DOCSLIB.ORG

Solomon Islands: Road Improvement (Sector) Project

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Initial Poverty and Social Assessment Project Number: 39581 (Grant 49) June 2008 Solomon Islands: Road Improvement (Sector) Project An initial poverty and social assessment (IPSA) is prepared in the early stage of the project cycle to assess the significance of social issues for a project. In accordance with ADB’s public communications policy (PCP, 2005), the IPSA is disclosed upon completion. The final summary social assessment is included as an appendix to the project’s report and recommendation of the President. Solomon Islands Road Improvement (Sector) Project FEASIBILITY STUDY Wainuri-Kirakira & Kirakira-Warihito Makira Province Initial Poverty & Social Assessment June 2008 Report No. 8 In Association with Solomon Islands Government Ministry of Infrastructure Development Report Register Inception Report 1 Training and Capacity Building Plan 2 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework 3 Quarterly Report - July 2007 4 Appraisal Summary & Environmental Scoping Report 5 Quarterly Progress Report – September 2007 6 Feasibility Study Report (3 Volumes) – Lata – Mbaengo Road (Temotu) 7 Engineering & Economic Assessment; Initial Poverty & Social Assessment; Initial Environmental Examination Feasibility Study Report (4 Volumes) – Wainuri - Kirakira – Warihito Road 8 (Makira) Engineering Assessment; Economic Assessment; Initial Poverty & Social Assessment; Initial Environmental Examination Feasibility Study Report (3 Volumes) – Kolombongara – Ghoe Road (Choiseul) 9 Engineering & Economic Assessment; Initial Poverty & Social Assessment; Initial Environmental Examination Multi Criteria Sensitivity Analysis 10 Tender Documents Routine and Specific Maintenance of Roads on Guadalcanal 11 Sealed Roads Unsealed Roads Communications Plan 12 Labour Based Equipment Supported Maintenance Workshop 13 Quarterly Progress Report – December 2007 14 Makira Stream Crossing Relocation Study Report 15 Quarterly Progress Report – March 2008 16 Makira Topographic Survey Terms of Reference 17 Labour Based Training Report (March 2008) Guadalcanal 18 TA 48-SOL IPSA Wainuri – Kirakira & Kirakira - Warihito June08 Page 2 Feasibility Study Report (4 Volumes) – Lambi- Naro Hill 19 Engineering Assessment; Economic Assessment; Initial Poverty & Social Assessment; Initial Environmental Examination. Tender Documents - Routine and Specific Maintenance of Roads on Malaita 20 Section 1 Section 2 Town and Airport Roads Procurement Strategy for International Competitive Bidding 21 Training Report - Introduction Course To Road Maintenance For Contractors 22 And Work Supervisors (Malaita) Strategy for Ongoing Support of Labour Based Equipment Supported Road 23 Maintenance TA 48-SOL IPSA Wainuri – Kirakira & Kirakira - Warihito June08 Page 3 SOLOMON ISLANDS ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT Initial Poverty & Social Assessment: Warihito-Wainuri Road, Makira Ravo River during heavy flooding Crossing Ravo River during normal flow Typical village house Attending Village meeting Solomon Islands Road Improvement (Sector) Project Table of Contents Abbreviations Summary Poverty Reduction and Social Strategy 1. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT.......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 SUBPROJECT SELECTION ................................................................................................................... 1 1.3 POVERTY AND SOCIAL IMPACT CONTROL STUDY .................................................................................. 2 1.4 COMPONENTS OF THE SUBPROJECT .................................................................................................... 3 1.4.1 Description of Road and Proposed Works ................................................................................. 3 1.4.2 Proposed Bridge Crossings ....................................................................................................... 4 2. PROVINCIAL CHARACTERISTICS....................................................................................................... 6 2.1 GEOGRAPHY AND LAND USE .............................................................................................................. 6 2.1.1 Geography and Topography ...................................................................................................... 6 2.1.2 Land Use.................................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 POPULATION..................................................................................................................................... 8 2.3 ECONOMY ........................................................................................................................................ 9 2.3.1 Copra, Cocoa and Betel Nut ...................................................................................................... 9 2.3.2 Forestry.................................................................................................................................... 10 2.3.3 Fishing ..................................................................................................................................... 10 2.3.4 Markets and Commercial Activities .......................................................................................... 10 2.4 HEALTH SERVICES .......................................................................................................................... 11 2.5 EDUCATION SERVICES ..................................................................................................................... 12 2.6 TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES ................................................................................... 13 2.7 OTHER SERVICES............................................................................................................................ 14 2.8 CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVITIES................................................................................................................ 15 2.9 LIVELIHOODS, INCOME AND POVERTY ................................................................................................ 15 2.9.1 Livelihoods ............................................................................................................................... 15 2.9.2 Subsistence Production ........................................................................................................... 16 2.9.3 Income and Poverty ................................................................................................................. 17 2.10 HUMAN DEVELOPMENT .................................................................................................................... 19 3. THE SUBPROJECT AND IMPACT AREA........................................................................................... 21 3.1 SURVEY AND FIELDWORK FOR THE ASSESSMENT................................................................................ 21 3.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE SUBPROJECT LOCATION ................................................................................... 21 3.3 POPULATION AND ACCESS ............................................................................................................... 25 3.4 OWNERSHIP OF TRANSPORT............................................................................................................. 27 3.5 ECONOMY ...................................................................................................................................... 28 3.6 ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND HEALTH SERVICES................................................................................. 30 3.6.1 Education Services .................................................................................................................. 30 3.6.2 Health Services........................................................................................................................ 32 3.7 ROAD USER SURVEY ....................................................................................................................... 33 3.7.1 Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 33 3.7.2 Socio-Economic Characteristics of Road Users....................................................................... 34 3.7.3 Transportation and Trip Characteristics of Road Users ........................................................... 38 4. POVERTY, SOCIAL AND SAFEGUARDS ASSESSMENT ................................................................. 42 4.1 POVERTY ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................................... 42 4.2 IMPROVING ACCESS AND FACILITATING DEVELOPMENT ....................................................................... 44 4.3 IMPACTS ON LAND AND RESOURCES.................................................................................................. 44 4.4 RISK OF SPREAD OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES AND CHILD EXPLOITATION ........................................... 46 4.4.1 Status of HIV and STIs in Solomon Islands ............................................................................. 47 4.4.2 High Risk Groups..................................................................................................................... 48 4.4.3 Awareness
Recommended publications
  • Rice and Tea, Fish and Taro: Sikaiana Migration to Honiara

