The Funafuti Conservation Area is a marine conservation area covering 33 square kilometers (12.74 square miles) of reef, lagoon and ''motu'' (islets) on the western side of

Funafuti Funafuti is the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 6,320 people (2017 census), and so it has more people than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with approximately 60% of the population. It consists of a narrow sweep of lan ...

atoll in

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-nor ...

. The marine environment of the conservation area includes reef, lagoon, channel and ocean; and are home to many species of fish, corals, algae and invertebrates. The islets are nesting sites for the green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas'') and Fualopa hosts a breeding colony of

black noddy The black noddy or white-capped noddy (''Anous minutus'') is a seabird from the family Laridae. It is a medium-sized species of tern with black plumage and a white cap. It closely resembles the lesser noddy (''Anous tenuirostris'') with which it ...

(''Anous minutes''). The decision to create a protected area (''Kogatapu'') was made in 1999; the purpose of the Funafuti Conservation Area is the conservation of the marine and land based biodiversity (plants, animals and ecosystems) within the protected area. The boundaries of the Funafuti Conservation Area encompass about 20 percent of the total coral reef area of Funafuti lagoon (''Te Namo''), and is an important part of the protection of the coral reefs of Tuvalu.

History

The project to create the Kogatapu began under the administration of the Funafuti Falekaupule (the Funafuti local council) and with the support of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the conservation area was funded under SPREP's South Pacific Biodiversity Conservation Programme (SPBCP). After surveys of the marine environment, and consultation with the land owners and the ''Kaupule o Funafuti'', (the elders and decision makers of Funafuti), the Government of Tuvalu created the Kogatapu in the Kaupule o Funafuti Conservation Area Order made under Section 3 of the Conservation Area Act, which order took effect on 1 December 1999.

Land and marine environment

Green turtle swimming over coral reefs in Kona

Chelonia mydas is going for the air edit

The Funafuti Conservation Area is sometimes called the 'Kogatapu Conservation Area' or 'Funafuti Marine Conservation Area'. Six islets (''motu'', in the

Tuvaluan language Tuvaluan (), often called Tuvalu, is a Polynesian language closely related to the Ellicean group spoken in Tuvalu. It is more or less distantly related to all other Polynesian languages, such as Hawaiian, Māori, Tahitian, Samoan, Tokelauan ...

) are included in the Funafuti Conservation Area: Tepuka Vili Vili, (also called Tepuka Savilivili); Fualopa; Fuafatu; Vasafua; Fuagea (also called Fuakea) and Tefala. Vasafua was severely damaged by

Cyclone Pam Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam was the second most intense tropical cyclone of the South Pacific Ocean in terms of sustained winds and is regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of Vanuatu. A total of 15–16 people lost ...

. The coconut palms were washed away, leaving the islet as a sand bar. The Tuvalu National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan of 2009 describes the marine environment as comprising six major ecosystem types: oceanic, outer reef, lagoonal, back reef, lagoon floor, and patch reefs, plus natural channels between the ocean and lagoon. It says these ecosystems produce sediment that is required for island building and maintenance and support communities of corals, other invertebrates, algae, plankton, fish and marine mammals and reptiles. The terrestrial invertebrates that are found in Tuvalu are land and shore crabs, including ''paikea'' ('' Discoplax rotunda''), ''tupa'' ('' Cardisoma carnifex''), ''kamakama'' ('' Grapsus albolineatus''), a range of hermit crabs, ''uga'' (''

Coenobita :''The junior homonym ''Coenobita'' Gistl, 1848 is now the moth genus '' Ectropis''. The genus ''Coenobita'' contains 17 species of terrestrial hermit crabs. Several species in this genus are kept as pets. Ecology ''Coenobita'' species carry wa ...

spp'') and the coconut crab, ''ū'' or ''uu'' ('' Birgus latro''). The islets are also nesting sites for the green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas'')(''fonu'' in tuvaluan). The

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

identifies only the green turtle as being found in Tuvalu. The green turtle is recognised as critically endangered. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) lists two additional turtle species as being found in Tuvalu: hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys Imbricate'') and

leatherback sea turtle The leatherback sea turtle (''Dermochelys coriacea''), sometimes called the lute turtle or leathery turtle or simply the luth, is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to and weight ...

