About the Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands consist of a double chain of over 900 islands, extending 1,600 kilometres between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. The sea area of 1.34 million square kilometres is in marked contrast to the 28,000 square kilometres of land area.

Cllimate
The climate is tropical, with marked heavy rainfall and cyclonic activity over a 3 to 5 month period each year. Cyclone activity is most severe in the southern and central provinces and is a major influence on the structure and composition of forests and reefs.

Landscape
The main islands are characterised by a rugged and mountainous landscape, mainly volcanic in origin and fringed with uplifted terraces of coral rock. Seismic activity is common throughout the region. The islands are forest covered and surrounded by a narrow fringe of coral reefs and numerous lagoons. Numerous short rivers drain the islands' rugged terrain.

Habitats
Exceptional areas of karst forest occur on Choiseul and Malaita. Several of the main islands' peaks have cloud forests, notably supporting rare and endemic plant and animal species. The coastal zone comprises an extensive and particularly diverse environment with lowland forest, swamp forest, mangroves, lagoons, coral reefs, atolls and barrier islands forming a natural mosaic.

Biodiversity
Solomon Islands is recognized for its high level of biological diversity in terrestrial and marine environments, arising from variations in island geology, climatic factors, evolutionary history and human occupation. The islands fall roughly into 4 groups in terms of their flora and fauna:

• The main chain of islands extending from Shortlands through Choiseul, Isabel, Guadalcanal to Malaita
• The western chain from Vella Lavella through Kolombangara and New Georgia to Nggatokae
• Makira and the Santa Cruz Group, and
• Rennell Island

The marine biome in Solomon Islands comes within the Bismarck Solomon Seas Ecoregion. The forests come within the Solomons-Vanuatu-Bismarck Moist Forests Ecoregion.

Threats

Globalisation
Globally resource scarcity transcends political boundaries and affects North and South alike: the root causes and impacts being global in nature as the globalisation of markets continues.

Most fisheries have suffered catastrophic declines. Global forests face a similar outlook, with increasing attention being turned to the timber resources of Melanesia.

Climate change
 Global warming is a problem shared by all humanity. Climate change, rising sea level, and warming of the sea will impact heavily on Solomon Islands environment and society.