    Rice and Tea, Fish and Taro: Sikaiana Migration to Honiara

    donner.fm Page 23 Thursday, June 13, 2002 1:13 PM RICE AND TEA, FISH AND TARO: SIKAIANA MIGRATION TO HONIARA William W. Donner Kutztown University For the past seventy years, the people from Sikaiana in the Solomon Islands have been migrating away from their atoll. After World War II, most Sikaiana mi- grants settled in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, located on Guadal- canal Island. Several generations of Sikaiana people have matured in Honiara, and, during my stays in the 1980s, the Sikaiana population in Honiara outnum- bered the population on Sikaiana. In Honiara, Sikaiana migrants have developed many activities that bring them together as a community, including a residential settlement, funerals, wedding exchanges, and fund-raising events. Sikaiana people living on the atoll form a small face-to-face community of biographically known others. Sikaiana migrants in Honiara have developed institutions and events that maintain this kind of intimate community, but economic and demographic factors are not stable, and the lives of migrants are changing in ways that may alter their communal activities. Collective ownership is being replaced by individual owner- ship, generalized reciprocity is replaced by new market relations, and most Sikai- ana migrants are now dependent on earning wages in an uncertain economy and social system. Polopolo mai te tinana koe ka hano ki Tapuaki Sulu tahi ki too sikulu ko he naenae noa i te kuki I promised your mother to make you go to school. Always study hard so that you will not end up making yourself tired working as some white man’s cook.
  • Ethnography of Ontong Java and Tasman Islands with Remarks Re: the Marqueen and Abgarris Islands

    Ethnography of Ontong Java and Tasman Islands with Remarks Re: the Marqueen and Abgarris Islands

