TY - JOUR

T1 - Isolated and vulnerable

T2 - The history and future of Pacific Island terrestrial biodiversity

AU - Keppel, Gunnar

AU - Morrison, Clare

AU - Meyer, Jean Yves

AU - Boehmer, Hans Juergen

PY - 2014/8/1

Y1 - 2014/8/1

N2 - Islands in the tropical Pacific have a rich and unique biota produced by island biogeographic processes and modified by recent anthropogenic influences. This biota has been shaped by four overlapping phases: natural colonization and dynamics (phase 1), impacts of indigenous (phase 2) and non-indigenous (phase 3) settlers, and increasing environmental awareness (phase 4). Island ecosystems are resilient to natural disturbance regimes but highly vulnerable to invasive species and other human-related influences, due to comparatively low alpha diversity, isolated evolution and the absence of certain functional groups. Habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive alien species and pollution continue to threaten terrestrial biodiversity, compounded by limited environmental awareness, minimal conservation funding, project mismanagement, limited local capacity and inadequate and/or unsuitable conservation policies. To achieve effective conservation of terrestrial biodiversity in the region, biophysical threats need to be mitigated with improved scientific, institutional and management capacity.

AB - Islands in the tropical Pacific have a rich and unique biota produced by island biogeographic processes and modified by recent anthropogenic influences. This biota has been shaped by four overlapping phases: natural colonization and dynamics (phase 1), impacts of indigenous (phase 2) and non-indigenous (phase 3) settlers, and increasing environmental awareness (phase 4). Island ecosystems are resilient to natural disturbance regimes but highly vulnerable to invasive species and other human-related influences, due to comparatively low alpha diversity, isolated evolution and the absence of certain functional groups. Habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive alien species and pollution continue to threaten terrestrial biodiversity, compounded by limited environmental awareness, minimal conservation funding, project mismanagement, limited local capacity and inadequate and/or unsuitable conservation policies. To achieve effective conservation of terrestrial biodiversity in the region, biophysical threats need to be mitigated with improved scientific, institutional and management capacity.

KW - Anthropogenic impacts

KW - Conservation

KW - Disturbance

KW - Environmental awareness

KW - Extinction

KW - Habitat degradation

KW - Invasive species

KW - Local capacity

KW - Multiple threats

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84907362999&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1071/PC140136

DO - 10.1071/PC140136

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84907362999

VL - 20

SP - 136

EP - 145

JO - Pacific Conservation Biology

JF - Pacific Conservation Biology

SN - 1038-2097

IS - 2

ER -