2021 The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

2019 Conservation Efforts to Return Snails to Pacific Islands

Conservation Efforts to Return Snails to Pacific Islands

2019 Subsidized Industrial Fishing Takes a Toll on Ocean Health

Subsidized Industrial Fishing Takes a Toll on Ocean Health

2018 Estimated 49 of Terrestrial Avifauna is Extinct

Estimated 49% of Terrestrial Avifauna is Extinct

2018 Pacific Islanders Band Together to Fight Plastic Waste

Pacific Islanders Band Together to Fight Plastic Waste 

2018-Voyagers

“We are all voyagers”

2016 Climate Change and Ocean Acidification Impact Corals

Climate Change and Ocean Acidification Impact Corals

2016 Call for a Rāhui on the Open Ocean

Call for a Rāhui on the Open Ocean

2014 New Zealand Trys to Rid Itself of Mammals

New Zealand Tries to Rid Itself of Mammals

2014 60 Years Later and Still Uninhabitable

60 Years After the Bomb, Bikini Atoll Remains Uninhabitable

2011-TuvaluRisingSeas

Island nation of Tuvalu threatened by Rising Seas

2008-KiwiPopulationPlummets

Kiwi Bird Population Plummets

2006-MarineMonument

Papahānaumokuākea Marine Monument Established

Native Bird Species, Lowell Dingus and Timothy Rowe

2004-UnknownBirdsHawaii

Unknown Birds of Hawaii 

Tongan Scrubfowl (Megapodius Pritchardii) Population Increases

2001-MosquitoesHawaii

Birds of Hawaii Vulnerable to Mosquitoes

2000-ToothBilledPigeon

Samoa's National Bird Becomes Critically Endangered 

1998-BleachedCoral

Global Coral Bleaching Event

1995-Guam-Pollution-Development

Guam Under Siege From Pollution and Development

1994 Avian Dominated Landscape

Avian Dominated Landscape

1993-Tahiti From Paradise to Polluted

Tahiti—From Paradise to Pollution

1992-SouthPacificForests

The Living Value of Forests in the South Pacific

1989-KakapoEvacuation

Endangered Kakapo Birds Evacuated to Island Sanctuaries

1985-NuclearFreeZone

South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Established

1980-BlackRobins

Black Robins Brought Back From the Brink 

1980-BrownTreeSnake

Imported Brown Tree Snake Decimates Native Species

1970 From Sixty One Tree Snail Species to Five

From Sixty One Tree Snail Species to Five

1977-kakapo-discovery

Discovery of Female Kakapos Allows Critical Conservation

env-2497-photo-Protests Against Nickel Mining Pollution in New Caledonia

Protests Against Nickel Mining Pollution In New Caledonia

1954-CastleBravo

Castle Bravo Nuclear Disaster

1960-BrownTreeSnake

Invasive Species, Brown Tree Snake 

env-1495-photo-Nuclear Disaster, Castle Bravo

Nuclear Weapons Testing

1944-LaysanRail

Extinction of the Laysan Rail 

1894-Tongariro

Tongariro National Park Established

1894-StephensIsland-Wren

Cats Extirpate the Stephens Island Wren

1885-HabitatLossNewZealand

Habitat Loss, New Zealand 

1883-IndianMongoose

Invasive Species, Small Indian Mongoose 

1870-Weasel

Invasive Species, Short-tailed Weasel

1837-BrushtailPossum

Invasive Species, Brushtail Possum

1816-Sandalwood

"Sandalwood Deforestation Begins Across the Pacific Islands"

1773-GoatsPigs

Goats and Pigs Breed Prolifically

1770 Green and Flourishing Lands

Green and Flourishing Lands of New Guinea

1769-FeralCat

Invasive Species, Feral Cat 

1700-RapaNui

Easter Island Civilization Collapse

1445-MoaExtinct

All Nine Species of Moa Go Extinct Due to Hunting

1200-PacificRats

Maori Introduce Pacific Rats (kiore), Native Species Perish

400-NativeBirds

Extirpation of Native Land Birds

BCE1000-HumanMigration

Human Migration Greatly Changes Ecosystem Across the Pacific

BCE55M-NoMammals

An Island Free of Land Mammals

BCE3000-HumansJourney

Humans Journey from Melanesia and Taiwan by Sea

Oceania, Polynesia

Seagrasses

Seagrasses are unique marine flowering plants that form dense meadows in shallow, near-coastal areas throughout the South Pacific. Seagrass ecosystems support rich biodiversity, including the endangered green sea turtle and dugong, which hold cultural significance in Polynesia—as does the seagrass itself, which is used in traditional crafts. These habitats are widely threatened by poor water quality; their loss contributes to coastal erosion and biodiversity loss. 

Mangroves

Mangrove tree species were not introduced to Polynesia until the 20th century, but mangrove forests are now widespread in brackish coastal waters. While they can be invasive where they replace native seagrass environments, Polynesian mangroves are economically and ecologically valuable in their own right, supporting fisheries and serving as breeding grounds for many species, as well as protecting coastal regions from natural disasters by acting as a physical barrier to wind and flooding. 

Coral Reefs

Many Pacific islands are surrounded by shallow-water coral reef belts that support vital fisheries. These habitats are highly vulnerable to bleaching events (expulsion of symbiotic algae that generally often to coral death) caused by rising sea temperatures. 

Tropical forests

Much of Polynesia has a tropical climate influenced by south-east trade winds, and the original terrestrial landscape is wet and dry tropical forests. Human intervention for timber and other resource development has gradually converted over 70% of original forests to less-biodiverse secondary forest, grassland, and dry savanna; in Hawaii, 90% of tropical dry forests have been lost. 

Key Habitats

Invasive species

Introduced species already outnumber endemics on most Polynesian islands, and many of these have had detrimental effects on native ecosystems. In New Zealand, the introduction of mammals like rats and cats have decimated native flightless bird populations, while the brown tree snake has been similarly destructive to the bird life of Guam.

Ocean Pollution

Marine plastic debris constitute a major threat to global oceans, threatening the health of fish populations and humans who consume them. As a region that is primarily oceanic and dependent on marine food sources, Polynesia is particularly vulnerable to plastic pollution as well as other detrimental ocean pollutants including heavy metals and hydrocarbon residues from fossil fuels.

Climate Change

The smaller, low-lying islands of Polynesia are already vulnerable to weather-related natural catastrophes including cyclones and floods, which will increase in frequency and severity with the warming climate. Rising oceans will also make many of these places uninhabitable due to flooding and saline intrusion, causing displacement of tens of thousands of people over time. 

Most Pressing Issues

Polynesia