    PACIFIC STUDIES Vol. 9, No. 3 July 1986 ETHNOGRAPHY OF ONTONG JAVA AND TASMAN ISLANDS WITH REMARKS RE: THE MARQUEEN AND ABGARRIS ISLANDS by R. Parkinson Translated by Rose S. Hartmann, M.D. Introduced and Annotated by Richard Feinberg Kent State University INTRODUCTION The Polynesian outliers for years have held a special place in Oceanic studies. They have figured prominently in discussions of Polynesian set- tlement from Thilenius (1902), Churchill (1911), and Rivers (1914) to Bayard (1976) and Kirch and Yen (1982). Scattered strategically through territory generally regarded as either Melanesian or Microne- sian, they illustrate to varying degrees a merging of elements from the three great Oceanic culture areas—thus potentially illuminating pro- cesses of cultural diffusion. And as small bits of land, remote from urban and administrative centers, they have only relatively recently experienced the sustained European contact that many decades earlier wreaked havoc with most islands of the “Polynesian Triangle.” The last of these characteristics has made the outliers particularly attractive to scholars interested in glimpsing Polynesian cultures and societies that have been but minimally influenced by Western ideas and Pacific Studies, Vol. 9, No. 3—July 1986 1 2 Pacific Studies, Vol. 9, No. 3—July 1986 accoutrements. For example, Tikopia and Anuta in the eastern Solo- mons are exceptional in having maintained their traditional social structures, including their hereditary chieftainships, almost entirely intact. And Papua New Guinea’s three Polynesian outliers—Nukuria, Nukumanu, and Takuu—may be the only Polynesian islands that still systematically prohibit Christian missionary activities while proudly maintaining important elements of their old religions.
  • South Malaita

    South Malaita

    Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology Post Office Box 21 Honiara Solomon Islands Phone: (677) 27937/ 27936, Mobile: 7495895/ 7449741 Fax: (677) 24293 and 27060. e-mail : [email protected] and [email protected] 6 FEBRUARY TEMOTU EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI SI NDMO/NEOC SITUATION REPORT NUMBER 05 Event 8.0 Earthquake and tsunami near Santa Cruz Islands, Temotu Province. SITREP No. 05 Date: 11/2/2013 Time Issued: 1800 Hrs Next Update: 1800hrs - 12/02/2013 From: NEOC/NDMO To: N-DOC & NDC Chairs and Members, P-DOC and PDC Chairs and Members, PEOCs Copies: NDMO Stakeholders, Donor Partners, Local & International NGOs, UN Agencies, Diplomatic Agencies, SIRPF, SIRC and SI Government Ministries and all SI Government Overseas Missions Situation New information highlighted in red. At 12.12pm Wednesday 6th February, 2013 a 8.0 magnitude undersea earthquake occurred 33km West- Southwest of the Santa Cruz Islands and generated a destructive tsunami. At 12.23pm the SI Meteorological Service issued a tsunami warning for 5 provinces in Solomon Islands; Temotu, Malaita, Makira-Ulawa, Central and Guadalcanal. By 1.18pm the threat to the 5 Provinces had been assessed and for Guadalcanal and Temotu this was downgraded to watch status. The tsunami warning remained in effect for Temotu, Makira-Ulawa and Malaita Provinces until 5pm. A large number of aftershocks have occurred after the event, with 7.1 being the highest. The Temotu Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) was activated and a team was deployed to the Temotu province to assist the provincial staff Areas Affected Mostly the coastal villages on Santa Cruz.
  • Post Office Box 21, Vavaya Ridge, Honiara, Solomon Islands

    Post Office Box 21, Vavaya Ridge, Honiara, Solomon Islands

    NATIONAL SITUATION REPORT 02: Tinakula Volcano Print NATIONAL DISASTER COUNCIL National Disaster Management Office Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology Post Office Box 21, Vavaya Ridge, Honiara, Solomon Islands Phone: (677) 27937, Mobile: 7410874, Fax: (677) 24293 or 27060 E-mail : [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) NATIONAL SITUATION REPORT 02 Event: Tinakula Volcanic Eruption Date of Issue: 26th October 2017 Time of Issue: 15:30 PM Approved by: N-DOC Chair Issued By: SLB NEOC Next Update: As information become available Sitrep Ref: SR261017002 A. HIGHLIGHTS Volcanic Ash fall is concentrated on Tinakula Island, however, spread over nearby Islands because of the influence of the wind direction Uncertainity on the usage of rain water and bore catchment for household purposes. Signs of complication are now initially reported from some of the villages,this includes, diarrhoea, red eye, skin rush, vomit, and Cough. An Initial Situation Overview (ISO) report has been completed and will be distributed. Outcomes focus on water, health, livelihood, Education and Protection. Water bottles are planned to be shipped to affected communities. A Geologist are deployed to Temotu to monitor the activity SIG Met aviation warning is lifted. N-DOC Health committee are activated and currently supporting the response The estimated population which are expected to be affected is 11,500, however, this can be varied in the coming days as verification continues. Reef Islands and the Polynesian outlayers are most the most vulnerable. 40 Tons of food supply was deployed to Tikopia, Duff and Anuta due to the ongoing food security issues due to the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Donna early this year.
  • Human-Crocodile Conflict in Solomon Islands

