8961 results
 The Smithsonian Institution

Located at 148°15' West and 15°50' South, in the northwesternmost part of the Tuamotu archipelago (Central Pacific), Makatea island is isolated from its nearest
neighbouring atolls, Rangiroa and Tikehau by about 80 km, and it is 245 km from its closest volcanic neighbour, Tahiti. This island rises at least 3,500 m above the sea floor.

 The Smithsonian Institution

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]

 The Smithsonian Institution

Island ecosystems have proven to be particularly sensitive to
human disturbances (Bourne 1975; Byrne 1980; Jarvis 1979). This was first noted by Charles Darwin in the explanation of his theory of natural selection (Byrne 1980). Since then, qualities of insular species have been examined by various authors in an attempt to understand the basis for island vulnerability.

Available online

Call Number: [EL],VF 2783

Physical Description: 34 p.

 The Smithsonian Institution

The Northern Line Islands consists of four atolls aligned on
an an axis which runs from south east to north west. The three southern islands Christmas (Kiritiraati), Fanning (Tabuaeran) and Washington (Teraina) have permanent populations and are part of the Republic of Kiribati. The fourth island, Palmyra, on the north end of the chain, is an unoccupied U.S. possession.

Available online

Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 39 p.

 The Smithsonian Institution

This paper is a somewhat revised and updated version of a report, written in 1973 after our 9-day visit, at the request of Mr. Marlon Brando, proprietor of Tetiaroa Atoll, and published here with his accord. The original version was based on that visit to the atoll, as explained in the introduction. It was supplemented by a few observations called from herbarium specimens and field notes of Dr. Gerrit Wilder, who visited the island briefly on March 12, 1925 and August 30, 1929, and of E. H. Quayle, of the Whitney Expedition, who stopped there on November 19-21, 1921.

 The Smithsonian Institution

The conservation status, ecology, and cultural importance of sea turtles at the three Polynesian atolls of Tokelau are presented. The green turtle, Chelonia mydas. is the most common species, occurring as a migrant breeder mostly during September through November. The hawks- bill, Eretmochelvs imbricata. is present in small numbers at all three atolls, but nesting is only known at Nukunonu Atoll. A third species, the loggerhead, Caretta caretta. has also been recorded on rare occasions.

 University of Hawaii

Landing on Swains Island is made on the west side at Taulaga, the only village on the island. Besides a small number of thatched, Samoan- style huts ("fale"), Taulaga has a small white church and a large, barn- like copra shed. Leading from the copra shed to the nearby beach are old railway tracks which were once used to transport copra from the shed to the beach for transfer to cargo vessels. Nearby is a large cleared area that may one day be made into an airport runway to link Swains Island by air to Tutuila, the main island of American Samoa.

 The Smithsonian Institution

The Tokelau Islands consist of three atolls (Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo) approximately 500 km north of Western Samoa. Their numerous islets are formed mainly of coral sand and rubble with no standing freshwater. Sixty-one plant species have been recorded, 13 of these being introduced and 10 being adventives. There are three vegetation zones, the beach, the beach-crest, and the interior coconut/fern zone with the physiognomy of a humid tropical forest. Marine invertebrates have not been studied.

 The Smithsonian Institution

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.

 The Smithsonian Institution

Christmas island3, the largest atoll in the world in terms of

 The Smithsonian Institution

At the time of the POBSP visit, cats (Felis domestica), dogs

 Victoria University of Wellington

This paper is concerned with integrating adaptation to climate change with local development in the context of a climate change mitigation project for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. It is argued that integration will enhance locally appropriate and sustainable outcomes necessary for effective forest conservation in the context of rural Vanuatu.

 Victoria University of Wellington

Report No. 1 presents preliminary results from fieldwork conducted with the Mangaliliu Lelepa Island community in mid 2008. This case study forms one of three assessments of community-based vulnerability and resilience to climate stress in rural Vanuatu undertaken as part of a PhD in Geography.

Available online

Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 28 p.

 UNESCO/NWHF

The plan is designed to guide work in Pacific islands countries and territories over the next five years. In developing this plan, the experts representing the Pacific countries and territories sought to ensure that the plan would reflect the special circumstances which impact on implementation of the World Heritage Convention in region and in their respective countries.

Available online

Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 26 p.

 Bishop Museum

Effective conservation of regional biotas requires accurate information on the distribution, endemicity, local richness, and taxonomic composition of species assemblages across multiple geographic scales. This is especially true in the Melanesian region, which contains ten percent of the world's biota on its numerous islands scattered across thousands of kilometers between Fiji and the Moluccas. Although certain important biotic components within this region, such as birds, have been reasonably surveyed, many others, particularly freshwater organisms, remain poorly understood.

 SPREP Pacific Environment Information Network (PEIN)

The Guidelines for the Assessment of Wastes or Other Matter that May be Considered for Dumping, referred to in short as the "Generic Guidelines'; as well as the Specific Guidelines for
Assessment of Bulky items primarily comprising steel, etc., addressed in this document are intended for use by national authorities responsible for regulating dumping of wastes and
embody a mechanism to guide national authorities in evaluating applications for dumping of wastes in a manner consistent with the provisions of the London Convention 1972 or the 1996

 Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)

Disposal by incineration instead has some major disadvantages. The air pollution risks are usually not as high (as they are on continents), thanks to the large expanses of surrounding
ocean. Yet the high costs and challenging technological safety demands of incineration tend to make it an inappropriate disposal solution. Improvements in gasification systems and
energy recovery could alter this balance over the next few decades. However, the prospect of turning the mountains of plastic residues into an energy source are likely to remain a fantasy in the foreseeable future.

 SPREP Pacific Environment Information Network (PEIN)

For one of the species potentially at some risk of poisoning under the proposed rat eradication regime, the Friendly Ground Dove, Nuutele and Nuulua hold populations that are nationally significant. The complete loss of these populations would threaten the survival of the taxon in Samoa. Some authors consider the Samoan doves to be a separate race (Gallicolumba s. stairi) from those in Fiji and Tonga (Watling, 2001). Outside Samoa, the race is only found on the small island of Ofu,

 European Commission

In recent years, the European Commission has continuously developed the tool of cost-benefit analysis to better inform decision-makers in the process of settling on new directives and regulations concerning the environment. However, according to the Terms of Reference of this assignment "most studies in
the field of waste have been restricted to an analysis of costs and, at best, a relatively superficial description of benefits".

Available online

Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 88 p.