Birders
I have just received this on my email at work. I thought that all the
conservation-minded birders like myself would be interested, given the
threads on canon-netting etc. lately.
John
Suwarrow - Bird Island Under Threat
Suwarrow is an uninhabited atoll situated in the northern Cook Islands,
over 800 kms from Rarotonga. Although uninhabited, it is a favorite stop
over for yachts traveling between French Polynesia and the Samoa group.
Suwarrow is an important seabird-breeding site not only for the Cook
Islands,
but also for the central Pacific and is significant in world terms.
Eleven
species of seabirds breed on the atoll. Its reef-islets, a mere 1.6km2,
support regionally significant colonies of Lesser Frigatebirds (9% of
the
world population), Red-tailed Tropicbirds (3% of the world population)
and
Sooty Terns (only 0.3% of the world population but exceptionally large
colonies with a total of 71,500 pairs).
The atoll also supports locally significant colonies of Red-footed
Boobies, Great Frigatebirds, Brown Boobies and Masked Boobies. It is
also an important wintering site for the Vulnerable Bristle-thighed
Curlew,
an Alaskan migrant. As well as being an important sea-bird island, it
has the biggest population of coconut crabs in the Cook Islands, and is
a
nesting site for the endangered Green turtle. A well-known visitor to
Suwarrow's ocean is the Humpback whale. In recognition of its wildlife,
the Cook Islands Government declared Suwarrow a National Park in 1978
under
the Conservation Act of the same year. But due to changes in successive
Acts,
the National Park status is considered by some as being invalid. The
conservation status of Suwarrow is currently an issue of debate between
environmentalists and government.
Development Plans for Suwarrow
To help entice potential investors to Suwarrow, the Government in 1998
commissioned a Hawaiian company to draft an EIA based on proposed
pearl farming development. However, the terms of reference for the EIA
were based on the predilection that pearl farming would happen. Those
pushing development in the current government see the EIA as the green
light to develop Suwarrow. But environmentalists feel that the report
doesn't comprehensively address the management issues of the island.
The bid to attract investors has been successful when last year
Australian
developers submitted a proposal to the Cook Island Government to
establish black pearl farming on the remote atoll.
This has created an outcry from many Cook Islanders and environmental
groups from around the world. It is feared that the proposed
development
will impact negatively on Suwarrow's diverse wildlife by having up to
100 workers residing on the island. The Australian developers are
seeking a 60-year lease to farm Black-lipped pearl oysters, and to help
kick-start the venture, import the oysters from neighboring island
Manihiki, as the wild stock in Suwarrow's lagoon is rare. The
introduction of pearl stock from elsewhere is an issue of much concern
because of the increased disease risk. Recently, an unusually high
number of Vibrio bacteria caused significant mortality in pearl shells
in Manihiki's lagoon. Also as the Black-lipped oyster species of
Suwarrow
differs genetically from other populations in the Cook Islands,
any introduction will genetically modify the small indigenous
population.
Save Our Suwarrow Campaign "" (SOS) campaign was launched in 1998. The
campaign achieved what was thought to be a major breakthrough when a
newly elected Cook Islands Government gave an undertaking the atoll
would remain a national park. However, a subsequent government has seen
a reversal of the previous Government. It is hoped that by continuing
to apply pressure to Government through publicizing the Suwarrow
plight, the SOS campaign will convince the Cook Islands Government that
there is much more to the future of the Cook Islands than dollars. The
Government must realise that they have been entrusted with the task of
care-taking our environment for the future, and should not take risks
that could lead to irreparable damage in order to gain short term
economic benefits to a few. To show your support for the Suwarrow cause
email ,
Kia Orana e Kia Manuia,
Anna Tiraa
(ps: please pass on to others)
><<><<><<><<><<><<><
Anna Tiraa
C/- PO Box 244
Apia Samoa
(685) 20772
><><<><<><<><<><<><<><
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