The Nature Conservancy in Micronesia - Pohnpei, Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia - Pohnpei nature and conservation, Micronesia

Pohnpei
© Jez O'Hare

Read Postcards from Pohnpei and see vivid photos of marine life!

Since 1990, The Nature Conservancy has worked closely with Pohnpei's communities to reduce deforestation and raise awareness of the importance of protecting their lands and waters.

Location of Pohnpei
Pohnpei State has 133.4 square miles of land area, of which 117 is accounted for by Pohnpei island, is the largest in the Federated States of Micronesia.

Flora and Fauna of Pohnpei
The native forests of Pohnpei, which provide essential habitat for an extraordinary variety of plants and animals, including 767 plant species, 111 of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Pohnpei's upland forests are also vital to maintaining the island's water quality and enriching the cultural and spiritual lives of the island's people.

Why The Nature Conservancy Works in Pohnpei
For over a thousand years, Pohnpeians used complex traditional systems to protect their natural resources. Regrettably, over the last 20 years, Pohnpei’s native forests have been dramatically reduced by more than two-thirds, from 42 percent to only 15 percent of the island’s area. The main cause of this deforestation is the cultivation of sakau (Piper methysticum), a plant is used in Pohnpei to make a traditional beverage that produces a calming effect while at the same time sharpening the senses. Marketed in the United States and Europe as the health supplement kava, sakau has emerged as the premier cash crop and source of employment for the island’s people. As the commercial market for sakau has expanded, its cultivation has encroached into the upland forest where the soil is rich and moist. As the forests are cleared, soil rapidly erodes into streams, silting in mangroves and lagoons and smothering coral reefs. Forest degradation further leads to loss of habitat and declining populations of key plant and animal species.

What The Nature Conservancy is Doing in Pohnpei
In 1990, the government tried to establish a forest reserve to protect the island’s upland forest. The move precipitated a local backlash by angry villagers suspicious of the government’s intentions. Today, this crisis is remembered as the starting point for a community-based resource management program that has gained widespread support throughout Pohnpei. Working with local partners, the Conservancy conducted more than 200 meetings with local communities and delivered what the people of Pohnpei called for—a watershed management strategy that recognizes the authority of local villagers to manage their own forest and marine resources.

The Nature Conservancy’s current activities in Pohnpei include a "Grow Low" campaign promoting lowland sakau cultivation to protect the remaining upland forests, an innovative island-wide community visioning process, and a training program for Community Conservation Officers. In 1999, the Conservancy helped establish the Conservation Society of Pohnpei (CSP), the island’s first grassroots non-governmental organization dedicated to protecting Pohnpei’s natural resources. Already, this fledgling group has launched efforts to establish the island’s first marine protected areas. With help from CSP and other partners, the Conservancy will continue its work in Pohnpei to foster local participation in resource management and create a new spirit of cooperation between government and community leaders.