The vertebrate fauna of Rotuma consists of over 425
fish species, no amphibians, 11 terrestrial reptiles, 15
land birds and two native mammals. The zoogeographic
affinity of the Rotuman fish fauna is with the Pacific
plate fauna; in contrast, the affinity of the reptile fauna
is with the Fijian fauna. A species list of Rotuman
occurrence is provided for each of the four vertebrate
groups as well as brief descriptions of the marine and
terrestrial habitats.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
The Gilbert Islands are a north-south chain of low coral islands, lying across the equator at about 172°-177° E longitude. The atolls, from north to south are Little Makin, Butaritari, Marakei, Abaiang, Tarawa, Maiana, Kuria, Aranuka, Abemama, Nonouti, Tabiteuea, Onotoa, Beru, Nikunau, Tamana, and Arorai. They are densely populated, and were under British Colonial Government until 1979, when they were granted independence, and now are the principal archipelago in the new republic of Kiribati.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
The island was first mentioned by Roggeveen in 1722
(JOURDAIN 1970), but visits became regular only during the
XlXth century. An evangelist, of the "London Missionary
Society" settled down in 1829 (NEWBURY 1986), which supposes
that exchanges with the outside were regular at that time.
This probably explains the presence of bird specimens
collected outside the Scientific Expeditions (e.g. description of Ptilinopus purpuratus chalcurus in 1859 by GRAY).
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Species-numbers relationships in the McKean Island assemblage
of reef-building corals were investigated to discover how they changed along environmental gradients of the reef. For the purposes of the study, two gradients were identified a complex depth gradient and a wave exposure gradient.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 42 p.
At the time of the POBSP visit, cats (Felis domestica), dogs
During participation in part of the Fairbridge Expedition
to New Guinea, February to May, 1969, I had opportunity to visit 17 islands and cays east of the New Guinea mainland for sufficient time to assemble reasonably complete collections oi their terrestrial reptilian fauna. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of that survey. Fairbridge (1971 ) has previously published a brief report on the expedition and. a more detailed one is in preparation.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 41 p.
The Gilbert Islands are a part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Crown Colony of Great Britain. They lie in the Pacific Ocean directly southeast of the Ilarshall Islands and are located between the parallels of g045' S. and 3'30' N. latitude, and the meridians of 1720301 E. and 177 15' E. longitude. All of the islands in this groui3 are low islands related to atolls. They are inhabited by Micronesian and Melanesian people who are greatly dependent on materials from the sea for food.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
The marine environment of Fiji comprises a range of distinct ecosystems that contain some of the most diverse and significant marine habitats, species and processes in the world. These natural resources are of great economic and social importance to the people of Fiji and the world
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 74 p.
The sites at Sandfly in Gela, Central Province were established over a three year period (three sites in 2004, two sites in 2005 and one site in 2007) after a series of workshops on good governance and marine resource awareness raising under the coral gardens project which was implemented by SIDT, ECANSI and Fisheries Division of the Solomon Islands government with funding from SPREP through FSPI. The sites are all community owned although two of them are owned and operated by resort owners who are indigenous residents of Gela
Available online
Nearly all land in Fiji is communally owned and permission was needed to survey it. Permission to visit the site was
The Pacific Islands region is important for a great number of cetaceans (whales and dolphins), whether as a permanent habitat, a breeding ground or a migration corridor. Currently, more
than thirty species of whales and dolphins have been identified in this area.
The presence and diversity of cetaceans in our region has led to the development of whale watching, both on a commercial and recreational basis. Whale watching is defined as viewing
This paper suggests that this terrestrial and marine biodiversity inheritance constitutes the foundation upon which rests the survival of the relatively benign and peaceful ways of life in the Pacific ("Peaceful") Ocean. It is stressed that this inheritance, including traditional knowledge concerning it, is endangered by modem development and education, and that if it is not maintained or strengthened, the cultures, economies and rich biodiversity inheritances of Pacific societies WILL NOT SURVIVE.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
A Workshop on Regional Action to Combat Invasive Alien Species on Islands to Preserve Biodiversity and Adapt to Climate Change highlighted successes, deepened connections within regions and facilitated the exchange of experiences across regions.While discussions outlined significant obstacles to invasive alien species management2 on islands, they also showcased how targeted successes have led to major gains for conservation and development.Collaboration across developmental and environmental sectors and sustained support are critical to success in this field.Exciting new initiatives are dev
Today, May 10th, in addition to being SIDS Day, coincides with the release, in Nairobi, Kenya, of the third
edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3). This major new assessment of the current state of
biodiversity and the implications of its continued loss for human well-being was produced by the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the broadest international treaty for the conservation and
sustainable use of biodiversity and the equitable sharing of the benefits from the utilization of genetic