    Human-Crocodile Conflict in Solomon Islands

    Human-crocodile conflict in Solomon Islands In partnership with Human-crocodile conflict in Solomon Islands Authors Jan van der Ploeg, Francis Ratu, Judah Viravira, Matthew Brien, Christina Wood, Melvin Zama, Chelcia Gomese and Josef Hurutarau. Citation This publication should be cited as: Van der Ploeg J, Ratu F, Viravira J, Brien M, Wood C, Zama M, Gomese C and Hurutarau J. 2019. Human-crocodile conflict in Solomon Islands. Penang, Malaysia: WorldFish. Program Report: 2019-02. Photo credits Front cover, Eddie Meke; page 5, 11, 20, 21 and 24 Jan van der Ploeg/WorldFish; page 7 and 12, Christina Wood/ WorldFish; page 9, Solomon Star; page 10, Tessa Minter/Leiden University; page 22, Tingo Leve/WWF; page 23, Brian Taupiri/Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation. Acknowledgments This survey was made possible through the Asian Development Bank’s technical assistance on strengthening coastal and marine resources management in the Pacific (TA 7753). We are grateful for the support of Thomas Gloerfelt-Tarp, Hanna Uusimaa, Ferdinand Reclamado and Haezel Barber. The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM) initiated the survey. We specifically would like to thank Agnetha Vave-Karamui, Trevor Maeda and Ezekiel Leghunau. We also acknowledge the support of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR), particularly Rosalie Masu, Anna Schwarz, Peter Rex Lausu’u, Stephen Mosese, and provincial fisheries officers Peter Bade (Makira), Thompson Miabule (Choiseul), Frazer Kavali (Isabel), Matthew Isihanua (Malaita), Simeon Baeto (Western Province), Talent Kaepaza and Malachi Tefetia (Central Province). The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force shared information on their crocodile destruction operations and participated in the workshops of the project.
  • Ahp Disaster Ready Report: Traditional Knowledge

    Ahp Disaster Ready Report: Traditional Knowledge

    AHP DISASTER READY REPORT: TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE Tadahadi Bay, 2018. Prepared by: Kayleen Fanega, Project Officer, Solomon Islands Meteorological Services Acknowledgments This report was compiled by the Solomon Islands Meteorological Services (SIMS) climate section that have been implementing a Traditional Knowledge project with support and seed funding from the Government of Australia through Bureau of Meteorology, Australia with additional funding support from the Solomon Islands Government which has enabled data collection field trips. Solomon Islands Meteorological Service would like to kindly acknowledge and thank the World Vision Solomon Islands, for involving them in their Australian Humanitarian Project (AHP) and the communities; Tadahadi, Wango, Manitawanuhi, Manihuki for allowing the traditional knowledge (TK) survey to be conducted in their community. 1 Acronyms AHP: Australian Humanitarian Project BoM -Bureau of Meteorology MOU- Memorandum of Understanding TK- Traditional Knowledge SIMS- Solomon Islands Meteorological Services VDCRC- Village Disaster Climate Risk Committee WVSI- World Vision Solomon Islands 2 Contents Acknowledgments...................................................................................................................... 1 Acronyms ................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................
  • The Solomon Islands Pacc Ontong Java Pilot Food Securityproject: a Benefit Cost Analysis

    The Solomon Islands Pacc Ontong Java Pilot Food Securityproject: a Benefit Cost Analysis

    THE SOLOMON ISLANDS PACC ONTONG JAVA PILOT FOOD SECURITYPROJECT: A BENEFIT COST ANALYSIS THE SOLOMON ISLANDS PACC ONTONG JAVA PILOT FOOD SECURITYPROJECT: A BENEFIT COST ANALYSIS Prepared by Andrew McGregor and Casper S Supa June 2012 i THE SOLOMON ISLANDS PACC ONTONG JAVA PILOT FOOD SECURITYPROJECT: A BENEFIT COST ANALYSIS Contents THE SOLOMON ISLANDS PACC ONTONG JAVA PILOT FOOD SECURITYPROJECT: A BENEFIT COST ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................................. i Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... iii List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................................. v Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... vi The Problem ................................................................................................................................... 1 Climate change and food security on the Solomon Islands densely populated atolls .............. 1 The meaning of food security in the context of Solomon Islands atolls .................................... 1 The specific impact of climate on the local availability of food ................................................. 2 The changing food security situation on Ontong Java ..............................................................
  • Recent Dispersal Events Among Solomon Island Bird Species Reveal Differing Potential Routes of Island Colonization

