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Abstract Detail



Tropical Biology

Plunkett, Gregory M. [1], Balick, Michael J. [2], Ranker, Tom A. [3], Thackurdeen, R. Sean [4], Tuiwawa, Marika [5], Chanel, Sam [6], Dovo, Presley [6], Ala, Philemon [6], Alo, Frazer [6], Doro, Thomas [6], Wahe, Jean-Pascal [7], Ramon, Laurence [8], Ticktin, Tamara [9], McGuigan, Ashley [9], Naikatini, Alivereti [5], Munzinger, Jérôme [10], Perry, Brian A. [11], Amend, Anthony A. [9], Harrison, K. David [12].

“Plants mo Pipol blong Vanuatu”: Long-term botanical studies in a South Pacific archipelago.

We have initiated a long-term botanical study of Vanuatu, a volcanic archipelago of over 80 islands in the Melanesian region of the South Pacific. Situated in the midst of three biodiversity hotspots (New Caledonia, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands), very little is known about Vanuatu’s flora or biogeographic relationships, nor is there any available species checklist or assessments of the endemic, threatened, or invasive plants of this country. Despite its small size and population, Vanuatu has maintained an extraordinarily rich culture, and is the most language dense country in the world (with 113 different languages spread over only 265,000 people). Much of Vanuatu’s culture (and therefore the vocabulary of its languages) centers around plant names and uses, and our collaborative study has initiated an effort to document this information, starting in the southern province of Tafea. Unfortunately, the biological and cultural diversity of Vanuatu is facing many serious threats from global change, including a rapidly changing economy and increasingly common severe weather associated with climate change. Destruction of habitats from Cyclone Pam, a recent category-5 storm, highlighted many of these vulnerabilities. Just months before the cyclone, our team had completed vegetation surveys along eight transects on the island of Tanna, and then returned several months later to re-survey the same transects. These data provide the first glimpses into forest recovery after massive environmental destruction in the South Pacific islands. Other goals of the project include development of species checklists, assessment of the taxonomic status of these species, a broadening of our scope to include fungi and lichens (as well as all vascular plants and bryophytes), and the initiation of a series of community-organized conservation areas to help stem the tide of habitat loss.


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1 - New York Botanical Garden, Cullman Program For Molecular Systematics, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY, 10458-5126, USA
2 - New York Botanical Garden, 200th St And Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY, 10458, USA
3 - University Of Hawaii At Manoa, Department Of Botany, 3190 Maile Way, Room 101, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
4 - New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY, 10458-5126, USA
5 - Univeristy of the South Pacific, South Pacific Regional Herbarium, Suva, Fiji
6 - Vanuatu Department of Forestry, Vanuatu National Herbarium, Port-Vila, Vanuatu
7 - Vanuatu Cultural Centre, Tafea Kaljoral Senta, Lenakel, Vanuatu
8 - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement , Montpellier, 34398, France
9 - University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Department of Botany, 3190 Maile Way, St. John 101, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
10 - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier, France
11 - California State University East Bay, Department of Biology, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd., Hayward, CA, 94542, USA
12 - Swarthmore College, Linguistics Department, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA, 19081, USA

Keywords:
flora
Vegetation
ethnobotany
taxonomy.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 24, Tropical Biology
Location: 103/Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Date: Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016
Time: 10:45 AM
Number: 24003
Abstract ID:499
Candidate for Awards:None


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