This document represents a concise report on the state of the environment for Kiribati published in 1994.
Global warming and associated sea-level rise are undoubtedly significant challenges for SIDS, including atoll nations such as Kiribati. Nevertheless, securing small island state futures also requires a renewed commitment to addressing the obvious and immediate threats of urbanisation, pollution and sanitation which is the subject of this paper.
The following review, prepared jointly by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) and the Environmental Defenders Office Ltd (EDO NSW), updates and builds on the reviews conducted in the early 2000s under the International Waters Project.
The State of the Environment Report of Kiribati, 2000 - 2002
This policy is an important road map to achieving both the development and management aspirations of Kiribati for sustainable fisheries in the long term.
MACBIO is a project that supports sustainable economies and livelihoods of Pacific Island Countries by strengthening institutional and individual capacity, to manage and conserve biodiversity in marine and coastal ecosystems. The project was commissioned by BMUB to GIZ as part of IKI, jointly implemented by SPREP, IUCN and GIZ from 2013 to 2018.
This dataset holds all MACBIO-related resources pertaining to Kiribati as one of the participating countries. Resources include;
There is an increasing need for sand and gravel for building materials in Tarawa and on other atolls. However, supplies from overseas are expensive. Furthermore, the mining of local beaches contributes to coastal erosion and lacks sufficient quantities for the current and future requirements. An answer to these problems is to source supplies from the lagoon. A purpose-built vessel capable of dredging lagoon aggregates in Tarawa and further afield was available through a European Union grant. This EIA assesses the impacts such would do to the environment.
An academic research (thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science) that investigated metal contamination in marine sediments at an operational landfill in Kiribati as a case study.
The lagoon of Tarawa harbors the richest benthos documented for any Pacific atoll. The biota is strongly influenced by its setting in the equatorial upwelling zone and the unusual geomorphology of the atoll, with a submerged western rim, but largely closed and islet-strewn eastern and southern sides.
The purpose of this paper therefore is to describe aspects of the benthic ecology and biota of Tarawa Atoll and to consider how the unusual setting of the atoll has affected the bentho.
Millennium is a member of the southern group of the Line Islands chain in the equatorial Central Pacific and part of the Republic of Kiribati.
This is the first extensive survey of the marine natural history of Millennium lagoon. Also included in this report are observations of indications of human activity in the lagoon, which were present despite its remote location, and the potential significance of this activity on the marine communities surveyed.
Documenting ways of increasing the resilience of beaches to erosion, including the use of re-vegetation. A key objective is developing low cost methods that allow reduction of direct impacts that contribute to beach erosion, enabling natural processes of sand accretion and stabilization to operate effectively.
Maximizing benefits from the ocean - Tarawa serves as a good example of the perceived values of the ocean.
Marine Spatial Planning is an integrated and participatory planning process and tool that seeks to balance ecological, economic, and social objectives, aiming for sustainable marine resource use and prosperous blue economies.
This atlas is part of MACBIO’s support to its partner countries’ marine spatial planning processes. These processes aim to balance uses with the need to effectively manage and protect the rich natural capital upon which those uses rely.
The MACBIO project provides technical support in identifying and highlighting the values of marine and coastal resources and their ecosystem services. Once values are more visible, governments and stakeholders can plan and manage resources more sustainably, and maintain economic and social benefits of marine and coastal biodiversity in the medium and long term.
The overall impact of the dredging on the general area is thought to be low due to the amount of aggregate required in terms of both daily activity and total annual extraction, while the specialized clamshell grab and side release spillover design is thought to limit the sediment plume.
This study was part of multidisciplinary efforts to develop a management plan for the Tarawa lagoon.
Research and sample collections for this study were performed under a Scientific Research Permit issued by the Republic of Kiribati for the period of March 24–May 5, 2009.