Forests and the forestry sector

Resources
Kiribati is an archipelago of 33 low-lying coral atolls, 21 of which are inhabited. Total land area is 811 km2. The country lies in the dry equatorial oceanic climate zone and rainfall or the lack of it, is a major determinant of forest viability in Kiribati. The very infertile atoll soils, derived from coral limestone, also restrict forest development and population pressure on the main islands has greatly influenced deforestation levels particularly in coastal areas.

Despite these limitations Kiribati has developed a quite sophisticated and intensive agroforestry system based on coconut, breadfruit, bananas, and native figs. The system tends to represent a natural forest rather than plantation since the trees occur spontaneously in a variety of different patterns and ages. Coconut is the dominant species. There are no formal forestry activities although a number of species have been tested for windbreaks, coastal protection and fuelwood production.

Data on forest cover in Kiribati is limited. Estimations made for the Forest Resources Assessment 2000 indicate that 3 percent of the land area (28 151 ha) of Kiribati is covered by forest with coastal mangrove strips being the major forest type. In addition there are 26 000 ha of coconut plantations and mangrove forest cover is estimated at 185 ha. Forest cover is considered stable.

Constraints
The forestry sector of Kiribati, as well as many small island developing states (SIDS), faces the problems of:
  • limited land area and natural resources;
  • vulnerability to environmental disasters, such as cyclones and hurricanes;
  • high species endemism but low occurrence of individual species, leading to high risk for loss of biological diversity;
  • high human population density, usually concentrated in lowland areas, which increases pressure on already limited resources;
  • economic constraints due to relatively small scale;
  • institutional constraints (including high levels of migration, particularly of skilled human resources).
Last updated: June 2004
last updated: Tuesday, March 4, 2008