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The workshop was planned and implemented collaboratively by SPREP, UNDP-GEF, UNDP Country offices located in Suva, Apia and Port Moresby, and the UNCCD Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. Matt McIntyre was sub-contracted by SPREP and engaged as consultant/resource person to the workshop. SPREP was engaged to organize and facilitate the workshop under two separate but closely related contracts with UNDP and UNDP-GEF. The Government of Fiji approved the hosting of the workshop in Suva, assisted with organizing the venue and presented the welcoming and closing address through Mr Inoke Ratukalou, the Director of Lands and Planning of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of Fiji. Opening statements were also presented by Amena on behalf of the SPREP Director, Mr Richard Dictus (UNDP Resident Representative in Fiji), Hans Eschweiler (UNDP-GEF) and Yoko Hagiwara (UNCCD)

This report includes an introductory section on the geography and vegetation, and a main portion listing the species of vascular plants known to occur, or to have occurred, on the island, with detailed descriptions of those of which time permitted a careful study, and brief descriptions of the remaining native species. Those suspected to have been brought by Polynesians in pre-European time are also described and discussed in some detail. Exotic species are either very briefly described or, especially in cases of very familiar weeds and ornamentals, merely listed with remarks on their occurrences and citations of specimens. Collections by Raynal are cited, as are those made on the 1985 expedition, with symbols indicating the herbaria where they are deposited. The Raynal specimens are in the herbarium of the Laboratoire de Phanerogamie Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris (P).

The Gilbert Islands are a north-south chain of low coral islands, lying across the equator at about 172°-177° E longitude. The atolls, from north to south are Little Makin, Butaritari, Marakei, Abaiang, Tarawa, Maiana, Kuria, Aranuka, Abemama, Nonouti, Tabiteuea, Onotoa, Beru, Nikunau, Tamana, and Arorai. They are densely populated, and were under British Colonial Government until 1979, when they were granted independence, and now are the principal archipelago in the new republic of Kiribati.

As a background for work on the vegetation of Micronesia it was necessary to assemble all available information on the flora. early accounts of the islands and their exploration. agricultural history. and economic botany. as well as on the ecology and vegetation of the region. It was found that the published bibliographies were by no means. complete or adequate for this purpose. so a card catalog was made of all items located and examined. This forms the basis of the bibliography. but an effort has been made to locate and include any published work on other aspects of plant science. also. in order that the bibliography may be reasonably complete.

Small island developing States (SIDS) are highly vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise owing partly to their small land masses surrounded by ocean, and their location in regions prone to natural disasters. SIDS are often characterized by having relatively large populations for the area they occupy with high growth rates and densities; poorly developed infrastructure and limited natural, human and economic resources, and their high dependence on marine resources for their livelihood needs. Most of their economies are reliant on a limited resource base and are vulnerable to external forces, such as changing terms of trade, trade liberalization, and migration flows. Adaptive capacity to climate change is generally low.