Editing Kiribati (section)

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Kiribati}}
[[File:Map of the Territorial Waters of the Pacific Ocean.png|thumb|upright=1.8|Kiribati with its surrounding EEZs in dark gray, noting the three non-contiguous territories]]
[[File:Kiribati map LOC.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Map of Kiribati]]
[[File:Kiribati Inseln.png|thumb|Provinces of Kiribati]]
[[File:Abaiang top view.jpg|thumb|Coconut palms in Abaiang]]

Kiribati consists of [[List of islands of Kiribati|32]] atolls and one solitary island ([[Banaba]]), extending into the eastern and western [[Hemispheres of Earth|hemispheres]], as well as the northern and southern hemispheres. Its extensive [[exclusive economic zone]] (EEZ) covers three, non-contiguous, traditional geographic subregions: Banaba ([[Melanesia]]n-Micronesian area), the Gilbert Islands (Micronesia) and the [[Line Islands|Line]] and Phoenix Islands ([[Polynesia]]).<ref name=CIA/> The groups of islands are:
* Banaba: an isolated island between [[Nauru]] and the Gilbert Islands
* Gilbert Islands: sixteen atolls located approximately {{convert|1500|km|mi|0}} north of [[Fiji]]
* Phoenix Islands: eight atolls and coral islands located approximately {{convert|1800|km|mi|0}} southeast of the Gilberts
* Line Islands: eight atolls and one reef, located approximately {{convert|3300|km|mi|0}} east of the Gilberts

Banaba (or Ocean Island) is a [[Raised coral atoll|raised-coral island]]. It was once a rich source of [[phosphate]]s, but was exhausted in mining before independence.{{sfn|Williams|Macdonald|1985}}{{sfn|Ellis|1935}} The rest of the land in Kiribati consists of the sand and reef rock islets of atolls or coral islands, which rise only one or two meters above sea level.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

The soil is thin and [[calcareous]]. It has a low water-holding capacity and low organic matter and nutrient content—except for calcium, sodium, and magnesium. Banaba is one of the least suitable places for agriculture in the world.{{sfn|Thomas|2003|p=3}}

[[Kiritimati]] (previously Christmas Island) in the Line Islands has the largest land area of any atoll in the world. Based on a 1995 realignment of the [[International Date Line]], the Line Islands were the first area to enter into a new year, including the year 2000. For that reason, Caroline Island was renamed [[Millennium Island]] in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |last=Harris |first=Aimee |title=Millennium: Date Line Politics |url=http://www.trussel.com/kir/dateline.htm |work=Honolulu Magazine |date=April 1999 |access-date=14 June 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060628045504/http://trussel.com/kir/dateline.htm |archive-date=28 June 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Environmental issues ===
{{see also|Coral reefs of Kiribati|Protected areas of Kiribati}}
According to the [[Pacific Regional Environment Programme]] (previously South Pacific Regional Environment Programme), two small uninhabited Kiribati islets, [[Tebua Tarawa]] and [[Abanuea]], disappeared underwater in 1999.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/368892.stm |title = Islands disappear under rising seas |publisher = BBC News |date = 14 June 1999 |access-date = 14 May 2010 }}</ref> The sea level at [[Kiritimati|Christmas Island]], in the 50 years between 1972 and 2022, has risen {{convert|5|cm|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/sltrends_station.shtml?id=770-022 | title=Sea Level Trends - NOAA Tides & Currents }}</ref> The United Nations [[Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change]] predicts that sea levels will rise by approximately {{convert|50|cm|abbr=on}} by 2100 due to [[global warming]] and a further rise would be inevitable. It is thus likely that within a century the nation's arable land will become subject to increased [[soil salination]] and will be largely submerged.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/28/AR2006012801021.html |newspaper = The Washington Post |title = Debate on Climate Shifts to Issue of Irreparable Change |first = Juliet |last = Eilperin |date = 29 January 2006 |access-date = 7 May 2010 }}</ref>

