations getting larger and with all of the environmental stresses that come with human needs, desires, and “development”, the impacts are likely to become even more significant and profound.

Tropical coastal systems, with their coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests, are among the most diverse and fragile in the world. Human reliance on them for shoreline protection from storms and ground seas, sand for beaches, food, medicines, and even construction material makes them even more vulnerable to overexploitation and irreversible damage. Protecting and using them carefully and sustainably has become absolutely essential.

Anguilla’s marine parks – while first established to prevent habitat destruction from boats and boating activities – can have even more widespread ecological socio-economic, and cultural benefits. They are able to protect rare and endangered species and habitats such as the hawksbill and green sea turtles and the beaches that they rely on for nesting. They can maintain genetic diversity among species which will help organisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions – such as those that we are seeing with climate change. They can help with the management and enhancement of fisheries. They can help to conserve and manage areas that are important for recreation, tourism, education, and research. They can provide protection of specific sites for traditional use or for some cultural feature such as a shipwreck. And just as importantly, they can conserve marine environments so that future generations will also be able to use and enjoy them.

Integrating Marine Parks into Coastal Zone Management Approaches. Essentially, marine parks are a tool that natural resources managers can use to balance use with protection. They, in themselves, however, will not provide all of the solutions to the human-induced coastal problems that we are now faced with. Coastal and marine environments are three-dimensional and fluid – boundaries are fuzzy at best. What happens outside of a marine park (on land and in the water) will undoubtedly affect what is happening within it. Thus, they cannot be managed as isolated entities; they must be part of a management programme that is more holistic and integrated – both in terms of what is managed and who is involved in the management process.

An integrated coastal zone management approach that encourages and supports the participation of the individuals and groups that rely on the health and welfare of the natural environment, that promotes flexibility and adaptability, and that incorporates different management regimes, will be much more disposed to success. What this means for Anguillians (today and tomorrow) is a safer, healthier, and richer place to live.

Eco-Corner is written by Farah Mukhida and is a regular feature provided by the Anguilla National Trust. In partnership with the Trust ANGUILLALNT publishes the corner online.  The Anguilla National Trust welcomes questions, comments, and suggestions. If you would like to voice your opinions and/or concerns, please contact the Trust at 497 5297 or at axanat@anguillanet.com. Together we can make a difference. Preservation for Generations