Tuvalu

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114

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Tuvalu is one of the smallest and lowest-lying countries in the world: nine atolls and coral islands that add up to barely twenty-six square kilometres of land and whose highest point does not reach five metres. There are no rivers, no mountains and no deep soil, and fresh water depends entirely on rain. In exchange, its exclusive economic zone covers more than nine hundred thousand square kilometres of ocean, and the great tuna shoals that cross it are its main resource. Funafuti lagoon, the largest in the country, is protected across part of its extent and keeps reefs, seagrass meadows, green turtles and a reef fish community that recovers quickly wherever closures are applied.

The nature of Tuvalu

National animal: No official national animal

Did you know?

A good part of the white sand the country sits on does not come from eroded rock but from living organisms. Parrotfish bite the coral to feed on the algae that coat it, grind the calcareous skeleton with tooth plates in their throat and expel it turned into very fine sand. A single large fish can produce several hundred kilos of sand a year, so that the islands are literally built by fish and by the shells of microscopic organisms.

Biodiversity profile

Polinesia10 areas de conservacion establecidas en 8 de las 9 islas, con planes de gestion propios (porcentaje exacto del territorio no confirmado)

Climate

•Tropical oceanico calido y humedo (Af)

Main biomes

•Vegetacion de atolon coralino (palmeras de coco, pandano, arbol del pan)
•Vegetacion costera estabilizadora (manglares, correhuela de playa)
•Atolón coralino
•Laguna de atolón
•Pradera marina
•Playa de arena coralina
•Bosquete costero de pisonia
•Arrecife oceánico
•Océano abierto

Marine and coastal ecosystems

•9 islas y atolones de coral, superficie terrestre total de solo ~26 km2
•Arrecifes con peces loro, cirujano y mariposa
•Zonas de anidacion de tortuga verde y carey

Flagship wildlife

•Cangrejo de los cocoteros
•Charran blanco
•Rascon de Tuvalu
•Tortuga marina verde
•Pez loro
•Tortuga verde
•Rabijunco colirrojo
•Zarapito del Pacífico
•Atún listado
•Manta de arrecife
•Tiburón de puntas negras
•Cangrejo ermitaño terrestre

Notable endemic species

•Escinco de Tuvalu (Emoia trossula), unico reptil endemico confirmado
•Rascon de Tuvalu y palma abanico de Tuvalu citados como endemicos en fuentes divulgativas (verificacion taxonomica adicional recomendada)

Notable threatened species

•Dato no disponible con precision de estatus IUCN especifico en fuentes verificadas consultadas para la mayoria de especies; fauna terrestre limitada y vulnerable por reducido tamaño poblacional insular

Notable protected areas

•Area de Conservacion de Funafuti (importante sitio de anidacion de aves marinas)
•Atolón de Nanumea
•Atolón de Nukufetau
•Isla de Niulakita
•Laguna de Funafuti
•Atolón de Nui

Main conservation threats

•Subida del nivel del mar (amenaza existencial maxima entre las naciones del Pacifico, altitud media de apenas 2 metros)
•Especies invasoras
•Sobrepesca
•Recursos limitados para gestion de conservacion

Notable natural phenomena

•Uno de los paises mas vulnerables del mundo al cambio climatico
•Habitat de descanso para ballenas migratorias de paso estacional

Conservation

The rise in sea level and the salinisation of the aquifers threaten the habitability of the country in the medium term, and Tuvalu has become one of the most active voices in international climate negotiations. Traditional rotating closures remain the basis of fisheries management.

Where and when to watch wildlife

Funafuti lagoon year-round for reefs and turtles. The outer islets for nesting seabirds. The beaches at nightfall for coconut crabs and hermit crabs.

El estatus de endemismo de algunas especies citadas en fuentes divulgativas (rascon, palma abanico) no esta confirmado con la misma solidez que el del escinco de Tuvalu; recomendable verificacion adicional antes de publicar como dato definitivo.

Sources: constructive-voices.com - Tuvalu Biodiversity | BioDB.com - Tuvalu | florafaunafun.com - Animals of Tuvalu | earth-site.co.uk

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