The Marshall Islands --
Living Atolls Amidst the Living
Sea
The National Biodiversity Report of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
by
The National Biodiversity Team
of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
2000
A Global Environmental Facility/United National Development Programme/Republic of the Marshall Islands Project
The first and only school textbook on botany, zoology and ecology of
the Marshall Islands, and their relation to people and culture. This
book is exceptionally accurate, authoritative and readable; and is richly
illustratedwith over 300 biological illustrations. Includes information
about how the nuclear testing program at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls affected
the biota.
Many traditional sayings related to the biota.
A valuable resource for anyone interested in the tropical Pacific atolls.
"The textbook comprises the first 100 pages of this
book. The second 200 pages consist of tables, keys and lists of organisms
that can be found in and around the various atolls and islands of the Marshalls.
The bibliography alone is worth the price!"
-- Eileen Herring, Science & Technology Reference University of
Hawaii at Manoa Library
"The National Biodiversity Team [has] done anoutstanding
job. The information in the front is both authoritative and easily accessible.
It should be a marvelous teaching resource as well as a source of information
for Marshall Island residents and visitors alike, to say nothing of the
uses it will find throughout the Pacific island communities. The appendices
and tables in the back and scattered through the text are a gold mine of
information."
Julie S. Denslow
Invasive Species Unit
Institute of Pacific Island Forestry
USDA Forest Service., Hilo, HI
$US45 each
Shipping and handling, U. S. priority mail $US10.00, $US25.00 international
The RMI Biodiversity Strategy and Action plan (32 page booklet)
can be included upon request at no extra cost.
Available now.
For orders, please contact:
Nancy Vander Velde
P. O. Box 1603
Majuro, MH 96960
Table of Contents
Introduction.............................................................................................................................1
The Convention on Biological Diversity ......................................................................................2
What Is Biodiversity? ................................................................................................................3
Marshallese Spelling in this Report..............................................................................................6
Why Is Biodiversity Valuable? ...................................................................................................6
Chapter One -- The Marshall Islands and Its People...........................................................8
Reef and Atoll Builders ............................................................................................................12
Pioneer Trees...........................................................................................................................14
Climax Communities -- When Ecosystems Stop Changing.........................................................15
Monospecific Forests ..............................................................................................................16
Bioerosion -- Coral Destruction that Builds Reefs and Land......................................................18
The Effects of People on the Biota of the Marshalls..........................................................19
Pandanus -- Prehistoric Fruit of the Modern Marshalls..............................................................20
The Marshalls\'92 Parthenogenetic Reptiles...............................................................................22
A Diversity of Governance........................................................................................................25
What is "Mo" -- Traditional Conservation Sites in the Marshall Islands
......................................26
Nuclear Testing Program..........................................................................................................31
Food Webs -- Simplifying the Complex ...................................................................................33
The Effects of the Biota on People of the Marshalls..........................................................36
Cowries -- Valuable Natural Porcelain .....................................................................................37
"Nen" -- The Marshalls' Next Cash Crop?................................................................................40
A "Relatively" Non-dangerous Environment ..............................................................................42
Overview of the Atolls and Islands ...........................................................................................45
Chapter Two -- Biodiversity and Biological Resources......................................................54
Ecosystems of the Marshall Islands...........................................................................................54
Words and Terms....................................................................................................................56
Brief Overview of the Ecosystems.............................................................................................61
Living Atolls...(a brief look at the terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity
of the Marshalls).................69
Endemics -- Showpieces of Regional Biodiversity.....................................................................70
Land Birds of the Marshalls -- Few and Far Between...............................................................72
Insects.....................................................................................................................................75
...Amidst the Living Sea...(a brief look at the marine biodiversity
of the Marshalls)......................76
What is Coral?.........................................................................................................................78
Fishes......................................................................................................................................80
Species and Subspecies of Conservation Consideration.............................................................83
...Full of Plants...(a brief look at the flora and other organisms
of the Marshalls).........................84
Plants.......................................................................................................................................86
Brief Overview of Flora (table).................................................................................................87
...And Teeming With Animals! (a brief look at the animals of the Marshalls)...............................90
Arachnids.................................................................................................................................90
Reptiles and Amphibians...........................................................................................................91
Birds........................................................................................................................................92
Mammals.................................................................................................................................94
Brief Overview of Fauna (table)................................................................................................97
Chapter Three -- Threats to Biodiversity...........................................................................102
Major Threats.........................................................................................................................105
Pulmonates and Other Non-Marine Snails...............................................................................106
When a Non-native Plant Becomes an Invasive Species...........................................................107
Tiny Tramp Ants \'96 Big Environmental Disasters!..................................................................108
Albatrosses and Man in the Marshalls......................................................................................112
Glossary.................................................................................................................................118
Keys, Tables, and Lists
Key to the Animals and Plants on Mae Reef, Namu Atol .........................................................120
Key to the Animals and Plants in a Typified Majuro Reef.........................................................122
Key to the Butterflyfishes of the Marshalls Called "Dribub" ......................................................123
Key to the Animals in the Portuguese Man-of-War Ecosystem.................................................124
Key to the "Utilomar" Ecosystem.............................................................................................124
Plants of the Marshall Islands (excluding algae) .......................................................................125
Native Vascular Plants of the Marshall Islands.........................................................................159
Pulmonate and Other Non-marine Mollusks of the Marshall Islands.........................................164
Arachnida of the Marshall Islands............................................................................................166
Insects of the Marshall Islands.................................................................................................170
Fishes of the Marshall Islands..................................................................................................199
Reptiles and Amphibians of the Marshall Islands......................................................................273
Birds of the Marshall Islands....................................................................................................277
Mammals of the Marshall Islands.............................................................................................286
Animals and Plants of the Marshall Islands Deemed Worthy of Conservation
Consideration (including excerpts from C.I.T.E.S).........................................................................................290
Species Protected Under Republic of the Marshall Islands' Laws.............................................299
Endemic Species and Subspecies of the Marshalls...................................................................301
Endemic Species and Subspecies of Micronesia Which Occur in the Marshall
Islands...............305
Some Pestiferous and Potentially Pestiferous Species...............................................................312
Classification of Animals and Plants Called "Coral" in the Marshall
Islands ...............................319
Marshallese Subsistence Fishing Methods -- Traditional and Recent ........................................320
Legislation, Regulations, Policies in the Marshall Islands Affecting
Biodiverstiy and the Utilization of Biological Resources...........................................................................................................323
Bibliography ..........................................................................................................................330
Index......................................................................................................................................341