Flora of Kiritimati (Christmas) Atoll, Northern Line Islands, Republic of Kiribati

This paper is a compilation and analysis of all vascular plants that have been reported on Kiritimati (Christmas) Atoll in the Northern Line Islands of the Republic of Kiribati. It is based on field inventories conducted by the authors on six field visits to the atoll between 1996 and 2012 plus available published and unpublished records of vascular plant collections and observations made on the atoll. The total number of vascular plant species that have been recorded at some time on Kiritimati, including all indigenous and introduced species (whether in cultivation or not) is 168, plus three hybrids and three additional varieties, making a total of 174 taxa. Of these, three records are doubtful, leaving a reliably reported total of 171 taxa in 166 species. Only 10 of the reported taxa were not seen by one or other of us in the period 1996–2012, and of these at least six have probably died out on the island, leaving an extant flora of around 165 reliably recorded taxa (including the hybrids and varieties) in 160 species. There have been no ferns or gymnosperms recorded on the island. Probably only 15 (9%) or perhaps up to 19 of the reliably reported species are native, and most of the present-day flora is made up of deliberate or unintentional introductions made since the date of European discovery of the atoll. Of these, at least 54 and perhaps up to 59 species have naturalized

The IPBES Conceptual Framework - connecting nature and people

The first public product of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is its Conceptual Framework. This conceptual and analytical tool, presented here in detail, will underpin all IPBES functions and provide structure and comparability to the syntheses that IPBES will produce at different spatial scales, on different themes, and in different regions. Salient innovative aspects of the IPBES Conceptual Framework are its transparent and participatory construction process and its explicit consideration of diverse scientific disciplines, stakeholders, and knowledge systems, including indigenous and local knowledge. Because the focus on co-construction of integrative knowledge is shared by an increasing number of initiatives worldwide, this framework should be useful beyond IPBES, for the wider research and knowledge-policy communities working on the links between nature and people, such as natural, social and engineering scientists, policy-makers at different levels, and decision-makers in different sectors of society

Vegetation of Nauru and the Gilbert Islands: Case Studies of Poverty, Degradation, Disturbance, and Displacement

The indigenous floras of the raised phosphatic limestone island of Nauru and the atolls of the Gilbert Islands are among the poorest on earth. Long settlement, widespread destruction during World War II, monocultural expansion of coconut palms, and more than 75 yr of open-cast phosphate mining in the case of Nauru have led to serious vegetation degradation, disturbance, and displacement. The floras of Nauru and the Gilbert Islands consist of approximately 487 and 306 species, respectively, of which only 55 and 83 are possibly indigenous, but none of which are endemic. The balance is composed of ornamentals, weedy exotics, food plants, and a limited number of other useful cultigens. Although greatly outnumbered by exotics, indigenous species still dominate some of the most disturbed habitats, as well as constituting the most culturally utilitarian and ecologically important species. Because of the unique adaptability of indigenous Pacific island plants to the harsh conditions of coastal and small-island environments, and their cultural and ecological utility, it is argued that the protection and enhancement of the indigenous floras are crucial to the ecological integrity and cultural survival of small-island Pacific societies

Incremental Agroforestry: Enriching Pacific Landscapes

Whether deforestation results from logging or from conversion of forest land to agriculture, one of its costs is the loss of the natural biodiversity of forest plants and animals. Further loss of forests and their embodied biodiversity is inevitable in many Pacific islands. Countering this bleak scenario are possibilities to protect and increase “agrobiodiversity” in agricultural, village, and urban landscapes even though those landscapes, too, are often now undergoing simplification and degradation. It is suggested that the process of “incremental agroforestry”— defined as the systematic protection and enrichment of arboreal biodiversity within the context of existing agricultural landscapes—would complement the laudable international and local initiatives to protect biodiversity in indigenous forests and benefit communities that depend on humanized biodiversity for their economic and cultural well-being