Atolls - the "biodiversity cool spots" vs hot spots: a critical new focus for research and conservation

摘要: This paper highlights the seriousness of “biodiversity crisis” on atolls and need to place greater research conservation emphasis other small island ecosystems. It presents a “snapshot” current status atoll biodiversity, including associated marine stresses that are “biodiversity cool spots”, which, apart from, in some cases, very considerable resources, have among poorest most highly threatened biodiversity inheritances Earth. Atoll societies ecosystems also widely believed be seriously by global climate change sea level rise. is based studies over past twenty years conducted Tuvalu, Tokelau, Kiribati, Marshall Islands Tuamotu Archipelago French Polynesia. offer greatest opportunities for integrated simplified small-island ecosystems, especially involve local communities researchers, as been emphasized Pacific Asia Biodiversity Transect Network (PABITRA). suggested that, if we really worried mutual capacity building sustainability islands human support systems, must higher priority on, of, Earth’s “cool such other biodiversity-poor islands. Emphasis placed importance protection, recording application indigenous knowledge, here referred “ethnobiodiversity”, which when used concert with up-to-date modern scientific constitutes perhaps appropriate means designing models for the sustainable use