The exposure of Kiribati to changes in sea levels is exacerbated by the [[Pacific decadal oscillation]], which is a climate switch phenomenon that results in changes from periods of [[La Niña]] to periods of [[El Niño]]. This has an effect on sea levels. For example, in 2000, there was a switch from periods of downward pressure of El Niño on sea levels to an upward pressure of La Niña on sea levels, which upward pressure causes more frequent and higher high tide levels. The [[Perigean spring tide]] (often called a [[king tide]]) can result in seawater flooding low-lying areas of the islands of Kiribati.<ref>{{cite web| last =Packard | first =Aaron | title= The Unfolding Crisis in Kiribati and the Urgency of Response| publisher= HuffPostGreen|date=12 March 2015 |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-packard/the-unfolding-crisis-in-kiribati-and-the-urgency-of-response_b_6854386.html |access-date=14 March 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Onotoa.png|thumb|South of [[Onotoa]] Atoll]]
[[File:South Tarawa from the air.jpg|thumb|[[Tarawa Atoll]]]]

The [[atolls]] and [[reef]] islands can respond to changes in sea-level. Paul Kench at the [[University of Auckland]] in New Zealand and Arthur Webb at the [[South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission]] in Fiji released a study in 2010 on the dynamic response of atolls and reef islands in the central Pacific. Kiribati was mentioned in the study, and Webb and Kench found that the three major urbanised islands in Kiribati—Betio, Bairiki and Nanikai—increased by 30% (36 hectares), 16.3% (5.8 hectares) and 12.5% (0.8 hectares), respectively.<ref name="WZ">{{cite magazine |last=Zukerman |first= Wendy |title=Shape-shifting islands defy sea-level rise |date=2 June 2010 |magazine=New Scientist Magazine |issue=2763 |url = https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627633.700-shapeshifting-islands-defy-sealevel-rise.html }}</ref><ref name="Elsevier">{{cite journal |last1 = Webb |first1 = A.P. |last2 = Kench |first2 = P.S. |year = 2010 |title = The dynamic response of reef islands to sea-level rise: Evidence from multi-decadal analysis of island change in the Central Pacific |journal = Global and Planetary Change |volume = 72 |issue = 3 |pages = 234–246 |doi = 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2010.05.003 |url = http://www.pacificdisaster.net/pdnadmin/data/original/SOPAC_2010_The_dynamic_response.pdf |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121222070018/http://www.pacificdisaster.net/pdnadmin/data/original/SOPAC_2010_The_dynamic_response.pdf |url-status = dead |archive-date = 22 December 2012 |access-date = 22 July 2013 |bibcode = 2010GPC....72..234W }}</ref><ref name="PSK2014">{{cite news| last = Kench | first =Paul |title= Dynamic atolls give hope that Pacific Islands can defy sea rise | work= The Conversation|url= http://theconversation.com/dynamic-atolls-give-hope-that-pacific-islands-can-defy-sea-rise-25436 | access-date=16 April 2014}}</ref><ref name="AWPK">{{cite journal|last= Arthur P. Webb & Paul S. Kench |title = The dynamic response of reef islands to sea-level rise: Evidence from multi-decadal analysis of island change in the Central Pacific |year=2010|volume=72 |issue=3|journal= Global and Planetary Change|pages=234–246 |doi=10.1016/j.gloplacha.2010.05.003|bibcode=2010GPC....72..234W}}</ref><ref name="NG15">{{cite web| last = Warne | first = Kennedy | work= National Geographic |title= Will Pacific Island Nations Disappear as Seas Rise? Maybe Not – Reef islands can grow and change shape as sediments shift, studies show |date =13 February 2015|url= http://news-beta.nationalgeographic.com/2015/02/150213-tuvalu-sopoaga-kench-kiribati-maldives-cyclone-marshall-islands/|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150214031223/http://news-beta.nationalgeographic.com/2015/02/150213-tuvalu-sopoaga-kench-kiribati-maldives-cyclone-marshall-islands/|url-status= dead|archive-date= 14 February 2015| access-date=14 February 2015}}</ref>