    Recent Dispersal Events Among Solomon Island Bird Species Reveal Differing Potential Routes of Island Colonization

    Recent dispersal events among Solomon Island bird species reveal differing potential routes of island colonization By Jason M. Sardell Abstract Species assemblages on islands are products of colonization and extinction events, with traditional models of island biogeography emphasizing build-up of biodiversity on small islands via colonizations from continents or other large landmasses. However, recent phylogenetic studies suggest that islands can also act as sources of biodiversity, but few such “upstream” colonizations have been directly observed. In this paper, I report four putative examples of recent range expansions among the avifauna of Makira and its satellite islands in the Solomon Islands, a region that has recently been subject to extensive anthropogenic habitat disturbance. They include three separate examples of inter-island dispersal, involving Geoffroyus heteroclitus, Cinnyris jugularis, and Rhipidura rufifrons, which together represent three distinct possible patterns of colonization, and one example of probable downslope altitudinal range expansion in Petroica multicolor. Because each of these species is easily detected when present, and because associated localities were visited by several previous expeditions, these records likely represent recent dispersal events rather than previously-overlooked rare taxa. As such, these observations demonstrate that both large landmasses and small islands can act as sources of island biodiversity, while also providing insights into the potential for habitat alteration to facilitate colonizations and range expansions in island systems. Author E-mail: [email protected] Pacific Science, vol. 70, no. 2 December 16, 2015 (Early view) Introduction The hypothesis that species assemblages on islands are dynamic, with inter-island dispersal playing an important role in determining local community composition, is fundamental to the theory of island biogeography (MacArthur and Wilson 1967, Losos and Ricklefs 2009).
  • Democratic Coalition for Change Government

    Democratic Coalition for Change Government

    DEMOCRATIC COALITION FOR CHANGE GOVERNMENT POLICY STATEMENT Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Honiara, Solomon Islands 1 1 FOREWORD The Democratic Coalition for Change (DCC) Government is determined to bring about positive changes. The DCC Government will bring about these changes through effective reform programmes to ensure that Solomon Islanders are governed and empowered to achieve a meaningful quality of life. Past governments have sought to drive reform programmes through ministries and departments with limited and restricted funding modalities. Also, the absence of political will and drive and the need for good leadership in fostering and implementing policies in all facets of the government has resulted in fragmentation and non-­‐achievement of government policies and priorities. The DCC Government is confident to drive its policies with good and honest leadership. The DCC Government will take a ‘whole of government approach’, so that priority government policies can be achieved through spective re cluster-­‐groups. The Policy Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (PIMEU) at the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OPMC), will oversee all policy implementation. As a priority, the DCC Government seeks to grow the economy through creating investment opportunities in manufacturing and industry development such as tourism, agriculture, fisheries, forestry, energy and others in an environmentally sustainable manner. All sectoral policies, including our national and foreign securities will be geared towards directing the DCC Government policy outlook. I understand that there are real and formidable challenges before us. However, with united effort from: government ministries, donor and development partners, Non-­‐Government Organisations (NGO), Non-­‐State Actors (NSAs), Private Sector, Civil Society, Faith-­‐based Organisations (FBO), Community-­‐based Organisations (CBO), traditional leaders and chiefs, men, women, youth and children, all resources can be tapped to bring about positive changes that the DCC Government expects to achieve.
  • The Naturalist and His 'Beautiful Islands'

    The Naturalist and His 'Beautiful Islands'

