Old black and white photograph of people fishing at Buada Lagoon
At the request of the Government of Nauru, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) through the European Union-supported Global Climate Change Alliance: Pacific Small Island States project, together with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) through the United Nations Development Programme – Global Environment Facility funded Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change project commissioned NRW Specialists Pty Ltd (Australia) in association with NRW Macallan (Fiji) Ltd to prepare the Nauru Water Supply and Sanitation Master Plan covering the planning horizon of
Nauru’s water resources are limited and under stress with an expected increase in prolonged dry periods due to climate variability. There are no fresh surface water sources and Nauru relies mostly on rainwater for its potable water needs. Desalinated water is currently supplying about 20% of the population water requirements but during period of prolonged drought, where rainwater is limited, the communities reliance on desalinated water can increase to more than 90%.
This document is a record of an in-country technical survey mission to Nauru, completed from 13th February to 23rd February 2007 by the following SOPAC staff:
• Mr Stephen Booth (EDF8/9 Senior Advisor – Water);
• Ms Elizabeth Lomani-Whippy (EDF8/9 Project Intern);
• Ms Arieta Navatoga-Sokota (SOPAC Project Officer – Water); and
• Ms Vilisi Tokalauvere (EDF8 Fiji Country Intern).
Nauru island, near the equator in the central Pacific Ocean, has been mined for phosphate since 1907 and over 80 million tonnes of phosphate have been exported to Australia, NZ, Britain and other overseas markets. Although superphosphate, prepared from the Nauru rock phosphate has considerable value as an agricultural nutrient, it also contains high concentrations of the toxic metal cadmium. Nauru phosphate deposits have a cadmium content between 100 and 1,000 times the average lithosphere concentration.
From time immemorial it has been the ambition of every Nauruan youth to excel in the snaring of the 'iti', or frigate bird. In the old, far-off days, before the coming of the white man, prowess in capture of the iti was one of the many strenuous tests which marked the transition from youth into manhood, and failure to acquit oneself creditably meant disgrace.
Annual consumption of ozone-depleting substances (ODS). ODS consumption is measured units of ODS tonnes, which is the amount of ODS consumed, multiplied by their respective ozone depleting potential value.
The Allen Coral Atlas is a global-scale coral reef habitat mapping project that uses Planet Dove 3.7 m resolution daily satellite imagery (in combination with wave models and ecological data) to create consistent and high-detail global habitat maps to support reef-related science and conservation.
Global Benthic Habitat Maps characterize different coral reef bottom types. These bottom types include communities of living organisms attached to the reef (benthos), as well as sediments and underlying substrate.
The six Allen Coral Atlas Global Benthic Habitat Map classes described below were developed by Roelfsema et al 2013* with input from other coral reef benthic classifications.
The twelve Global Geomorphic Zones mapped by the Allen Coral Atlas are listed below, in logical order from external seaward-facing through to internal coral reef structural features. These zones are known to be fairly consistent across different biogeographic regions, and often associated with regionally distinct ecological assemblages of benthic animals and plants. Moreover, geomorphic classes like these have been shown to be reliable predictors of biological habitat richness and diversity.
The map shows the different landcover classes in Nauru Island.
The map shows the different landuse classes in Nauru Island.
Map of the Nauru Island Key Biodiversity Areas.
Locality of Nauru Island hydrology feature - Buada Lagoon.
The map shows Nauru Island EEZ boundary.
Map of the Nauru Island landcover, with country-level summary of the different classes.
State of Environment and Conservation in the Pacific Islands: 2020 Regional Report
Dedicated interactive website for the State of Environment and Conservation in the Pacific Islands: 2020 Regional Report.
The full global assessment can be downloaded from the GCRMN website.