Advances In The Exploration And Management Of Coastal Karst In The Caribbean

Coastal karst is a dominant landform within the Caribbean that has played a significant role in shaping human migration and settlement patterns, modern economic development in the region and its evolving biodiversity. Recent exploration of coastal karst, associated models of littoral cave development and comparative coastal resource management strategies are examined in three distinct island settings in the Caribbean: The Republic of Haiti, Grenada and Isla de Mona (Puerto Rico). These regional island examples display distinct and complex coastal karst morphologies ranging from intensely karstic carbonate platforms to complex non-carbonate island cores overlain by extensive and thickly-bedded coastal and interior carbonate cover or predominantly volcanic landscapes with limited fringing carbonates. Previously unreported field research in these selected island settings support an emerging view of the complex karst development in the region and indicate that significant karst areas remain to be explored while illustrating the associated landform vulnerabilities, anthropogenic effects and range of coastal resource management and preservation initiatives applied to date.