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The seaweeds at Paldo Deep occur in a variety of different habitats. These are shown on the map of the Reserve. The greatest number of species occur along the margins of the deep and along the reef front, while the smallest number occurs in the borrow pit.

Niue consists of a single uplifted coral atoll with a unique rugged coastline. It is situated in the Southwest Pacific Ocean within the Polynesian cultural zone. The population of Niue was 2.088 at the 1977 population census, and is a declining population due to outward migration. Niue lies on the edge of the southern tropical cyclone belt, and has two distinct seasons, a hot wet season from November to March and a cool dry season from April to November. The economy is largely dependent on overseas aid. with no realistic prospect of economic self-reliance. However, there is a modest export production mainly comprising of taro and coconuts to New Zealand. Agriculture, fisheries and forestry are at subsistence levels with current government policy focusing on tourisim and private sector development. The predominant energy source is electricity and is provided by diesel powered generators. Although alternative energy sources have been investigated they are all currently under-utilised mainly due to the initial capital expense involved. Trade and tourism to Niue is hampered by transport. Currently there is a weekly flight to Auckland via Tonga serviced by Royal Tongan Airlines. There is a small concrete wharf at Alofi. the capital of Niue. however the channel is too small to be navigated by the larger ships. The larger container ship's cargo is transferred by 'lighters' on a monthly basis. Internal transport is mainly comprised of privately owned ships.

The objective of this assignment was to assess the ecotourism potential of the Na'a Tarawa Conservation Area, and to identify needs for planning of tourism development in Na'a Tarawa. Na'a (North) Tarawa is well positioned to provide tourism products for visitors arriving in South Tarawa. There is a good range of tourism resources, and North Tarawa is relatively traditional and pristine compared to South Tarawa. North Tarawa is also close to South Tarawa.

The ten countries participating in the Pacific Islands Climate Change Assistance Programme (PICCAP)— Cook Islands. Federated States of Micronesia. Fiji. Kiribati. Marshall Islands. Nauru. Samoa. Solomon Islands. Tuvalu. Vanuatu recognise the importance of greenhouse gas mitigation and are committed to meeting their obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

There is a high level of uncertainty with the specific estimation of pollutant loads. A large body of work has been completed that provided qualitative and quantitative data; however, the noting of data gaps and inherent uncertainties of the methods used have qualified much of the quantitative data. Much of the data are based on rapid assessment methods that utilise generic loading rates, assumed waste flow composition, typical production methods, local production rates. Unfortunately, production rate data are inconsistently available and are difficult to verify.

Latent sea-level rise is defined here as the sea-level rise ultimately likely to occur due to emissions of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere, i.e. if all anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases were to cease at a particular time, various global systems would continue to change in response to the gases remaining in the atmosphere until equilibrium was reached. Those systems include the atmosphere: the cryosphere, comprising snowfields,tundra soils, glaciers and ice-caps: the biosphere,including both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems: and the hydrosphere, incorporating the oceans and terrestrial waters.

1. A defining feature of the Pacific is the Western Pacific Warm Pool ecosystem. The limited land base of the area is distributed among 200 high islands and 2,500 low islands and atolls. All participating islands lie in the tropical zone and experience sea surface temperatures that rarely fall below 20 degrees Celsius. In general, the islands increase in size from east to west such that over 83% of the region's land mass is situated in Papua New Guinea, and most of the rest is in the other Melanesian countries and territories.

Highlands Pacific Limited is currently seeking finance for the development of a Nickel-Cobalt mine in Madang Province. Papua New Guinea. The mine will be located near the Ramu River, with processing facilities at Basamuk Bay on the Rai Coast. Basainuk Bay is a small embayment of the larger Astrolabe Bay. Highlands Pacific plans to dispose of mill tailings through a submarine outfall into Astrolabe Bay. Oceanographic conditions in Astrolabe Bay make this practise inadvisable if consideration is given to the ecological health of the Madang region.

Williamson and Sabath (1982) have demonstrated a significant relationship between modern population size and environment by examining atoll area and rainfall in the Marshall Islands. The present work seeks to extend that argument into prehistory by examining the relationship of ancient habitation sites and size of aroid pit agricultural systems to atoll land area and rainfall regime along the 1,500-3,500 mm precipitation gradient in the Marshall Islands. Four atolls were selected for study: Ebon at the wettest extent in the extreme south; Ujae and Maloelap near the center of the archipelago; and Utrok at the dry north. The first phase of this long-term archaeological program is reported. During the survey of Ujae Atoll (90 05' N, 165° 40' E), three habitation sites, an aroid pit agricultural zone, one early historic burial, and seven fish traps, weirs, and enclosures were recorded. Along with excavations at two habitation sites (8 m2 total area), 35 traditional artifacts were recovered (shell adzes, ornaments, and manufacturing tools). Seven radiocarbon age determinations document land use beginning as early as the third century A.D. A beachrock sample dated to 2450 ± 70 BP relates to atoll development. Some 4,748 bones of fish, birds, turtles, Pacific rats, lizards, humans, and possible cetaceans, along with nearly 13 kg of shellfish, provide the basis for understanding prehistoric subsistence, human adaptations to the atoll setting, and land use patterns.

This article provides a record of fish names from two locations in the central Pacific, these being the Vava'u Islands of Tonga, and Taveuni area in northern Fiji. The Handbook for the Collection of Fish Names in Pacific Languages by G.L. Barnett provided a method for the collection of these data during field work at the two places which culturally are part of West Polynesia. Interviews and discussions with fishers yielded a record of the Tongan language names and Fijian language names of approximately 50 fishes that occur in the waters of these islands. These terms are collated with the English names and scientific identifications. The names are the contemporary ones used by Tongans and Fijians in the 1980s and 1990s. The word list is a reference document for marine scientists, fishers, environmentalists, and other work focussed on the maritime cultures of the Pacific, local languages and the nomenclature of fishes.