    The Naturalist and his ‘Beautiful Islands’ Charles Morris Woodford in the Western Pacific David Russell Lawrence The Naturalist and his ‘Beautiful Islands’ Charles Morris Woodford in the Western Pacific David Russell Lawrence Published by ANU Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at http://press.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Lawrence, David (David Russell), author. Title: The naturalist and his ‘beautiful islands’ : Charles Morris Woodford in the Western Pacific / David Russell Lawrence. ISBN: 9781925022032 (paperback) 9781925022025 (ebook) Subjects: Woodford, C. M., 1852-1927. Great Britain. Colonial Office--Officials and employees--Biography. Ethnology--Solomon Islands. Natural history--Solomon Islands. Colonial administrators--Solomon Islands--Biography. Solomon Islands--Description and travel. Dewey Number: 577.099593 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover image: Woodford and men at Aola on return from Natalava (PMBPhoto56-021; Woodford 1890: 144). Cover design and layout by ANU Press Printed by Griffin Press This edition © 2014 ANU Press Contents Acknowledgments . xi Note on the text . xiii Introduction . 1 1 . Charles Morris Woodford: Early life and education . 9 2. Pacific journeys . 25 3 . Commerce, trade and labour . 35 4 . A naturalist in the Solomon Islands . 63 5 . Liberalism, Imperialism and colonial expansion . 139 6 . The British Solomon Islands Protectorate: Colonialism without capital . 169 7 . Expansion of the Protectorate 1898–1900 .
  • DIVING EXPEDITION VOYAGES Scuba-Dive While Exploring Remote Corners of the World

    DIVING EXPEDITION VOYAGES Scuba-Dive While Exploring Remote Corners of the World

    SEEVIEW DIVING EXPEDITION VOYAGES Scuba-dive while exploring remote corners of the world. 10 VOYAGES IN 2015 AND 2016 AWE INSPIRING DEEP SEA ADVENTURES Silversea Expeditions offers a series of Scuba Diving Expedition voyages to fully explore the remote destinations we visit, both on land and underwater. Together with our Expedition Team and Dive Masters we will offer experienced divers the opportunity to see the top diving sites of Asia Pacific and the South Pacific. 01 EXPEDITION HIGHLIGHTS • The number of dives per voyage will be determined during the cruise by the Dive Masters on board. We try to dive, when • Combine the thrill of shore and underwater exploration possible, at least once and often twice per day. No diving will • Scuba diving*, Zodiac® tours and land explorations take place on the last day of the voyage (if guests are flying • Explore remote atolls and mesmerising underwaters of the next day) Indonesia, Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia • Generally dives are never deeper than 20 to 25 meters to allow for longer dives. Often, dives are at 15 to 20 meters depth Silver Discoverer, the latest addition to the Silversea Expeditions fleet, features a series of scuba-diving opportunities on select voyages in 2015 and 2016, offering experienced divers the Silver Discoverer Scuba Diving requirements: opportunity to see Asia Pacific and the South Pacific’s top • In order to participate in the SCUBA programme onboard diving sites. You will visit such regions as the Solomon Islands, Silver Discoverer, guests must hold: the Palau archipelago and the Marquesas islands, which have - An Advanced Open Water Dive Licence or equivalent from an been celebrated as some of the world’s most spectacular accredited Certification Agency diving hotspots, featuring blue holes, hidden caves and tunnels, - Certification must be active and logbooks must show and an astonishing spectrum of coral fish and rare sea creatures.
  • A Reassessment of the Type Locality of the Giant Rat Solomys Salamonis (Rodentia : Muridae) from the Solomon Islands

    A Reassessment of the Type Locality of the Giant Rat Solomys Salamonis (Rodentia : Muridae) from the Solomon Islands

    CSIRO PUBLISHING Australian Mammalogy, 2014, 36,99–102 Research Note http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/AM13019 A reassessment of the type locality of the giant rat Solomys salamonis (Rodentia : Muridae) from the Solomon Islands Tyrone H. Lavery School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld 4343, Australia. Email: [email protected] Abstract. The Solomon Islands support a diverse and highly endemic rodent fauna. Most species are poorly known and rarely encountered. Solomys salamonis is one such endemic species known only from the holotype collected in 1881. The type locality for the species has been repeatedly confused in the literature, and this uncertainty has hampered attempts to evaluate the status of the species. I reassessed the type locality based on review of the published literature and records and archives of the Australian Museum, Sydney. My review indicates that the type locality is Ugi Island, not Florida Island as widely reported in the recent literature. A subsequent, preliminary survey on Ugi Island failed to confirm the presence of the species; however, the occurrence of some original forest on Ugi Island encourages further detailed surveys to determine whether S. salamonis is still extant. Additional keywords: extinct, Florida, Ugi Island. Received 14 June 2013, accepted 18 November 2013, published online 19 December 2013 Introduction bullae, a comparatively broad and straight-sided interorbital, and The Solomon Islands are one of the world’s centres of endemism palatal foramina constricted in their anterior third. Ramsay (1883) for insular rodents (Amori et al. 2008). The archipelago is a stated that the skin was light ashy-grey with long black guard double chain of north-west to south-east trending islands located hairs and small ears.