Marine biodiversity and ethnobiodiversity of Bellona (Mungiki) Island, Solomon Islands

This paper reports on the marine biodiversity and ethnobiodiversity of Bellona, a small island in Solomon Islands inhabited by Polynesians who have, for centuries, depended on biodiversity for their own sustainability. The Bellonese have names for at least 8 whales and dolphins, 7 reptiles, over 500 finfish, 191 molluscs, 48 crustaceans, 29 echinoderms and a range of corals, other invertebrates and marine plants, most of which have commercial, subsistence or cultural value. If conserved, this inheritance will continue to provide a foundation for continuing sustainability in a rapidly globalizing world. The paper highlights the importance of the preservation, and application to development, of ethnobiodiversity for food and subsistence security, and contingent issues of conservation and sustainability in small island developing states. As the current extinction crisis escalates globally, the rate of attrition of the intangible indigenous knowledge that has coevolved with this threatened biodiversity is probably far greater. In itself, the recording of information on biodiversity and related sustainable livelihoods is not sufficient to ensure sustainability. There is a vital need to integrate this into the formal education system and applied scientific activities at all levels to achieve the right balance between agriculture, wild harvest and trade, upon which sustainability and subsistence affluence still depend.     

An indigenous soil classification system for Bellona Island – a raised atoll in Solomon Islands

One of the challenges of evaluating existing traditional farming systems is to combine local knowledge and modern scientific methods and terminology. This requires an evaluation of indigenous soil classification in modern terms. This paper focuses on an indigenous soil classification system developed by local farmers on the island of Bellona, Solomon Islands. The definitions of the different soil types are described and the principles of the classification system and the applicability of ethnopedology in soil surveys are discussed. Based on interviews with about 20 per cent of the farmers on the island as well as standard soil chemical and physical determinations on main soil types, an evaluation of the soil types for cultivation of various crops is carried out. The soils on Bellona are developed on oolitic or clayey phosphate-rich deposits forming the basis for the agriculture production on the island. The Bellonese soil classification system is mainly based on the physical properties of the humus-containing top layer. Subsoil layers are only used for classification if they are very close to the surface and may be mixed with the topsoil. Results show a general agreement among farmers, who perceive the same four out of seven soil types as highly useful for cultivation and rank these soil types similarly according to their suitability for different crops such as yam, watermelon, cassava and sweet potato. It is concluded that the indigenous soil classification is in line with the soil production potential and useful for land evaluation on Bellona.