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The following paper can by no means by considered to be the definitive word on all the ethnobotany of Tokelau. It is merely the first few steps--the recording and identifying of Tokelau plant names and describing the more salient uses of the plants. It is one of three completed studies in a program of ethnobotanical research (see Whistler 1984, for Samoa, and Whistler n.d., for the Cook Islands). It is hoped that these studies can lay a groundwork for ethnobotanists and anthropologists to continue with more detailed studies of plant uses before it is too late.

This nearly 70-page EIA, prepared for the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), investigates the Ok Tedi copper–gold mine’s impact on Papua New Guinea’s Fly–Ok Tedi River system. It reveals that approximately 80,000 tonnes of ore-processing residues—plus comparable volumes of waste rock and overburden—are discharged into the headwaters daily en.wikipedia.org+6library.sprep.org+6pacific-data.sprep.org+6 . Over decades, this dumping has elevated river beds, causing altered flow patterns, severe flooding, and erosion of nearby croplands and forests. The report traces the spread of trace metals throughout the floodplain, assessing sediment metal concentrations and ecological risk. It highlights widespread environmental degradation: deforestation, reduced aquatic biodiversity, and polluted agricultural soils. These impacts threaten both ecosystems and the livelihoods of downstream communities, while also raising broader concerns about sustainable mining and the need for environmental safeguards in the Pacific.