Diversity in Landscape

Abstract

This chapter describes the vegetation and landscape from both ecological and cultural viewpoints. Local people call the geographic setting of New Georgia Island tutupeka and that of the barrier islands toba and understand that the soil and vegetation differ on the barrier islands when compared with those of the main island. In the Roviana language, forest is generally called hinqohinqo, but 12 names were used to describe various forest vegetation types. Among them, rizevu (borrowed from the English word “reserve”) is a forest reserve growing near the settlement. Logging by multinational companies and agricultural cultivation are prohibited in these areas, but the local people are allowed to harvest trees for personal use and to remove several non-timber forest products. Vegetation survey disclosed that the primary forests (muqe) on the main and barrier islands were only half as similar (16.0 %) as the respective secondary forests (nobo) (33.3 %). However, vegetation in the reserve forests was 45.9–52.6 % similar to that found in the primary and secondary forests on the main island. Thus, each forest type contained a different type of biodiversity, and this level of diversity is related to human activities.