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Located at 148°15' West and 15°50' South, in the northwesternmost part of the Tuamotu archipelago (Central Pacific), Makatea island is isolated from its nearest neighbouring atolls, Rangiroa and Tikehau by about 80 km, and it is 245 km from its closest volcanic neighbour, Tahiti. This island rises at least 3,500 m above the sea floor. Like all Tuamotu islands, Makatea consists of biogenic deposits. But unlike the other islands which rise no more than a few metres above sea level and surround lagoons, Makatea reaches more than 100 m in elevation. Based on foraminiferal assemblages, age determination clearly indicated that the island frame was built up during Early Miocene (Montaggioni et al. 1985 a; Montaggioni, 1985).

This report includes an introductory section on the geography and vegetation, and a main portion listing the species of vascular plants known to occur, or to have occurred, on the island, with detailed descriptions of those of which time permitted a careful study, and brief descriptions of the remaining native species. Those suspected to have been brought by Polynesians in pre-European time are also described and discussed in some detail. Exotic species are either very briefly described or, especially in cases of very familiar weeds and ornamentals, merely listed with remarks on their occurrences and citations of specimens. Collections by Raynal are cited, as are those made on the 1985 expedition, with symbols indicating the herbaria where they are deposited. The Raynal specimens are in the herbarium of the Laboratoire de Phanerogamie Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris (P).

This paper attempts to provide a comprehensive listing and analysis of Kiribati plant names, along with the corresponding Latin, English, and selected Pacific-island vernacular names for plant species with recognized Kiribati vernacular names. The study focuses on those species found on the 16 islands of the Kiribati group proper (known traditionally as Tungaru), with no attempt being made to include species which might be present on the other islands of Kiribati: Banaba (Ocean Island) to the west and the Line and Phoenix Islands to the east. A brief analysis of relevant past studies and the nature of the plants and their names is also included. The paper is based on a ten-day in-the-field inventory of Kiribati plant names and plant resources on the islands of Abemama and Tarawa in 1984, plus a four- week field study of the plants of Nauru in 1980-81, which included a study of the plants of the resident I Kiribati contract worker community. The findings of these studies were then emended in light of comparison and cross-checking with plant lists and plant names from pre-existing sources.

In a typical High Island coral reef complex of French Polynesia (transect of Tiahura, Hoorea Island, Society Archipelago!, 73 species of decapod Reptantia and stomatopod crustaceans were collected. Over 9 stations localised along the transect, 3 different units of hard coral substrate of simi1ar volume (about 17 litres each), were sampled at each station. The results are discussed from two aspects : the first shows that at least 50 carcinologic species occur within the cavitary biotopes ; 16 species (mainly Xanthid crabs), represent more than 90% of all collected individuals. Most of the dominant species are widely distributed along the transect (Chlorodiella barbata, Pilodius pugil, Lipcarpilodes integerrimus, Galathea aculeata), and locally, some others are numerically important (Chlorodiella Laevissima, Globopilumnus globosus, Daira perlata,Phymodius ungulatus, etc.). The second aspect concerns the repartition of species in the different biotopes in relation to their feeding habits. Based on the functional morphology of chelipeds, mouth-parts and gastric sill, and on gut content analysis, the species were placed into 5 MORPHO- LOGIC GROUPS : filter-suspension feeders, omnivores/herbivores, omnivores/carnivores, generalised omnivores and predators. The feeding habits and the distribution pattern of abundant species suggest that trophic and habitat partitioning say exist. The predominant species show either different nutritional modes, or inhabit different areas and/or biotopes. Distribution patterns of the morphologic groups ip the different substrates are proposed, and schemes of interspecific relation; are analysed.

Several large regions of the world are plagued by conservation problems shaped around a particular inherent set of geographical, biological and human conditions which have been operational for varying periods of time. Typical of situations facing Latin America are the progress of economic development in Amazonia with its attendant loss of rainforest biodiversity, and the Central American "hamburger connection" involving conversion of forests to grazing land to support the export of cheap beef to the United States. Characteristic of Africa is the struggle with desertification in the Sahel and the terminally desperate fuelwood crisis there. Europe has its centuries- long history of urbanization and the deforestation of Mediterranean lands to contend with, while the similarly industrialized North American continent must deal with large-scale wetland drainage, the effects of high- technology terrain vehicles (swamp buggies, dune buggies, snowmobiles, motorcycles) on the landscape, as well as protecting the endangered cacti indigenous to the deserts from overexploitative commerce.

Definition ot the region Special characteristics of Oceania Reviewing the protected areas system Methods Factors not considered in this regional synthesis

The Northern Line Islands consists of four atolls aligned on an an axis which runs from south east to north west. The three southern islands Christmas (Kiritiraati), Fanning (Tabuaeran) and Washington (Teraina) have permanent populations and are part of the Republic of Kiribati. The fourth island, Palmyra, on the north end of the chain, is an unoccupied U.S. possession.

Mataiva Atoll, one of 84 in French Polynesia, is a small coral island at the western edge of the Tuamotu Archipelago. This atoll occupies a particular place among the French Polynesian atolls since the discovery beneath the lagoon sediments of deposits of phosphates soon to be exploited. In order to estimate the environmental effects of such exploitation and plan a management scheme, numerous studies have been carried out since 1978 by many scientific organizations: Antenne du Museum National et de l'Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes en Polynesie Francaise, Office de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique d'Outre-Mer (ORSTOM), B.C. Research, Institut de Recherches Medicales Louis Malarde (IRMLM), Centre National pour l'Exploitation des Oceans (CNEXO) and Commissariat a I'Energie Atomique (CEA-LESE).

Tuvalu, formerly the Ellice Islands of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands until separation on 1 October 1975, is a particularly remote group of islands in the Central Pacific. There are nine islands, five of which are atolls and four reef-top islands on a reefal platform. The vegetation and flora of these islands have received little attention.

On the 21st of October, 1972, hurricane "Bebe" devas- tated a large part of Funafuti atoll, Ellice Islands. Among the most spectacular geomorphological alterations caused by the hurricane was a storm beach 19 km long, 4 m high and 37 m wide. The amount of coral debris washed up from the offshore coral reefs onto the reef flat was estimated at 2.8 x 10 tons of material (Baines, Beveridge and Maragos, 1974). The oceanside reef communities of the SE and E rim of the atoll had been totally destroyed, and those of the inner reefs of the lagoon side had been heavily damaged. Eight months after the storm a quantitative analysis of the resettlement and recruitment of coral species on 7 reef sections was carried out: the destruction of the biophysiographic zones could be described as increasing from the northern border and also to the W rim of the atoll. Near the centre at Fongafale the lagoon reef flat was covered by thick carpets of the brown alga Dictyota bartaysii, possibly brought about by eutrophication effects. The resettlement of the reef flat by corals began with the recolonization of branching corals as well as regeneration of the very few surviving massive corals: about 80% of the number of new colonies belong to Acropora (mainly A. humilis and A. hyaclnthus), and about 20% to Pocillopora eydouxi, Porltes lutea (?) and some Faviidae. The percentage of the area settled by the massive coral species is, however, greater than that settled by the branching species. Nevertheless, in the long-term, branching corals are expected to have a decisive influence on the future structural and biophysiographic zonation of the reef edge and reef flat, due to their more numerous young colonies, which are evenly scattered over the reef area, and due to their rapid growth rate. Consequently, an Acropora humilis - hyacinthus-community or an Acropora - Pocillopora eydouxi-assemblage can be predicted as the future biophysiographic zone.