The State of Antigonon Leptopus (Corallita) on St Eustatius in 2014

Corallita dominates roadsides, infests entire neighborhoods, and has sullied otherwise ecologically varied landscapes. Corallita has been steadily expanding its range in the past two decades, and is an increasing threat.

The objective of this study was to create a current map of the distribution of Corallita on St Eustatius as of November 2014. This map could then be compared to the 2007 map to see whether the amount of Coralllita covering the island has increased, determining the locations where Corallita has spread the most, and determining why those areas are particularly favorable for Corallita growth.

In 2007 a Corallita distribution map was made by Ernst and Ketner. They estimated that Corallita covered 15-20% percent of the island. This 2014 study shows that Corallita covers about 33% of the island, or about 7 km2 of Statia’s total 21 km2 land area. For another comparison, if one were not to include the area of the national parks, Corallita covers about 48% of the remaining area.

Report retrieved from STENAPA