(''Dermochelys coriacea''), with both species being recognised as critically endangered. The marine environment of the Kogatapu includes reef, lagoon, channel and ocean; and are home to many species of fish, corals, algae and invertebrates. Surveys prior to 1999 identified 76 species of indicator fish, 141 species of food fish and 149 mobile invertebrates such as crabs and sea cucumbers. A 2007 survey established that fish populations had increased as a result of the Funafuti Conservation Area. Large-sized individual fishes of the highly prized target food species, such as

grouper Groupers are fish of any of a number of genera in the subfamily Epinephelinae of the family Serranidae, in the order Perciformes. Not all serranids are called "groupers"; the family also includes the sea basses. The common name "grouper" is ...

and snapper were observed; the presence of so many large fish of desirable target food species indicates that there is very low fishing pressure in the Funafuti Conservation Area, although enforcement by conservation rangers of the no-fishing rules is necessary to preserve the fish stock. Surveys were carried out in May 2010 of the reef habitats of

Nanumea Nanumea is the northwesternmost atoll in the Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, a group of nine coral atolls and islands spread over about of the Pacific Ocean just south of the equator and west of the International Date Line. Nanumea is with a pop ...

Nukulaelae Nukulaelae is an atoll that is part of the nation of Tuvalu, and it has a population of 300 (2017 census). The largest settlement is Pepesala on Fangaua islet with a population of 300 people (2017 Census). It has the form of an oval and consists of ...

and

(including the Funafuti Conservation Area) and a total of 317 fish species were recorded during this ''Tuvalu Marine Life'' study. The surveys identified 66 species that had not previously been recorded in Tuvalu, which brings the total number of identified species to 607. The general Tuvaluan name for an eel is ''pusi'' or ''puhi'', or in relation to eared eels, ''tuna'', such as the black-edged conger eel, (''Conger cinereus''). The most common species are: (''pusi kena'' or ''puhi tea'') peppered moray ('' Gymnothorax pictus''); (''pusi uli'') whitemouth moray (''Gymnothorax meleagris''); (''pusi ulaula'' or ''puhi gatala'')

giant moray The giant moray (''Gymnothorax javanicus'') is a species of moray eel and a species of marine fish in the family Muraenidae. In terms of body mass, it is the largest moray eel; however, the slender giant moray is the largest in terms of body leng ...

(''Gymnothorax javanicus''); (''puleva''), starry or

snowflake moray The snowflake moray (''Echidna nebulosa''), also known as the clouded moray among many vernacular names, is a species of marine eel of the family Muraenidae. It has blunt teeth ideal for its diet of crustaceans, a trait it shares with the zebra m ...

(''Echidna nebulosa''). (''Pusi uli'' or ''puhi''), fimbriated moray (''Gymnothorax fimbriatus''), also known as dark-spotted moray or spot-face moray, is a

moray eel Moray eels, or Muraenidae (), are a family of eels whose members are found worldwide. There are approximately 200 species in 15 genera which are almost exclusively marine, but several species are regularly seen in brackish water, and a few are f ...

that is also found on the reefs. Low densities of reef sharks (''magō'') were recorded in the ''Tuvalu Marine Life'' study. Four species of reef shark have been identified: (''magō'' or ''lālāila'')

grey reef shark The grey reef shark (''Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos'', sometimes misspelled ''amblyrhynchus'' or ''amblyrhinchos'') is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae. One of the most common reef sharks in the Indo-Pacific, it is found as ...

(''Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos''), (''kili'') blacktip reef shark (''Carcharhinus melanopterus''), (''malu'')

whitetip reef shark The whitetip reef shark (''Triaenodon obesus'') is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, and the only member of its genus. A small shark that does not usually exceed in length, this species is easily recognizable by its slen ...

(''Triaenodon obesus''), and (''alava'')

lemon shark The lemon shark (''Negaprion brevirostris'') is a species of shark from the family Carcharhinidae and is classified as a Vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Lemon sharks can grow to in length. They are ...

