Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2000

10. STATUS OF CORAL REEFS IN THE SOUTHWEST
PACIFIC: FIJI, NAURU, NEW CALEDONIA, SAMOA,
SOLOMON ISLANDS, TUVALU AND VANUATU
ROBIN SOUTH AND POSA SKELTON
ABSTRACT
The IOI-Pacific Islands GCRMN Node covers 7 Pacific Island countries including: Fiji, Nauru,
New Caledonia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, which together have over
2100 islands and islets. Collectively these countries illustrate a wide range of island and reef
biogeographies, including: high and low lying islands; atolls with fringing, barrier,
submerged, platform, oceanic ribbon, and near atoll formations. The diversity of marine
species declines eastwards from the Indo-Pacific centre of concentration. Finfishes decline
from 1168 species in Fiji to 991 in Samoa and just over 400 in Tuvalu. Marine benthic algal
species decrease in number from 422 in Fiji to 287 in Samoa and 40 in Nauru. Extinct
species include the giant clams: Tridacna maxima and Hippopus hippopus from Nauru and
Samoa respectively. Endangered species include: marine turtles, giant tritons, mangrove
crabs, bêche-de-mer, trochus and turban shells, and highly targeted reef fishes. Coral reefs
are in good condition in most countries, although significantly degraded in urban areas. The
reefs are becoming increasingly vulnerable from over-fishing, pollution, sedimentation,
environmentally un-sound development, crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks and habitat
loss. Climatic factors such as cyclones, sea level rise, coral bleaching (such as the early 2000
bleaching event in Fiji) are real or potential threats. Effective long-term monitoring of biotic
reef systems is not in place, although the development of marine protected areas has been
implemented in Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, and identified in Fiji and
Nauru. Only New Caledonia has active monitoring, having established 18 stations since
1997. There is a need for integrated coral reef management within a broader context of
coastal and island resources management. Basic technical knowledge exists in most
government departments, but there remains a need for more trained biologists,
taxonomists, ecologists and managers in all countries at local and national levels.
INTRODUCTION
All of these countries of this South West Pacific region were assisted by the International
Ocean Institute of the University of the South Pacific in Fiji to produce this report. The first
stage was a series of reports presented by national experts of these countries at the
International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) Regional Symposium on Coral Reefs recently held in
Noumea, New Caledonia during May 2000. These countries have now formed a GCRMN
Node to address the gaps that have been outlined in this report, in particular the lack of
monitoring capacity and support to assess the status of coral reefs in these countries. This
159