This paper highlights the seriousness of the “biodiversity crisis” on atolls and the need to place greater research and conservation emphasis on atolls and other small island ecosystems. It is based on studies over the past twenty years conducted in the atolls of Tuvalu, Tokelau, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. It stresses that atolls offer some of the greatest opportunities for integrated studies of simplified small-island ecosystems.
The Marine Zones (Declaration) Act 2011 repeals the Marine Zones (Declaration) Act 1983. It states that the territorial sea of Kiribati comprises those waters having, as their inner limits, the baseline of Kiribati and, as their outer limits, a line measured seaward from that baseline, every point of which is at a distance of twelve (12) nautical miles from the nearest point of the baseline.
The Marine Zones (Declaration) Act 2011 states that "Baseline" means the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf is measured. It contains the geographic coordinates that defines the baseline for the Line Group. The points are defined by geographic coordinates are determined by reference
to the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84).