Rattus rattus, or black rats, are rampaging through Tuvalu's atolls and gnawing through the country's chief export crop - coconuts.

The importance of coastal and marine environments to every aspect of the lives of Pacific Islanders

The isolated, small, low-lying resource-poor atolls of Tuvalu are clearly on the frontline against climate change, the escalating impacts natural disasters and declining food, health and energy security.

Pacific island ecosystems make up one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, with high levels of endemism. However, Pacific islands areparticularly vulnerable to invasive species; because of their isolation and relatively recent human occupation, native species have not evolved to cope with the impacts of predators, herbivores...

The Pacific islands of Oceania cover almost 15% of the world's surface and are characterised by a high degree of ecosystem and species diversity. The region is characterised by thousands of isolated small coral atolls and higher volcanic islands, which has led to the high diversity of species found today. In fact, the number of plants and animals found nowhere else on earth (endemic species) is extremely high - often up to 90% for particular groups. Often, these rare and endemic species are adapted to specialised habitats and limited to small areas of a few islands.

Below are the broad targets for Tuvalu as complemented in the Tuvalu National Biodiversity Action Plan and NSSD.

An act to amend the marine pollution Act 1992 to update the Act and to ensure that there is compliance with current marine pollution related convention, and for related purposes