KIRIBATI FORESTRY CHALLENGES AND OVERVIEW FOR Ms Tearimawa Natake (Department of Agriculture-Agroforestry) MELAD

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1 KIRIBATI FORESTRY CHALLENGES AND OVERVIEW FOR 2020 Ms Tearimawa Natake (Department of Agriculture-Agroforestry) MELAD Asia Pacific Forestry Week 7-11 November, 2011 Beijing, CHINA

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3 TARAWA MAIN ISLAND OF KIRIBATI South Tarawa, Kiribati, a coral island nation with no place to run from the effect of sea level rise

4 PRESENATION OUTLINE Kiribati Profile Current status & challenges Contribution of forestry & trees to Kiribati economy & environment Key drivers of change in forestry An overview of what the forestry sector will look like in 2020

5 Kiribati Country Profile The country consist of 33 islands 32 atoll islands, 1 volcanic Island (Banaba) Only 20 of the 33 islands inhabited Scattered over 3.5 million sq. km of ocean Total land area: 810 km 2 Population: 103,835 (2010 census)

6 Kiribati Profile... Kiribati is one of the tiny atolls that still claims that it has a forest Our forest may not comply to International notions but they are truly forests to us & we want the world to understand this.

7 Current Status & Challenges Kiribati Top Forest Resources They are COCONUT TREE, PANDANUS & MANGROVE

8 KIRIBATI COCONUT- KING OF THE FOREST Covers more than 70% of the total land area, producing food, drink, construction materials, liquor, medicine, copra etc

9 Kiribati Top Forest Resources cont.. Climate Change & Sea level rise affecting our coconut resources

10 Kiribati Top Forest Resources - Pandanus Pandanus Queen of the forest a hardy tree producing foods, housing materials, medicinal herbs, protecting coastal erosion, local handicrafts etc

11 Kiribati Top Forest Resources Pandanus MANEABA, a local meeting house thatches, posts & beams made from Pandanus

12 Kiribati Top Forest Resources Pandanus Waterlogged sea water destroyed our pandanus

13 PANDANUS GENE-BANK

14 Kiribati Top Forest Resources cont Mangroves Mangroves plays vital roles in protecting coastal areas apart from household & cultural needs The four different species of mangroves are native to Kiribati te tongo (Rhizophora stylosa), te nikabubuti (Sonneratia alba), te buangi (Bruguiera gymnorhiza), and te aitoa (Lumnitzera littorea). Rhizophora stylosa is common & found on most of the islands with Butaritari has the largest area

15 OVER-HARVESTING OF MANGROVE IN MAIN LAND

16 Mangrove planting to control coastal erosion Team from MELAD lead by Director of Agric. (July 2011) United Nations Secretary- General Ban Kimoon (Sept, 2011)

17 Contribution of forestry and trees to Kiribati economy & environment There is no significant contribution of forestry & trees to the economy, but trees contribute strongly to the subsistence needs of the people. Copra dominates the local industry, whilst other industries are only minor.

18 Contribution of forestry and trees to Kiribati economy & environment cont Mangroves (Rhizophora stylosa) & other related species have significantly contributed to the formation of lands & other marine life. Other offshore & on-shore trees have played an important role in the prevention of erosion of shorelines.

19 Contribution of forestry and trees to Kiribati economy & environment Trees as a whole play a very significant role in the atoll environment taking into account the very poor soils & their effects on the plants. They protect land from sea erosion, sea spray, wind & water; They are primary sources of food, shelter & medicines. They produce biomass to improve soil fertility

20 Key drivers of change in forestry Climate change prolong drought & changing of rainfall patterns, temperature, sea level rise, coastal erosion & destruction of trees along the coast Population pressures high population density causing environmental problems including overharvesting & deforestation from nearby forests High level of unemployment - over harvesting forest resources for local handicrafts to generate income for households needs & construction materials etc

21 Key drivers of change in forestry. Lack of replanting & sustainable management on forestry resources High price of imported timber & other forestry product (furniture etc) Lack of awareness on controlling deforestation of our native plant species,

22 Key drivers of change in forestry. Farmers concentrated on short term vegetable crops for income Increase number of idle land (landowners migrate to TRW/NZ) Pests - rat destroyed fruits/seeds; trailing plants suffocate trees; caterpillar feed on young leaves (cordia) Outer Island Communities who rely heavily on these resources for their shelter and firewood;

23 An overview of what the forestry sector will look like in 2020 Decreasing in number of native tree species Important native tree species will go extinct Mass production of native tree species will be the main task for agriculture department Kiribati will import abundant planting materials from SPC & other sources to supplement endangered native tree species

24 An overview of what the forestry sector will look like in 2020 Ongoing program on the collection of traditional knowledge on traditional farming methods Encouraging islanders to adopt agroforestry home gardening methods for food security & conservation of native tree species Establishment of gene-bank for native tree species in all islands

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