Archive for September 3rd, 2008
On Location: Kiribati’s Line Islands
Aloha from Kiribati,
One of our well-traveled clients just shared with me that he loves traveling with Zegrahm Expeditions because we go to places that he’s never heard of. I must admit that although I have always wanted to visit the Line Islands I really had no idea that I actually wished to go to the Republic of Kiribati. I might be forgiven my naiveté because this vast area was only granted complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati (pronounced KEER-a-bas).
So where exactly are we!? The Clipper Odyssey, as we “blog,” is sailing the central Pacific Ocean en route from Hilo, Hawaii, to Kiribati. Kiribati encompasses the 16 Gilbert Islands, Banaba (formerly Ocean Island), the Line Islands, and the Phoenix Islands group. Of Kiribati’s 33 islands, only 20 are inhabited.
For the most part, the islands are atolls, some of which were used for U.S. and British nuclear testing in the 1960s. Today coconut palms dominate the landscape. Fishing licenses, fish farms, as well as products of the reef and the ocean are the mainstay income for the estimated 95,000 islanders. The Kiribati ethnic composition is mainly Micronesian with some Polynesian.
By the end of 2008, Kiribati will set aside a California-sized ocean wilderness by declaring the world’s largest marine protected area. This will dramatically expand the already established PIPA (Phoenix Islands Protected Area,) the world’s third largest marine protected area. Status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has been applied for as the reserve will conserve one of the Earth’s last intact oceanic coral archipelago ecosystems, one that teems with pristine reefs, fish, and bird life. However, this will not come at a small cost for the impoverished nation. The government stands to lose an estimated 33 million U.S. dollars since commercial fishing will be restricted. The Boston-based New England Aquarium, with technical aid from Conservation International, are involved in the funding efforts. It is hoped that with the new UNESCO status tourism will give a boost to the Kiribati economy. Read more
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