A guide for planners and managers - IUCN

crowding in the reduced forests of
Mauritius. This transfer of endemic
birds species among the granite islands
of Seychelles has proved effective in the
conservation of island birds threatened
by encroachment of their critical
habitats.
The biota of continental islands,
although lacking some continental
plants and animals, are seldom as
impoverished as those of oceanic
islands. However, they often harbor
relict endemic species that have been
extinguished on nearby continents,
PART II
Protected Areas for Small Islands
FIGURE II-29.
Sea lions find a suitable nearshore resting place in Puget
Sound, Washington, U.S.A.
whether or not through human action (e.g., the Irish Elk and Tasmanian Tiger).
The “inhabited” islands shown in Table II-14 are distinguished from islands where
parties of scientists, meteorologists, or military personnel may reside, but do not
normally raise families, and rely on imported supplies of food and fuel for their
sustenance.
Table II-14. Oceanic Islands of the World
Ocean Inhabited Uninhabited Unknown Total
Islands* Islands
Atlantic Ocean
Arctic/north temperate 36 11 – 47
Tropical 16 4 44 24
Southern temperate/sub-Antarctic 1 15 – 16
Totals 53 30 44 87
Indian Ocean
Western tropical 100 50 100 250
Eastern tropical 23 35 – 58
Southern temperate/sub-Antarctic – 20 – 20
Totals 123 105 100 328
Pacific Ocean
East Pacific (temperate/tropical) 5 38 7 50
Polynesia (mostly tropical) 155 18 114 287
Micronesia (tropical) 109 22 30 161
Melanesia (tropical) 148 89 104 341
Nontropical (including sub-Antarctic) 15 66 28 109
Totals 432 233 283 1,463
World totals 608 468 387 1,463
Sources: Wace (1982); Douglas (1969); Snow (1970); Elliott (1972); Central Intelligence Agency (1976)
* “Inhabited” means settled by a self-sustaining human population.
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