Hans Lollik Island - Terrestrial Features

Terrestrial Features

The terrestrial features of the Hans Lollik group are functions of their natural topography, exposure to trade winds, and consequences of human occupation. In part because of its low elevation, GHL receives about 44 inches (1,120 mm) of rainfall annually. The east and northeast slopes experience regular northeasterly trade winds. The leeward hillsides and guts retain more moisture and support plant communities that differ from those on windward slopes in growth form and species composition.

Human occupation has had a significant impact on the ecology of the island. From the early 18th century to the 1850s, the Virgin Islands were clear-cut and farmed. Local historians estimate that about 30 to 40 acres (12 to 16 ha) of GHL was cultivated for cotton during this period. The steep profile of the island caused exposed soil to creep and wash into the sea as sediment run-off; some estimate that several feet of topsoil were lost during this agricultural period. In the 1940s and 1950s, GHL was logged for timber which was sold in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. While only donkeys, and European rabbits remain on the island, goats also occupied the island in the past years.

The legacy of modern human occupation of Hans Lollik has produced an island dissimilar to that seen by the Arawak prior to the island’s discovery by Europeans (at the end of the 15th century). Clear-cutting, burning, and logging have modified the island’s vegetation. Seed stock for species once present on the island no longer exists locally. Fire allowed resistant species (e.g., thatch palm) to dominate, and logging left stock for a future forest canopy dominated by softwoods (e.g., loblolly pine, blolly, and Geiger tree). Concomitantly, settlers introduced exotic species and cultivars, some of which spread and now dominate present plant communities on the island.