(''Negaprion brevirostris''), which are all listed on the IUCN Red List of threatened species, as ‘near threatened’ species. (''magō samala'')

Scalloped hammerhead The scalloped hammerhead (''Sphyrna lewini'') is a species of hammerhead shark in the family Sphyrnidae. It was originally known as ''Zygaena lewini''. The Greek word ''sphyrna'' translates into "hammer" in English, referring to the shape of thi ...

sharks (''Sphyrna lewini'') are also seen off the reefs. The ''Tuvalu Marine Life'' study also recorded low densities of two species of rays (''fai''): (''fai fālua'' or ''fai pulou'') manta ray (''Manta birostris''); and (''fai manu'') spotted eagle ray (''Aetobatus narinari''), which are both listed on the IUCN Red List of threatened species, as ‘near threatened’ species.

Oceanic species

The range of (''uninuni'')

tiger shark The tiger shark (''Galeocerdo cuvier'') is a species of requiem shark and the last extant member of the family Galeocerdonidae. It is a large macropredator, capable of attaining a length over . Populations are found in many tropical and tempera ...

(''Galeocerdo cuvier''),

oceanic whitetip shark The oceanic whitetip shark (''Carcharhinus longimanus''), also known as shipwreck shark, Brown Milbert's sand bar shark, brown shark, lesser white shark, nigano shark, oceanic white-tipped whaler, and silvertip shark, is a large pelagic requiem ...

(''Carcharhinus longimanus'') and mako shark ( ''Isurus'') includes the ocean around Tuvalu. The mako is known as ''rokea'' in the Tuvaluan language. Skipjack tuna,

yellowfin tuna The yellowfin tuna (''Thunnus albacares'') is a species of tuna found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide. Yellowfin is often marketed as ahi, from the Hawaiian , a name also used there for the closely related bigeye ...

bigeye tuna The bigeye tuna (''Thunnus obesus'') is a species of true tuna of the genus '' Thunnus'', belonging to the wider mackerel family Scombridae. In Hawaiian, it is one of two species known as ahi, the other being the yellowfin tuna. Bigeye tuna are ...

and

giant trevally The giant trevally (''Caranx ignobilis''), also known as the lowly trevally, barrier trevally, ronin jack, giant kingfish or ''ulua'', is a species of large marine fish classified in the jack family, Carangidae. The giant trevally is distributed ...

are the larger

pelagic fish Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral re ...

that are found in the ocean around Tuvalu. The

pantropical spotted dolphin The pantropical spotted dolphin (''Stenella attenuata'') is a species of dolphin found in all the world's temperate and tropical oceans. The species was beginning to come under threat due to the killing of millions of individuals in tuna purse s ...

(''Stenella attenuata'') and other cetacea, including sperm whale (''Physeter macrocephalus '') and orca or

killer whale The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...

(''Orcinus orca''), are also found in the ocean around Tuvalu.

Bird life of Tuvalu

Surveys have established a total of 35 bird species as confirmed in Tuvalu, including: * 9 species of

tern Terns are seabirds in the family Laridae that have a worldwide distribution and are normally found near the sea, rivers, or wetlands. Terns are treated as a subgroup of the family Laridae which includes gulls and skimmers and consists of e ...

s (Sternidae) * 7 species of

sandpiper Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil ...

s (Scolopacidae) * 4 species of shearwaters and petrels (Procellariidae) * 3 species of

boobies A booby is a seabird in the genus ''Sula'', part of the family Sulidae. Boobies are closely related to the gannets (''Morus''), which were formerly included in ''Sula''. Systematics and evolution The genus ''Sula'' was introduced by the Fren ...

(Sulidae) * 2 species of

tropicbird Tropicbirds are a family, Phaethontidae, of tropical pelagic seabirds. They are the sole living representatives of the order Phaethontiformes. For many years they were considered part of the Pelecaniformes, but genetics indicates they are most cl ...

s (Phaethontidae) ** Great frigatebird (''Fregata minor'') **

Lesser frigatebird The lesser frigatebird (''Fregata ariel'') is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. At around 75 cm (30 in) in length, it is the smallest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters across the Indian ...

(''Fregata ariel'')

Pacific imperial pigeon The Pacific imperial pigeon (''Ducula pacifica'') is a widespread species of pigeon in the family Columbidae. It is found in American Samoa, the Cook Islands, the smaller islands of eastern Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, the smaller satellite islands of ...

