Many societies have rules rooted in legal tradition that require the sustainable and efficient use of natural resources. The obligation of stewardship is a feature of
westernised legal systems. In nations following the common law tradition, the doctrine of waste requires owners of land to use it sustainably. Elsewhere, customary law systems
demand strict rules governing the allocation and use of resources. There is, therefore, an existing legal culture into which our generation's obligations towards the world's
resources can be set.
The traditional way of life has been, of necessity, an ecologically sustainable one. With care of the environment essential for future generations to benefit from the resources.
The study of marine sediments provides useful information in marine, environmental and geochemical research about pollution of the marine environment (Calace et al. 2005). Urban developments and industrial activities contribute to the introduction of significant amounts of contaminants (among them trace metals) into the marine environment and affect directly the coastal systems where they are often deposited (Angelidis 1995; Dassenakis et al. 2003).
This thesis is a critical ethnographic account of the Wartha people, a small group of hunter-horticulturalists living on the Torassi or Bensbach River, in the southwest corner of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG). This area is adjacent to the international border between PNG and Indonesia's Papua Province (West Papua).
Available online|A thesis submitted to the School of Social Science, the University of Queensland for the degree of Doctor or Philosophy
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Physical Description: 438 p.
Development of conceptual models is an important step in the design of the Inventory and Monitoring Program. Conceptual models provide a framework for clarifying meaningful
The purpose of this thesis is to develop an analytical framework that can be used to better understand the impacts of tourism on small island developing states (SIDS). In particular, the framework will address tourism in light of sustainability goals
This report serves as to create an overview of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) progress and activities in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs). The overview is to form part of a submission by the GWP (Global Water Partnership) Secretariat at the forthcoming;
"(i) donor meeting to mobilise and seek support for IWRM in February, 2004, and the
(ii) CSD conference in New York, March, 2004".
Available online
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Physical Description: 37 p.
Trade in illegal timber throughout the Asia-Pacific region is suppressed to an extent by international policy, primarily the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(CITES). While not specifically focusing on timber, CITES has some effective mechanisms and prosecution powers - albeit limited - that regulate the import and export of illegal timber
and timber products if they are listed as 'endangered'. However, there are inconsistencies and loopholes in policies and regulations at domestic, regional and national levels of
Canton Atoll has a single passage between the ocean and lagoon and lias conspicuous environmental gradients from that passage to the back lagoon. These gradients include the physiography of the lagoon floor, water quality, and the diversity and abundance of corals, fishes, and mollusks. The gradients can apparently be attributed either directly or indirectly to circulation
and water motion within the lagoon. Those oceanographic characteristics can, in turn, be attributed to the geological history of the atoll, including some human modification of the pass configuration.
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 Marshall Islands
and straddle the equator from 3 degrees North Latitude to
3 degrees South Latitude. All are low islands and most are
atolls. They are densely inhabited by Micronesian people
who are greatly dependent on the sea for food.
Available online
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Physical Description: 259 p.
The avifauna of the Marshall and Gilbert Islands and the sur-
Rarotonga and Aitutaki form the summits of separate
volcanic masses rising from depths of 4000 m, at which depth
the cones are 45-55 km in diameter (Summerhayes and Kibblewh
1966, 1967).The lower slopes of the cones average 15-25
increasing to 30 in the upper 750 m and becoming very steep
the surface reef is approached. The Mauke-Aitutaki line of
islands is thought to be of early Tertiary age: the surface
volcanics are much eroded, with a subdued topography, or are
capped with limestones (Wood, 1967; Wood and Hay, 1970). On
Caroline Atoll (Frontispiece) is situated at 10°00'S latitude and 150°13'W longitude in the south-central Pacific Ocean. Caroline is the southeasternmost of the Southern Line Islands, a group of 3 islands which also includes Vostok and Flint, lying 230 km to its west and southwest, respectively. Although archaeologically and geographically within Polynesia, Caroline is owned by the Republic of Kiribati (formerly Gilbert Islands).
Available online
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Physical Description: 309 p.
Majuro Atoll has been a center of activity for the Marshall Islands since 1944 and is now the major population center and port of entry for the country. Previous to the accompanying study, no thorough documentation has been made of the vascular plants of Majuro Atoll. There were only reports that were either part of much larger discussions on the entire Micronesian region or the Marshall Islands as a whole, and were of a very
Williamson and Sabath (1982) have demonstrated a significant relationship between modern population size and environment by examining atoll area and rainfall in the Marshall Islands. The present work seeks to extend that argument into prehistory by examining the relationship of ancient habitation sites and size of aroid pit agricultural systems to atoll land area and rainfall regime along the 1,500-3,500 mm precipitation gradient in the Marshall Islands.
Henderson island, a World Heritage Site in the Pitcairn group, south-central Pacific Ocean, has often been thought to have a pristine vegetation. Our archaeological investigations and field observations in 1991-1992, supported by recent observations in
1997, suggest the occurrence of former areas of Polynesian cultivation near to the North and East Beaches, and indicate that about 17 non-native vascular plant taxa have occurred.
The oceanic dispersal of plants and animals has been the focus of studies ever since organized natural history started in the Pacific, and the dispersal of terrestrial by sea rafting has been given due consideration. The finding of drift materials such as glass floats, tree trunks and seeds, is a common occurrence on the shores of Pacific Islands, but in most
cases the origin of such material is unknown or at least equivocal. Thus while the principle of sea rafted dispersal is known and reported at length, there is a need to document those
The study of dispersal processes of small mammals, and especially of rodents, has a wide range of applications and until recent years there were few publications discussing the
colonisation of 'oceanic' islands by small mammals (cf. Crowell, 1986; Diamond, 1987; Hanski, 1986;Heany, 1986; Lomolino, 1986).
Ten caves in the makatea limestone of Mangaia, Cook Islands were explored and mapped, totalling over 3.7 km of passage. Of these, there was an apparent grouping by elevation that corresponds with previously described sea-level terraces in the makatea. Four caves have major level sections 10-20 m above sea-level, corresponding with a 14.5 m Pleistocene terrace. The high dimensions of these caves indicate downcutting during
The Republic of the Marshall Islands requested a natural and cultural biodiversity survey of 6 northern atolls (Bok-ak, Pikaar, Toke, Wotto, Rondik, Adkup) and one reef island (Jemo) which was accomplished over 17 days in September 1988. This report covers the results of the survey of the reefs and corals during the expedition. Ninety-five marine sites were snorkeled and the shorelines of all island were surveyed during the