Map of the Pitcairn Islands (click to view full-size)
Background information
Pitcairn is one of the most remote island groups in the world, isolated in mid-Pacific. The population is just 46 peope (July 2005 estimate), inhabiting only one of the five main islands. Total land area is some 47km2.
Legislation regarding biodiversity and impact assessment
International
The Pitcairn group is included within the UK's ratification of the following Conventions:
- World Heritage Convention
- Ramsar Convention
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
- Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment for the South Pacific Region
- International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling
National
National legislation pertaining to species protection and protected areas includes:
- The Fisheries Zone Ordinance
- Local Government Regulations 1971 (Part IV)
Further information on this legislation can be found through the legislation pages.
Key development areas and issues
Most of the Pitcairn population (ca. 60 people) is employed in local government and community service. Extra income comes from the sale of carvings and curios to cruise passengers and by mail order. Fishing rights to the territorial waters have been leased to Japanese and Taiwanese vessels in the past, but locals frequently report illegal commercial fishing inside the territorial zone.
Biodiversity interest
The group of four islands consist of three uninhabited islands (Henderson, Ducie and Oeno), and one inhabited (Pitcairn itself). The reliance on a subsistence economy for so long has meant that the native vegetation of Pitcairn is much altered, with most cultivable ground having been used at some time or other through the island's history. Introduced species such as the Norfolk Island Pine Araucaria heterophylla and feral goats have also affected the native vegetation.
Henderson is the least disturbed of the islands, and is designated a World Heritage Site as the best remaining example of a raised coral atoll in the world. The island surface is primarily coral rubble, and it is fringed by a reef of approximately 200m width to the north. The flora of the island consists of ca. 63 native species, nine taxa of which are endemic.
Oeno and Ducie have rather depauperate flora; only 2 vascular plant species being recorded from Ducie! In contrast, Pitcairn and Henderson have relatively diverse flora, much of it threatened or near-threatened in Pitcairn's case. The invertebrate fauna of the islands contains numerous endemic species, although the degree of endemism is lower than that of island groups further west. In common with many other island states, the avian fauna is highly significant, with four endemic species and internationally significant breeding seabird populations, particularly Murphy's Petrel Pterodroma murphyi: around 200,000 pairs, probably the majority of the world's population, breeds on Ducie Island.
Further information about the important species of this island group can be found through this page.
Rat predation of seabirds is probably at an unsustainable level, although eradication on Oeno and Ducie Islands has been successful. Invasive plants are also a problem, primarily rose-apple (Syzygium jambos), lantana (L. camara), and the passionfruit Passiflora maliformis, which seems to have been introduced to Henderson I. - an otherwise near-pristine island (Varnham 2006).
Protected Areas
Five Ramsar sites have been proposed for the Pitcairn group, three of which are the uninhabited islands of Oeno, Ducie and Henderson, covering a grand total of 5,300ha. Two sites are proposed for Pitcairn itself: Browns Water and the Coastal Waters of Pitcairn. As yet none of the sites are formally designated.
Further information about the protected areas of Pitcairn can be found through this page.