FAO Forestry country profiles - forest management

Issues and concerns

Kiribati shares the problems of many of the Pacific Islands atoll countries. The greatest threat to many of Kiribati¿s islands is from global warming, which threatens to inundate much of the country¿s land area. Population pressures, particularly on South Tarawa (the most densely populated Pacific Island) are creating major problems for sustainable resource management. Problems confronted by mangrove stands on South Tarawa, for example, include: destruction through land reclamation and during the construction of fishponds and inter-islet causeways, degradation through harvesting for fuelwood and structural materials, and habitat pollution through dumping of waste. Land management difficulties arise from the customary inheritance law, which has led to continuous subdivision and widespread fragmentation of land holdings.