Solomon Islands

Oceanía

144

Documented species

Parks and reserves

Dive sites

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The Solomon Islands form a double chain of volcanic islands and atolls in the middle of the Coral Triangle, covered by dense tropical rainforest and ringed by reefs that are among the most diverse on the planet. Marovo lagoon, closed off by a barrier of elongated islands, is the largest saltwater lagoon in the world. The isolation of each island has generated an extremely high level of endemism, above all in birds, bats and reptiles, with species that exist on a single island of the archipelago. The lowland forests are being felled at speed for timber export, which makes community land conservation, in a country where the land belongs almost entirely to the clans, the decisive tool.

The nature of Solomon Islands

National animal: No official national animal; the frigatebird appears on the state coat of arms

Did you know?

The Solomon Islands prehensile-tailed skink is the largest lizard in its family and breaks almost every rule of its group: it is entirely herbivorous, climbs trees gripping with its tail like a monkey, lays no eggs but gives birth to live and very well-developed young, and lives in stable family groups that defend their territory together, a social behaviour extremely rare among reptiles.

Biodiversity profile

MelanesiaAprox. 15% de las areas marinas protegidas cuentan con proteccion estricta (dato referido a AMP, no al territorio total)

Climate

•Tropical de selva lluviosa (Af), calido y humedo todo el año

Main biomes

•Selva tropical densa (gran parte del territorio permanece boscoso)
•Manglares extensos
•Bosque montano en islas de mayor altitud
•Selva tropical insular
•Laguna coralina
•Arrecife del Triángulo de Coral
•Manglar costero
•Isla volcánica
•Bosque de montaña
•Playa de puesta de tortugas

Marine and coastal ecosystems

•Parte del Triangulo de Coral (mayor diversidad de corales del mundo)
•Mas de 900 especies de peces de arrecife y 500 especies de coral registradas
•6.750 km2 de arrecifes de coral (fringing, patch, barrera y atolon)

Flagship wildlife

•Aguila marina de las Salomon
•Paloma de Choiseul (en peligro critico, posiblemente extinta)
•Cuscus
•Loro eclectus
•Escinco de cola prensil
•Tortuga laúd
•Dugongo
•Cocodrilo marino
•Zorro volador de las Salomón
•Megápodo de Melanesia
•Cacatúa de las Salomón
•Delfín girador
•Tortuga carey
•Rata gigante de Vangunu

Notable endemic species

•Mas de 60 especies de aves endemicas
•Mas de 4.500 especies de plantas, con alto grado de endemismo
•Escinco de cola prensil
•Rata gigante de Vangunu
•Cacatúa de las Salomón
•Rana gigante de las Salomón

Notable threatened species

•Paloma de Choiseul (En Peligro Critico, posiblemente extinta - no confirmada desde hace decadas)
•Aguila marina de las Salomon (Vulnerable)

Notable protected areas

•Paisaje marino central (Central Seascape, priorizado por su resiliencia climatica y potencial regenerador de corales)
•Red de areas marinas gestionadas por comunidades locales
•Laguna de Marovo
•Área de Conservación de Arnavon
•Isla de Tetepare
•Lago Tegano en Rennell
•Isla de Vangunu
•Bahía de Marau

Main conservation threats

•Deforestacion y tala comercial
•Cambio climatico (blanqueamiento coralino, ya con perdida documentada de cobertura coralina)
•Sobrepesca
•Capacidad limitada de comunidades locales para gestion a largo plazo pese a ser propietarias consuetudinarias de arrecifes y manglares

Notable natural phenomena

•Eventos de blanqueamiento coralino global con impacto documentado localmente
•Alta actividad sismica y volcanica (arco insular del Pacifico)

Conservation

East Rennell, with the largest island lake in the Pacific, is a World Heritage Site and is on the list of sites in danger because of logging and mining. The Vangunu giant rat, described in 2017 from a single specimen, was not photographed alive until 2023.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Marovo year-round for reefs and coastal birds. Arnavon between June and October for hawksbill turtle nesting. Tetepare at nightfall for forest wildlife and megapodes.

El estatus de la Paloma de Choiseul es incierto; distintas fuentes la listan como en peligro critico sin confirmacion reciente de avistamientos.

Sources: BioDB.com | WWF - The Solomon Islands | Wikipedia - Protected areas of Solomon Islands | Coral Triangle Initiative - State of the Coral Triangle report

Rainforest Mountain Ocean