(''Ducula pacifica'') live in the broadleaf forest. Migratory birds are found in Tuvalu, such as

long-tailed cuckoo The Pacific long-tailed cuckoo (''Urodynamis taitensis''), also known as the long-tailed cuckoo, long-tailed koel, sparrow hawk, home owl, screecher, screamer or in Māori, is a species of the Cuculidae bird family (the cuckoos). It is a migrat ...

(''Eudynamys taitensis'') or ''areva'' (Tuvaluan). The birds found in Tuvalu include 17 breeding species, such as: * eight species of migratory shorebirds, including the globally threatened species,

bristle-thighed curlew The bristle-thighed curlew (''Numenius tahitiensis'') is a medium-sized shorebird that breeds in Alaska and winters on tropical Pacific islands. It is known in Mangareva as ''kivi'' or ''kivikivi'' and in Rakahanga as ''kihi''; it is said to be ...

(''Numenius tahitiensis''); and * nine species of seabirds, including

(''Anous minutes'') or ''taketake'' (Tuvaluan). Fualopa hosts a breeding colony of black noddy.

Native broadleaf forest

The native broadleaf forest is limited to 4.1% of the vegetation types on the islands of Tuvalu. The

islets An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanent ...

of the Kogatapu have 40% of the remaining native broadleaf forest on Funafuti atoll. The Tuvalu forest gecko ('' Lepidodactylus tepukapili'') is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to Tuvalu, and has been located in the Kogatapu on Fuagea (also called Fuakea) and on Tepuka. While coconut palms are common in Tuvalu, they are usually cultivated rather than naturally seeding and growing. Tuvaluan traditional histories are that the first settlers of the islands planted coconut palms as they were not found on the islands. The native broadleaf forest of Funafuti includes the following species, that were described by

Charles Hedley Charles Hedley (27 February 1862 – 14 September 1926) was a naturalist, specifically a malacologist. Born in Britain, he spent most of his life in Australia. He was the winner of the 1925 Clarke Medal. Early life Hedley was born in the vicara ...

in 1896, which includes the Tuvaluan name (some of which may follow

Samoan plant names Below are some Samoan plant names in alphabetical order in the Samoan language and their corresponding descriptions in English. Many are used in traditional medicines in the Samoa Islands comprising Samoa and American Samoa. See also * List o ...

): * ''Fala'' or screw pine, ('' Pandanus'') * ''Puka'' or ''pouka'', (''

Hernandia ''Hernandia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hernandiaceae. It was named after the Spanish botanist Francisco Hernández de Toledo. Species , ''Plants of the World Online'' accepted the following species: * ''Hernandia albiflora'' ...

peltata'') * ''Futu'', (''

Barringtonia asiatica ''Barringtonia asiatica'' (fish poison tree, putat or sea poison tree) is a species of ''Barringtonia'' native to mangrove habitats from islands of the Indian Ocean in the west to tropical Asia and islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It is g ...

'') * ''Fetau'', (''

Calophyllum inophyllum ''Calophyllum inophyllum'' is a large evergreen plant, commonly called tamanu, oil-nut, mastwood, beach calophyllum or beautyleaf. It is native to tropical Asia and Wallacea. Due to its importance as a source of timber for the traditional shi ...

'') * ''Ferra'', (''

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extendi ...

aspem''), native fig * ''Fau'' or ''fo fafini'', or woman's fibre tree (''

Hibiscus tiliaceus ''Hibiscus tiliaceus'', commonly known as the sea hibiscus or coast cottonwood, is a species of flowering tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae, with a pantropical distribution along coastlines. It has also been introduced to Florida and New Zea ...

'') * ''Lakoumonong'', ('' Wedelia strigulosa'') * ''Lou'', (''

Cardamine ''Cardamine'' is a large genus of flowering plants in the mustard family, Brassicaceae, known as bittercresses and toothworts. It contains more than 200 species of annuals and perennials. Species in this genus can be found worldwide, except the ...

sarmentosa'') * ''Meili'', (''

Polypodium ''Polypodium'' is a genus of ferns in the family Polypodiaceae, subfamily Polypodioideae, according to the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I). The genus is widely distributed throughout the world, with the highest ...

