Pacific Islands environment outlook / compiled by Gerald Miles

Abstract

The Pacific islands region is unique, not because its geographical, biological, sociological and economic characteristics are found exclusively here but because of combination of these characteristics within the region. The region is characterized by: smal land masses dispersed over 5.8 % of the Earth's surface; a high degree of ecosystem and species diversity an extraordinary level of endemicity a high degree of economic and cultural dependence on the natural environment, vulnerability to a wide range of natural and environmental disasters and a diversity of cultures and languages, traditional practices and customs focused on the marine and coastal environment.