Coastal benthic habitat mapping to support marine resource planning and management in St. Kitts and Nevis

A benthic habitat mapping method was applied in St. Kitts and Nevis to create baseline data that
serves as input for a marine resource management framework. High resolution satellite imagery
(benthic habitat maps for the coastal waters of St. Kitts and Nevis. We demonstrate how
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) with limited resources, can employ a scientifically sound,
yet relatively low-cost method to develop coastal benthic habitat maps. These data, along with
other marine use information, were reviewed through stakeholder involvement and fed into a larger
project aimed at drafting a federation-wide multi-objective marine zoning plan. The benthic
habitat data quantified the spatial extent and location of key marine ecosystems and served as one
of the critical data layers used in the marine zoning decision-support software. The modeled outputs
provided insight to marine resource managers making decisions on how to balance both environmental
and economic needs.