''), fern * ''bird's-nest fern'', ''

Asplenium nidus :''See bird's-nest fern for other plants with this common name.'' ''Asplenium nidus'' is an epiphytic species of fern in the family Aspleniaceae, native to tropical southeastern Asia, eastern Australia, Hawaii (''ʻēkaha'' in Hawaiian), Poly ...

'' * ''Milo'' or ''miro'', (''

Thespesia populnea ''Thespesia populnea'', commonly known as the portia tree (), Pacific rosewood, Indian tulip tree, or milo, among other names, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a tree found commonly on coasts ar ...

'') * ''Ngashu'' or ''naupaka'', (''

Scaevola taccada ''Scaevola taccada'', also known as beach cabbage, sea lettuce, or beach naupaka, is a flowering plant in the family Goodeniaceae found in coastal locations in the tropical areas of the Indo-Pacific. It is a common beach shrub throughout the Ar ...

'') * ''Ngia'' or ''ingia'', (''

Pemphis ''Pemphis'' is a genus of maritime plants in family Lythraceae. It was recently thought have only one species (the type species, described in 1775, ''Pemphis acidula'' ) but is now believed to have at least two. ''Pemphis'' are highly ada ...

acidula''), bush * ''Nonou'' or ''nonu'', (''

Morinda citrifolia ''Morinda citrifolia'' is a fruit-bearing tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Its native range extends across Southeast Asia and Australasia, and was spread across the Pacific by Polynesian sailors. The species is now cultivated throughout th ...

'') * ''Sageta'', ('' Dioclea violacea''), vine * ''Pukavai'', (''

Pisonia grandis ''Pisonia grandis'', the grand devil's-claws, is a species of flowering tree in the ''Bougainvillea'' family, Nyctaginaceae. Description The tree has broad, thin leaves, smooth bark and bears clusters of green sweet-smelling flowers that matu ...

'') * ''Talla talla gemoa'', (''

Psilotum ''Psilotum'' is a genus of fern-like vascular plants. It is one of two genera in the family Psilotaceae commonly known as whisk ferns, the other being ''Tmesipteris''. Plants in these two genera were once thought to be descended from the earlies ...

triquetrum''), fern * ''Tausunu'' or ''tausoun'', (''

Heliotropium foertherianum ''Heliotropium arboreum'' is a species of flowering plant in the borage family, Boraginaceae. It is native to tropical Asia including southern China, Madagascar, northern Australia, and most of the atolls and high islands of Micronesia and Polyn ...

'') * ''Tonga'' or ''tongo'', ('' Rhizophora mucronata''), found around swamps * ''Tulla tulla'', (''

Triumfetta ''Triumfetta'' is a genus of plants in the family Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, ...

procumbens''), whose prostrate stems trailed for several feet over the ground * ''Valla valla'', ('' Premna taitensis'')

Donald Gilbert Kennedy Donald Gilbert Kennedy (March 1898 – 1976) was a teacher, then an administrator in the British colonial service in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony and the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. For his services as a Coastwatcher during t ...

, the resident district officer in the administration of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony from 1932 to 1938, identified other trees found in the broadleaf forest: * ''Pua'', (

Guettarda speciosa ''Guettarda speciosa'', with common names sea randa, or zebra wood, is a species of shrub in the family Rubiaceae found in coastal habitats in tropical areas around the Pacific Ocean, including the coastline of central and northern Queensland an ...

) * ''Kanava'', (

Cordia subcordata ''Cordia subcordata'' is a species of flowering tree in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that occurs in eastern Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, northern Australia and the Pacific Islands (including Hawaii). The plant is known by a variety o ...

)

Access to the ''Kogatapu''

The protected lagoon, coral reefs and bommies of the Kogatapu provide for snorkeling and scuba diving. Access to the Funafuti Conservation Area is by boat; the Conservation Area is across the lagoon (called ''Te Namo'') from the main island of

Fongafale Fongafale (also spelled Fogale or Fagafale) is the largest of Funafuti's islets in Tuvalu. It is a long narrow sliver of land, 12 kilometres long and between 10 and 400 metres wide, with the South Pacific Ocean and reef on the east and the protec ...

References

External links

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
{{Authority control Funafuti Environment of Tuvalu Marine reserves Protected areas of Oceania 1999 establishments in Tuvalu Protected areas established in 1999