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"The impacts of the 1997-1998 El Nino are fresh in our minds, and the latest reports from the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirm tvhat all of you already know— changes in climate matter to individuals, communities, businesses and governments who call islands home. Your valuable natural resources, traditional ways of life, critical economic sectors, community support infrastructure, atid, to a great extent, your future, depend on developing an effective response to the challenges presented by climate variability and change."

The purpose of this booklet is to encourage the young people of the Federated States of Micronesia to pursue careers in environmental science and conservation, with the further goal of sustainable natural resource use and preservation of biodiversity in the Pacific. The text aims to make these topics relevant by focusing on the environments of Chuuk State and using Chuukese and outer island examples to illustrate scientific concepts. Cultural diversity goes hand in hand with biodiversity, so descriptions of the plant communities contain examples of how they are used by the people of Chuuk State. Proverbs, legends and stories, which show close, thorough observation of the environment and an interest in explaining it, are also included. This booklet is small indeed in comparison to the richness of the various environments of Chuuk State and the sophistication of local traditional knowledge about them. It is our hope that these environments will continue to be preserved, and that the knowledge of them will be set down by the local scientists and traditional experts of today and those who will follow.