Tetepare Island is an island in
Western Province, in the independent nation of
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
. Tetepare supports pristine lowland
rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
and a rich inshore marine area. Tetepare Island is identified as an area with high biodiversity and conservation values.
The meaning of the name is uncertain; it most probably means "wild pig" or "fighting boar" because the island was (and to some degree still is) famous for these animals among inhabitants of the region.
[Molia (2000), Read & Moseby (2006)]
The local residents were apparently once a distinct ethnic group; a
Tetepare language and unique traditions are attested, but information is fragmentary. Like their neighbors on
Rendova Island and
New Georgia
New Georgia, with an area of , is the largest of the islands in Western Province (Solomon Islands), Western Province, Solomon Islands, and the List of islands by area, 203rd-largest island in the world. Since July 1978, the island has been par ...
, they appear to have been
swidden agriculturalist, and to have occasionally practiced
headhunting. But the island was abandoned in the mid-19th century, with the locals dispersing to
New Georgia
New Georgia, with an area of , is the largest of the islands in Western Province (Solomon Islands), Western Province, Solomon Islands, and the List of islands by area, 203rd-largest island in the world. Since July 1978, the island has been par ...
,
Roviana Lagoon,
Vona Vona Lagoon,
Nggatokae and
Ranongga.
[Molia (2000)]
At the western tip, a
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
plantation was established in 1907–1918, but this declined since
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and all maintenance ceased after 1990.
Secondary forest is now reclaiming this area.
Ecology
The island has been recognized for its conservation significance and archaeological values. A total of 230 bird species, 24 reptile, four frog and 13 mammal species have been recorded on Tetepare including rare and endemic bird and bat species.
Scientists are still discovering new species on Tetepare. In recent years, researchers discovered three new species of fish, one new fish genera and one potential new fish family in Tetepare's freshwater rivers.
Three species of marine turtles, including the critically endangered
leatherback and
hawksbill and the endangered green, nest on Tetepare's volcanic black sand beaches.
Sharks, dolphins, crocodiles and an extraordinary diversity of fish species make the island's reefs their home. The coral reefs of the region support one of the highest diversities of fish and coral in the world, second only to
Raja Ampat in Indonesia.
The island sports a rich
herpetofauna, but
geckos are somewhat less diverse. It supports three species of
sea turtles, namely
green sea turtle,
leatherback sea turtle, and
hawksbill sea turtle. The latter two are considered
critically endangered
An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...
species, and the former two are known to nest on Tetepare. The
Solomon Islands skink which occurs here is the largest living skink. The
mangrove monitor and the
pacific ground boa are also not rare here; these three
scleroglossan reptiles are becoming rare in the Solomon Islands. The highly unusual
green green-blooded skink can be seen on the beaches.
In late 2004, entomologist Charles DeRoller conducted the first survey of the lepidoptera occurring on Tetepare. The range of 43 previously identified
lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...
was expanded to include Tetepare. Most butterfly species on Tetepare are common to the New Georgia and/or Shortlands groups of islands. However, a new subspecies of butterfly, ''
Argyronmpha rubianensis masolo'', was described. The
birdwing butterfly (''Ornithoptera victoria'') was for the first time confirmed to exist on Tetepare, though the dead specimen was in such a state of decay that the specific subspecies could not be determined.
Bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
s are also plentiful, despite the presence of cats. Possibly the pigs and maybe the cats have
extirpated certain ground birds, as indicated by the paucity of ''
Gallicolumba''
doves and
rails. The majestic
Sanford's sea-eagle is plentiful, and among rarer birds, the
beach thick-knee,
crested cuckoo-dove and
Kolombangara monarch are found.
Nicobar pigeons and
island imperial-pigeons use Tetepare as a foraging ground, crossing over from their roosts in neighboring
mangrove swamps in huge numbers. The only known
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
taxon on Tetepare is the plentiful Tetepare white-eye (''Zosterops tetiparius tetiparius''), a
subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
of the
dark-eyed white-eye.
Most
mammal
A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...
s on Tetepare are
bats. Among these is
Fardoulis' blossom-bat (only described in 1993) and a
roundleaf bat that might be
Maggie Taylor's roundleaf bat (described in 1981) or a new
taxon
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...
