Tuvalu

33.3% —or about 1,000 hectares—of Tuvalu is forested.

Change in Forest Cover: Between 1990 and 2000, Tuvalu had no significant change or no reported in forest cover.

SECTIONS:

Forest Cover | Forest types | Breakdown of forest types | Change in Forest Cover | Primary forest | Forest designation | Disturbances affecting forest land | Protected areas | Biodiversity - Wildlife | Biodiversity - Plants | Value of forests | Production, trade and consumption of forest products | Environment | Land use / Resources | Economy | Population / Demographics | Infrastructure | Health | References | Books

Books

Tuvalu: Forest Cover, 2005 Total Land Area (ha) 3,000 Total Forest Area (ha) 1,000 Percent Forest Cover 33.33% Primary Forest Cover (ha) - Primary Forest, % total forest - Primary Forest, % total land - Other wooded land (ha) - [an error occurred while processing this directive] Tuvalu: Breakdown of forest types, 2005 Primary forest (ha | %) - - Modified natural (ha | %) - - Semi-natural (ha | %) - - Production plantation (ha | %) - - Production plantation (ha | %) - - Tuvalu: Change in Forest Cover TOTAL FOREST COVER Forest 1990 (ha) 1,000 Forest 2000 (ha) 1,000 Forest 2005 (ha) 1,000 Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) - 0.00% Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Change in rate (%) #DIV/0! PRIMARY FOREST COVER Primary 1990 (ha) - Primary 2000 (ha) - Primary 2005 (ha) - Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) - - Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) - - Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) - - Change in rate (%) - OTHER WOODED LAND Other 1990 (ha) - Other 2000 (ha) - Other 2005 (ha) - Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) - #DIV/0! Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) - #DIV/0! Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) - #DIV/0! Change in rate (%) #DIV/0! PLANTATIONS Other 1990 (ha) - Other 2000 (ha) - Other 2005 (ha) - Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) - - Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) - - Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) - - Change in rate (%) - TOTAL DEGRADATION/CONSERVSION Forest area+Wooded Area-Plantations Other 1990 (ha) 1,000 Other 2000 (ha) 1,000 Other 2005 (ha) 1,000 Annual Change 1990-2000 (ha | %) - 0.00% Annual Change 2000-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Total Change 1990-2005 (ha | %) - 0.00% Change in rate (%) #DIV/0! Tuvalu: Primary Primary or "old-growth" vegetation Primary Forest 2005 (ha) - Other primary wooded land 2005 (ha) - Other primary wooded land 2005 (ha) 0 Undisturbed vegetation 2005 (% land area) 0.00% Tuvalu: Forest designation Ownership of forest land, 2000 Public (%) - Private (%) - Other (%) - Ownership of other wooded land, 2000 Public (%) - Private (%) - Other (%) - Designated functions of forest � primary function 2005 Production (%) - Protection (%) - Conservation (%) - Social Services (%) - Multiple Services (%) - None of Unknown (%) - Tuvalu: Disturbances affecting forest land 2000 Forest Area annually affected by Fire (%) - Insects (ha) - Diseases (ha) - Other (ha) - [an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive] Tuvalu: Biodiversity - Plants Growing stock composition 3 most common species % of total growing stock - Growing stock composition 3 most common species % of total growing stock - Number of Native tree species Native tree species - Number of tree species in IUCN red list Critically Endangered - Endangered - Vulnerable - Vascular Plant Species, 2004 Total Number endemic Number of Threatened Plant Species, 2004 Species threatened Tuvalu: Value of forests Biomass stock in forest, 2005 Above-ground biomass (M t) - Below-ground biomass (M t) - Dead wood (M t) - Total (M t) - Carbon stock in forest, 2005 Carbon in above-ground biomass (M t) - Carbon in below-ground biomass (M t) - Carbon in dead wood (M t) - Carbon in litter (M t) - Soil carbon (M t) - Change in growing stock 1990 - 2005 Annual change rate (1000 cubic m/yr) 1990-2000 - 2000-2005 - Growing stock per hectare 1990 - 2005 Annual change rate ( cubic m/ha per yr) 1990-2000 - 2000-2005 - Wood removal 2005 Industrial roundwood (1000 cubic m) - Wood fuel (1000 cubic m) - Total wood removal 2005 (1000 cubic m) - Total wood removal 2005 (% of growing stock) - Plant products 2005 Food (t) - Fodder (t) - Raw material for medicine and aromatic products (t) - Raw material for colorants and dyes (t) - Raw material for utensils, handicrafts & construction (t) - Ornamental plants (t) - Exudates (t) - Other plant products (t) - Animal products 2005 Living animals (units) - Hides, skins and trophies (units) - Wild honey and bee-wax (t) - Bush meat (t) - Raw material for medicine and aromatic products (t) - Raw material for colorants and dyes (t) - Other edible animal products (t) - Other non-edible animal products (t) - Value of wood and non-wood forest product removal 2005 Industrial roundwood (US$) - Wood fuel (US$) - Non-wood forest products (US$) - Total value (US$) - Total value ($USD/ha) $- Employment in forestry 2000 Total people employed - Tuvalu : Production, trade and consumption of forest products, 2002 Woodfuel ('000 cubic m), 2002 Production - Imports - Exports - Consumption 0 Industrial roundwood ('000 cubic m), 2002 Production - Imports 0 Exports - Consumption 0 Sawnwood ('000 cubic m), 2002 Production - Imports 1 Exports - Consumption 1 Wood-based panels ('000 cubic m), 2002 Production - Imports 0 Exports - Consumption 0 Pulp for paper ('000 metric tons), 2002 Production - Imports - Exports - Consumption 0 Paper and paperboard ('000 metric tons), 2002 Production - Imports 0 Exports 0 Consumption 0 Tuvalu: Environment Environment - current issues since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage facilities (the Japanese Government has built one desalination plant and plans to build one other); beachhead erosion because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral reefs from the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish; Tuvalu is very concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels should make evacuation necessary Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Natural hazards severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were three cyclones; low level of islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea level Tuvalu: Land use / Resources Land use (%) arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) Natural resources fish Tuvalu: Economy Economy - overview: Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine coral atolls with poor soil. The country has no known mineral resources and few exports. Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average, visit Tuvalu annually. Government revenues largely come from the sale of stamps and coins and worker remittances. About 1,000 Tuvaluans work in Nauru in the phosphate mining industry. Nauru has begun repatriating Tuvaluans, however, as phosphate resources decline. Substantial income is received annually from an international trust fund established in 1987 by Australia, NZ, and the UK and supported also by Japan and South Korea. Thanks to wise investments and conservative withdrawals, this fund has grown from an initial $17 million to over $35 million in 1999. The US government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu because of payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. In an effort to reduce its dependence on foreign aid, the government is pursuing public sector reforms, including privatization of some government functions and personnel cuts of up to 7%. In 1998, Tuvalu began deriving revenue from use of its area code for "900" lines and in 2000, from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. Royalties from these new technology sources could increase substantially over the next decade. With merchandise exports only a fraction of merchandise imports, continued reliance must be placed on fishing and telecommunications license fees, remittances from overseas workers, official transfers, and income from overseas investments. GDP - per capita $1,100 (2000 est.) GDP - real growth rate (%) 3% (2000 est.) Agriculture - products coconuts; fish GDP - composition by sector (%) agriculture: NA%, industry: NA%, services: NA% Industries fishing, tourism, copra Economic aid - recipient $13 million; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and the US (1999 est.) Debt - external NA Population below poverty line (%) NA Labor force - by occupation (%) people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home by those abroad (mostly workers in the phosphate industry and sailors) Tuvalu: Population / Demographics Population (July 2005) 11,636 Population growth rate (%) (2005) 1.47% Population density (people/sq km) (2005) 447.5 Median age (years) total: 24.45 years Total fertility rate (children born/woman) 3 (2005 est.) Ethnic groups (%) Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4% [an error occurred while processing this directive] Tuvalu: Infrastructure Telephones - main lines in use 700 (2002) Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (2004) Roadways (km) total: 8 km paved: 0 km unpaved: 8 km (1999 est.) Tuvalu: Health Life expectancy at birth (years) total population: 68.01 years male: 65.79 years female: 70.33 years (2005 est.) Infant mortality rate 20.03 deaths/1,000 live births HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) NA Tuvalu : References & Data Sources  Environment, Land use / Resources, Economy, Population / Demographics, Infrastructure, Health -- CIA World Factbook, 2005  Forest Cover, Forest types, Breakdown of forest types, Change in Forest Cover, Primary forests, Forest designation, Disturbances affecting forest land, Value of forests, Production, trade and consumption of forest products -- The FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS's Global Forest Resources Assessment (2005) and the State of the World�s Forests (2005, 2003, 2001)  Protected Areas, Plant and animal biodiversity -- United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). 2004. World Database on Protected Areas.  Biosphere reservers -- United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Man and Biosphere Program. 2004. UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory.  RAMSAR sites -- The Bureau of the Convention on Wetlands . 2005. The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.  World Resources Institute's EarthTrends web site  The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species  Population Data -- United Nations Population Fund  With additional analysis by Rhett Butler of mongabay.com