The study by Paul Kench and Arthur Webb recognises that the islands are extremely vulnerable to sea level rise, and concluded that: "This study did not measure vertical growth of the island surface nor does it suggest there is any change in the height of the islands. Since land height has not changed the vulnerability of the greater part of the land area of each island to submergence due to sea level rise is also unchanged and these low-lying atolls remain immediately and extremely vulnerable to inundation or sea water flooding."<ref name="Elsevier"/>

The Climate Change in the Pacific Report of 2011 describes Kiribati as having a low risk of [[cyclones]].<ref>{{cite report |title=Climate Variability, Extremes and Change in the Western Tropical Pacific: New Science and Updated Country Reports 2014 |year=2014 |publisher=Pacific Climate Change Science Program |series=Climate Change in the Pacific: Scientific Assessment and New Research |volume=1 & 2 |chapter=Chapter 6: Kiribati |chapter-url=http://www.pacificclimatechangescience.org/publications/reports/climate-variability-extremes-and-change-in-the-western-tropical-pacific-2014/}}</ref> In March 2015 Kiribati experienced flooding and destruction of seawalls and coastal infrastructure as the result of [[Cyclone Pam]], a Category 5 cyclone that devastated [[Vanuatu]].<ref name="SBS15">{{cite web| work= SBS Australia |title= Flooding in Vanuatu, Kiribati and Tuvalu as Cyclone Pam strengthens |date =13 March 2015|url= http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/03/13/flooding-vanuatu-kiribati-and-tuvalu-cyclone-pam-strengthens | access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> Kiribati remains exposed to the risk that cyclones can strip the low-lying islands of their vegetation and soil.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

Gradual sea-level rise also allows for coral [[polyp (zoology)|polyp]] activity to raise the atolls with the sea level. However, if the increase in sea level occurs at a rate faster than coral growth, or if polyp activity is damaged by [[ocean acidification]], then the resilience of the atolls and reef islands is less certain.<ref name="PK14">{{cite news| last = Kench | first =Paul |title= Dynamic atolls give hope that Pacific Islands can defy sea rise (Comments) | work= The Conversation|url= http://theconversation.com/dynamic-atolls-give-hope-that-pacific-islands-can-defy-sea-rise-25436 | access-date=16 April 2014}}</ref>

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative<ref>{{Cite web |title=Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries |url=https://humanrightsmeasurement.org/ |access-date=2023-05-01 |website=humanrightsmeasurement.org}}</ref> finds that the climate crisis has worsened human rights conditions moderately (4.8 out of 6) in Kiribati.<ref name="Kiribati - HRMI Rights Tracker">{{Cite web |title=Kiribati - HRMI Rights Tracker |url=https://rightstracker.org/en/country/KIR?subregion=pacific&tab=pacific-region-data |access-date=2023-05-01 |website=rightstracker.org |language=en}}</ref> Human rights experts reported that the climate crisis has compromised access to food and clean water, as well as women's rights, housing security and cultural integrity.<ref name="Kiribati - HRMI Rights Tracker"/>

