Chapter I Intro & Objectives - SPREP

PHOENIX ISLANDS PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT PLAN
Chapter I. Introduction and Purpose
Draft 1 March 2007
Arthur Island Sharp 1960; did not exist according to Hempstead 1871
Wigram’s
Island
Maude 1968
Wilkes Hempstead 1871
Nikumaroro Maude 1937
Gardner Pompey 1972 and 1974
Kemins Bryan 1941 and 1942; Hydrographic Office 1916
Kemin’s Laxton 1951
Mary Letitia’s
Island
Laxton 1951
Kimins Tudor 1968; Pompey 1972 and 1974
Kemin Rhodes 1936; Maude 1968
Orona Maude 1937
Hull Wilkes 1845; Hydrographer of the Navy 1969
Halls Hempstead 1871
Rawaki Republic of Kiribati 1992
Phoenix Bryan 1941 and 1942; Tudor 1968; Hempstead 1871
Phenix Sharp 1960
Thoenix Rickman 1871
Carondelet
Reef
Winslow
Reef
Hydrographic Office 1916; Hydrographer of the Navy
1969
Mary Reef Kursenstern 1835; Maude 1968
Hydrographic Office 1940; Degener and Gillaspy 1955;
Hydrographer of the Navy 1969.
With the exception of Abariringa (Canton), the Phoenix Islands were among the least
influenced by human activities of tropical Pacific Islands (Fosberg et al 1973). There were
two major reasons for maintaining their ecological integrity.
1) Several of the Phoenix Islands, especially Rawaki (Phoenix), Orona (Hull),
Birnie, and Enderbury, were breeding grounds for the remnants of the once
enormous seabird populations in the Pacific Islands. This was evident by the
vast guano deposits that had been extracted from these islands.
2) The smaller Phoenix Islands including Rawaki (Phoenix), Birnie, Enderbury,
and McKean, provide some of the very few remaining examples of fairly
intact natural small island ecosystems in the Pacific. Studying these relatively
simple eco-systems almost un-touched by man, could provide clues for
understanding more complex eco-systems such as found in continental areas.
The Phoenix Islands were identified as a Key Biodiversity Area in Conservation
International’s Ecosystem Program for the Polynesia/Micronesia Hotspot under the Critical
Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) (Pierce 2006). The Phoenix Islands was identified as an
Important Bird Area by Birdlife International.
In March 2006, the Government of Kiribati (GOK) declared the Phoenix Islands Protected
Area (PIPA), making it the third largest marine protected area in the world today. The GOK,
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