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
Ten composite soil samples (0-15 cm depth) were collected from abandoned phosphate-mined sites on Nauru Island (Central Pacific) and analyzed for % organic C and % N. The samples represent a temporal sequence (chronosequence) of soil development spanning < 55 yr. The increase of% C and % N was fairly rapid.
The environment of Nauru, a raised atoll located in the central Pacific Ocean (0° 32′ S, 166° 56′ W), was
devastated by mining of phosphate “rock” during the twentieth century. Some 100 million tonnes of
phosphate material has been removed, leaving more than 80% of the island as a dolomite
pinnacle–dominated karrenfeld. Based on fieldwork examining sites unmined at that time, laboratory
studies on undisturbed profiles, aerial photographs, and old mining maps, a picture of what the soil
Radio Interview:
Alex Feary is a NZ ecologist that undertook his Masters dissertation on field work in Nauru. The masters was for Victoria University, New Zealand. He particularly noted the abundance of invasive species and the need to manage them.
The restoration of Nauru’s mined areas is fundamental to the future wellbeing of the people and ecosystems of Nauru. Extensive open cast phosphate mining on Nauru over the last 100 years has led to soil losses and landscape degradation to the extent that over 70% of this South-Western Pacific island state is now uninhabitable and almost all productive land has been lost.
The avifauna of Nauru has received scant attention over the past nearly 130 years since
Otto Finsch reported the five species he observed on 24 July 1880 (Finsch 1881). Pearson
(1962) recorded at least 16 species over a period of six months in 1961, and he stated that
Finsch’s work comprised ‘the only previous ornithological literature available concerning
Nauru’. King (1967) and Garnett (1984) merged seabird records from Nauru with those
from the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati), without stating which may have pertained only to the
Government Report to UNCCD - prepared by the Dept. Economic Development and Environment. 2003
Scientific article - Micronesica 40(1/2): 227-232 (2008)
Scientific article - Pacific Science 2008 (62 : 4) 495-498.
The environmental issue of greatest concern to the people of Nauru is the degradation of the mined phosphate lands. In all of the series of consultations that were carried out between the people of Nauru and the various teams of technical experts to ascertain the feasibility of rehabilitating the island, it was constantly emphasised that the total degradation of topside, including localized inland, water shortages and coastal erosions are problems that need to be addressed for sustainable development.
Five species of dragonflies and one damselfly are recorded from Nauru for the first time, and constitute the first records of Odonata from this island republic identified to species. None is endemic; all are widespread in the Indo-Australian region and the islands of the west central Pacific Ocean. Diplacodes bipunctata (Brauer) is the most common species throughout the island, but Ischnura aurora (Brauer) appears locally abundant, possibly seasonally. Breeding is confirmed for all species.
Four species of butterflies are reported from Nauru for the first time and as first records of butterflies from the island republic. None is endemic. Three of the four species are widespread in Oceania: Badamia exclamationis (Fabricius), Danaeus plexippus (Linnaeus), and Hypolimnas bolina (Linnaeus). The other, Petrelaea tombugensis (Rober), belongs to a genus that also is widespread in the Pacific. The small number of widespread species found on Nauru
Scientific article - Bulletin BOC 2008 128(4)
Scientific article: Pacific Science 2008 (62 : 4 ) 499-507
Photocopy of an article published in Geo 9 (2): 70-77
Scientific publication: Micronesica 39 (2): 171-295 (2007)
A report published by the Atoll Research Programme, University of the South Pacific 1997 for
Nauru Departments of: Island Development and Industry, Education and Health and Nauru Fisheries and Marine Resources of the Government of the Republic of NAURU
with financial support from UNESCO
via UNESCO Office for the Pacific States, W. Samoa.
The avifauna of Nauru has received scant attention over the past nearly 130 years since Otto Finsch reported the five species he observed on 24 July 1880 (Finsch 1881). Pearson (1962) recorded at least 16 species over a period of six months in 1961, and he stated that Finsch’s work comprised ‘the only previous ornithological literature available concerning Nauru’. King (1967) and Garnett (1984) merged seabird records from Nauru with those from the Gilbert Islands (Kiribati), without stating which may have pertained only to the Gilberts. More recent checklists of Nauru birds (e.g.
Eleven species of reptiles are reported from Nauru in the first systematic treatment of the herpetofauna. Four of the species are marine; the seven others include six lizards (four geckos, two skinks) and one snake. Gehyra mutilata
(Wiegman), G. oceanica (Lesson), Pelamis platura (Linnaeus), and Ramphotyphlops braminus (Daudin) are recorded on Nauru for the first time. With the exception of Emoia arnoensis Brown & Marshall, which is endemic to eastern
The sport called Ibbon Itsi is a competition between tow groups of men who, tow or three times a year, spend about a week attempting to catch as many frigate-birds as possible. To enable this competition to take place, tame birds have to be sustained throughout the year.