The [[Kiribati Adaptation Program]] (KAP), started in 2003, is a US$5.5&nbsp;million initiative that was originally enacted by the national government of Kiribati with the support of the [[Global Environment Facility]] (GEF), the [[World Bank]], the [[United Nations Development Program]], and the Japanese government. Australia later joined the coalition, donating US$1.5&nbsp;million to the effort. The program aims to take place over six years, supporting measures that reduce Kiribati's vulnerability to the effects of [[climate change]] and sea level rise by raising awareness of climate change, assessing and protecting available water resources, and managing inundation.
At the start of the Adaptation Program, representatives from each of the inhabited atolls identified key climatic changes that had taken place over the past 20–40 years and proposed coping mechanisms to deal with these changes under four categories of urgency of need. The program is now focusing on the country's most vulnerable sectors in the most highly populated areas.
Initiatives include improving water supply management in and around Tarawa; [[coastal management]] protection measures such as mangrove re-plantation and protection of public infrastructure; strengthening laws to reduce coastal erosion; and population settlement planning to reduce personal risks.<ref>{{cite web |title=Adapting to climate change |url=http://www.climate.gov.ki/Kiribati_climate_change_strategies.html |website=Climate change in Kiribati |publisher=Office of the President of Kiribati |access-date=23 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202020502/http://www.climate.gov.ki/Kiribati_climate_change_strategies.html |archive-date=2 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The government has taken specific action to ensure [[food security]], as sea level rise, drought, and overfishing have created food and water shortages. This has involved diversifying food sources and ensuring existing resources are managed sustainably.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://undp-climate.exposure.co/locallysourced |title=Locally-Sourced How Kiribati is shoring up food security and community resilience in the face of global climate change |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |date=21 February 2023 |access-date=3 March 2023}}</ref>

The issue of [[plastic pollution]] has also been a key challenge for Kiribati as it hurts both its marine biodiversity and its economy that relies primarily on tourism and fishery.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web |last=United Nations Environment Program |date=2019-09-24 |title=Kiribati to carry out considerable efforts in sound management of chemicals and waste |url=http://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/kiribati-carry-out-considerable-efforts-sound-management-chemicals-and-waste |access-date=2023-05-28 |website=UNEP |language=en}}</ref> As a result, the government of Kiribati, more specifically the Environment and Conservation Division (ECD) which forms part of the Kiribati Government's Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development, has made efforts to tackle this issue nationally through environment acts and state policy papers.<ref name="auto2"/> To a further extent, it has also recognized the global nature of plastic pollution, and consequently, has promoted international cooperation and multilateral solutions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kiribati calls for the special circumstances of Small Islands Developing States to be factored in new global agreement on plastic pollution {{!}} Pacific Environment |url=https://www.sprep.org/news/kiribati-calls-for-the-special-circumstances-of-small-islands-developing-states-to-be-factored-in-new-global-agreement-on-plastic-pollution |access-date=2023-05-28 |website=www.sprep.org}}</ref> This is notably observable during the current negotiations of the [[Global plastic pollution treaty|Global Plastic Pollution Treaty]] planned to be finally drafted by the end of 2024.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bundela |first1=Amit Kumar |last2=Pandey |first2=Krishna Kumar |date=2022-07-01 |title=The United Nations General Assembly Passes Historic Resolution to Beat Plastic Pollution |journal=Anthropocene Science |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=332–336 |doi=10.1007/s44177-022-00021-5 |s2cid=258700697 |issn=2731-3980|doi-access=free |bibcode=2022AnthS...1..332B}}</ref>

===Climate===
[[File:Line5304 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg|thumb|A tropical islet with palm fronds oriented in the direction of the prevailing winds]]
Kiribati has a [[tropical rainforest climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Af]]). From April to October, there are predominant northeastern winds and stable temperatures close to {{convert|30|C}}. From November to April, western gales bring rain.

The Kiribati wet season (''te Auu-Meang''), also known as the [[tropical cyclone]] (TC) (''te Angibuaka'') season, starts from November to April every year. Kiribati therefore typically experiences more extreme weather events associated with [[tropical disturbance]]s or tropical cyclones during ''te Auu-Meang''. Tropical cyclones rarely develop or pass along the equator where Kiribati is located, but Kiribati has historically been impacted by distant tropical cyclones. The impacts were observed while the systems were still in their development stages (Tropical Low/disturbance) or even before they reached Tropical cyclone category.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}