. In addition, some
flying foxes from Tetepare are hitherto unidentified; possibly the
New Georgia monkey-faced bat (''
Pteralopex taki'') is one of them.
The island supports a population of wild pigs, which are an important food resource for people from neighboring Rendova Island, particularly during
feasts. Local hunters help to regulate the pig population through frequent hunting trips to the island. At least one feral
cat is known to exist on the island, but other
invasive species
An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...
like the
cane toad have not reached the island.
[Read & Moseby (2006)]
Land "ownership" among the Tetepare people was of a customary caretaker nature. Their descendants are still recognized as the traditional landowners or overseers of Tetepare Island, and the island continues to be a place of spiritual and traditional significance in the region.
In 2002 the Tetepare Descendants' Association was founded to coordinate the maintenance of the equilibrium between the island
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...
and the exploitation of its resources by the growing human population of the Western Province, as well as the preservation of Tetepare as the home of their ancestors. A low-tech field station and ecolodge for
ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...
has been built.
Tetepare Descendants' Association
In 1995 Friends of Tetepare was formed from a group of customary landowners to prevent commercial logging on the island. In 2002, the Friends of Tetepare and TOLOA (Tetepare Traditional Landowners Association) came together to form the Tetepare Descendants' Association (TDA). Their aim was to conserve Tetepare for the benefit of all descendants and future generations. More than 3000 descendants have since joined the TDA, making it one of the largest land-owning organisations in the Solomon Islands.
Old Warden Uniforms Worn Again
and Spirits of an Uninhabited Island: Tetepare, South Pacific, By Mike and Jeanine D'Antonio, 26/05/2007, National Park Warden Association
The TDA is a registered Solomon Islands charitable organisation, with an office in the town of Munda, and a field station and ecolodge on Tetepare Island.
The TDA has established a Marine Protected Area on Tetepare, which is a no-take zone. This is one of the largest contiguous Marine Protected Areas in the Solomon Islands. TDA rangers, marine monitors, seagrass monitors and turtle monitors work on the island to patrol and protect the MPA and the forest, and to monitor the health of the island's reefs, seagrass meadow
A seagrass meadow or seagrass bed is an underwater ecosystem formed by seagrasses. Seagrasses are marine (saltwater) plants found in shallow coastal waters and in the brackish waters of estuaries. Seagrasses are flowering plants with stems and ...
s and forests, and to tag turtles and protect and relocate turtle nests during the nesting season from September to April.
With funding and support from the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
, the TDA has created an ecolodge on Tetepare, which provides jobs for descendants from local villages and raises money to support the conservation program.
The TDA also runs sustainable livelihoods programs for descendant communities and runs a scholarship program to help TDA members pay school fees for their children.
The TDA has received support and funding from several international organisations and individuals including the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
, World Wide Fund for Nature, Conservation International, Australian Volunteers International and NZ Aid.
See also
* Desert island
An uninhabited island, desert island, or deserted island, is an island, islet or atoll which lacks permanent human population. Uninhabited islands are often depicted in films or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereotypes ...
* List of islands
This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water
A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refer ...
References
Citations
General and cited references
* (2000)
''The Great Exodus of Tetepare Islanders''
Report for World Wide Fund for Nature South Pacific Program.
* (2006): "Vertebrates of Tetepare Island, Solomon Islands". ''Pacific Science'' 60(1): 69–79.
HTML abstract
* (2011):
'. .
Further reading
* Caldwell, Roy L. (Jan 2005). "An Observation of Inking Behavior Protecting Adult ''Octopus Bocki'' from Predation by Green Turtle (''Chelonia Mydas'') Hatchlings". ''Pacific Science'', 2005, Vol. 59(1), pp. 69–72. .
* Read, John L.; Moseby, Katherine (Jan 2006). "Vertebrates of Tetepare Island, Solomon Islands 1". ''Katherine Pacific Science''. Vol. 60(1), pp. 69–79. .
External links
*
Exploring Solomons wiki - Tetepare page
{{Authority control
Former populated places in Oceania
Islands of the Solomon Islands
Uninhabited islands of the Solomon Islands
Western Province (Solomon Islands)