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Tonga has a small open economy with squash, coconuts and vanilla the main export crops that make up two thirds of total exports. A high proportion of food is imported, mainly from New Zealand. Remittances are important to the economy, as is tourism. Private sector development is emphasized in its Strategic Development Plan and there is a reasonably sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social services. Fisheries and tourism are considered as having the most potential for further economic growth.

Palau lias an equatorial, marine environment. No cyclones have been recorded though near passages are not unusual when high waves can be a problem. Palau has a strong program for preserving the environment, particularly that of the major tourist attractions including the Rock Islands and the reefs where some of the best diving in the world is found. Marine biodiversity is high and land biodiversity moderate. Strict USA regulations for water and air pollution have been adopted and despite the dense population, environmental quality is generally good though waste management is a problem with some 6500 tonnes of urban waste generated annually. There is a sewer system on Koror but the sewage is dumped beyond the reef without treatment.

The climate is maritime equatorial with temperatures changing little over the years. Daytime averages are in the thirties and night time averages in the twenties. Rainfall varies from north to south with the Phoenix group in the south particularly dry with only around 800mm per year while the northernmost islands receive as much as 3000 mm/year. All of Kiribati, but especially the Line Islands, are affected by the El Nino/El Nina cycle (ENSO) and suffer cyclic droughts. Winds are moderate, seasonal and variable. Cyclones are not a problem in Kiribati with extended droughts the primary natural hazard. Rainwater is the main source of potable water with brackish atoll lens water often used for washing. South Tarawa provides piped water sourced from the atoll fresh water lens and appears to be near the limit that can be pumped from the lens without salt water encroachment. Kiribati is a signatory to most treaties and conventions relating to environmental protection and has a special interest in climate change prevention since even a modest rise in sea level endangers the low lying atoll islands.

As is the norm for atolls, the soil is low in fertility and only a narrow range of food plants can be supported. The sea is the primary source of local food. The climate is tropical to equatorial. Tuvalu has had tropical cyclones to cause serious damage but their passage is not common though storm surges, winds and heavy rain can be damaging to the low lying islands even if a cyclone does not actually go through Tuvalu. Rainfall averages 3500 mm per year with April - November lower than the rest of the year. Droughts do occur and maintaining a fresh water supply on densely populated Funafuti is increasingly a problem. The primary source is rainwater but in recent years a 65,000 1/d desalinator is also in use. Some pumping from wells is possible but water is brackish and wells can easily be over pumped and cause an incursion of salt water.

This report is the outcome of a series of studies conducted under the framework of the Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Project (PIREP) – a climate change mitigation partnership of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) and Pacific Islands Countries (PICs).

This report is an outcome of a series of studies conducted under the framework of the Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Project (PIREP) – a climate change mitigation partnership of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) and Pacific Islands countries (PICs)

This report is an outcome of a series of studies conducted under the framework of the Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Project (PIREP) – a climate change mitigation partnership of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) and Pacific Island Countries (PICs).

Merremia peltata, disturbance ecology, tropical cyclones and Samoa. The biology and ecology of Merremia peltata are not well understood. While some regard the species as an exotic invader of Pacific Island ecosystems (Meyer. 2000). others identify the plant as a native species likely to be harmful to native ecosystems (Whistler, 1995a. 2002) or as either native or ancient Polynesian introduction behaving invasively (Space and Flynn.(2002). In Samoa, this species occurs up to an elevation of around 300 meters (Whistler 1995a). and thus only affects lowland ecosystems. This species increases its distribution and abundance in two ways, either vegetatively. by sprawling into neighboring areas and rooting from its nodes or by seeds, although early research in the Solomons observed a low seed viability rate, and creeping may thus be its primary means of reproduction (Bacon. 1982). M. peltata has apparently been in the Pacific for hundreds of years (Whistler, pers. com.) but has only become invasive in the years following tropical cyclones Ofa (1990) and Val (1991) according to comments from local government officials. Disturbance thus appears to be an ecological contributing factor to this invasion.

This report is an outcome of a series of studies conducted under the framework of the Pacific Islands Renewable Energy Project (PIREP) a climate change mitigation partnership of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) and Pacific Islands countries (PICs).