Recent Environmental Changes on Pacific Islands

Abstract

The origins of the various views about environmental change in the Pacific islands are described, as is the ancestry of the common contemporary view that recent environmental changes are mostly the results of human activity. A description is given of the environmental changes which occurred in three periods. Changes prior to the islands' initial settlement were caused by climate and sea-level changes among other factors. The origin of Pacific island savannas is discussed. Changes post-settlement but pre-1840 AD are outlined with emphasis on the relative contribution of people and climate changes, particularly the Little Climatic Optimum and the Little Ice Age. The effect of tectonic changes on various island environments is discussed. Changes within the last 150 years include land degradation, for which the roles of human and non-human factors are evaluated. Coastal environmental changes are also discussed particularly with reference to contemporary sea-level changes. Evidence of climate changes within the Pacific Basin is presented: increases in temperature and tropical cyclone frequency are apparent in many places. It is concluded that human impacts on Pacific island environments may have been overestimated and non-human effects underestimated, a situation which has implications for the region's future.