The fair season starts when ''Ten Rimwimata'' ([[Antares]]) appears in the sky after sunset, from May to November, when more gentle winds and currents and less rain. Then towards December, when ''Nei Auti'' ([[Pleiades]]) replaces Antares, the season of sudden westerly winds and more heavy rain discourages any far travel from island to island.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://journals.openedition.org/pm/269|title = La navigation océanienne : Un savoir trop longtemps méconnu|journal = Préhistoires Méditerranéennes|date = September 2002|issue = 10–11|pages = 183–190|last1 = Di Piazza|first1 = Anne| doi=10.4000/pm.269 | s2cid=248019590 |doi-access = free}}</ref>

Kiribati does not experience cyclones but effects may occasionally be experienced during cyclone seasons affecting nearby Pacific Island countries such as Fiji.<ref name=CIA/><ref name=brit/>{{sfn|Thomas|2003|p=3}}

Precipitation varies significantly between islands. For example, the annual average is 3,000&nbsp;mm (120&nbsp;in) in the north and 500&nbsp;mm (20&nbsp;in) in the south of the Gilbert Islands.<ref name=brit/> Most of these islands are in the dry belt of the equatorial oceanic climatic zone and experience prolonged droughts.{{sfn|Thomas|2003|p=3}}

{{Weather box
|location = [[Tarawa]] (Köppen Af)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|collapsed = Yes
|width = auto
|Jan record high C = 35.0
|Feb record high C = 33.0
|Mar record high C = 35.0
|Apr record high C = 34.5
|May record high C = 34.5
|Jun record high C = 33.5
|Jul record high C = 34.5
|Aug record high C = 34.5
|Sep record high C = 34.5
|Oct record high C = 35.0
|Nov record high C = 35.0
|Dec record high C = 35.0
|year record high C = 35.0
|Jan high C = 30.7
|Feb high C = 30.6
|Mar high C = 30.7
|Apr high C = 30.7
|May high C = 30.8
|Jun high C = 30.8
|Jul high C = 30.9
|Aug high C = 31.0
|Sep high C = 31.1
|Oct high C = 31.2
|Nov high C = 31.3
|Dec high C = 30.9
|year high C = 30.9
|Jan mean C = 28.2
|Feb mean C = 28.1
|Mar mean C = 28.1
|Apr mean C = 28.2
|May mean C = 28.4
|Jun mean C = 28.3
|Jul mean C = 28.2
|Aug mean C = 28.3
|Sep mean C = 28.4
|Oct mean C = 28.6
|Nov mean C = 28.5
|Dec mean C = 28.2
|year mean C = 28.3
|Jan low C = 25.3
|Feb low C = 25.3
|Mar low C = 25.2
|Apr low C = 25.3
|May low C = 25.5
|Jun low C = 25.3
|Jul low C = 25.1
|Aug low C = 25.2
|Sep low C = 25.3
|Oct low C = 25.4
|Nov low C = 25.4
|Dec low C = 25.3
|year low C = 25.3
|Jan record low C = 21.5
|Feb record low C = 22.5
|Mar record low C = 22.5
|Apr record low C = 22.5
|May record low C = 21.0
|Jun record low C = 21.0
|Jul record low C = 21.0
|Aug record low C = 21.5
|Sep record low C = 22.5
|Oct record low C = 22.0
|Nov record low C = 22.5
|Dec record low C = 22.0
|year record low C = 21.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 271
|Feb precipitation mm = 218
|Mar precipitation mm = 204
|Apr precipitation mm = 184
|May precipitation mm = 158
|Jun precipitation mm = 155
|Jul precipitation mm = 168
|Aug precipitation mm = 138
|Sep precipitation mm = 120
|Oct precipitation mm = 110
|Nov precipitation mm = 115
|Dec precipitation mm = 212
|year precipitation mm = 2052
|unit precipitation days = 0.3 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 15
|Feb precipitation days = 12
|Mar precipitation days = 14
|Apr precipitation days = 15
|May precipitation days = 15
|Jun precipitation days = 14
|Jul precipitation days = 16
|Aug precipitation days = 18
|Sep precipitation days = 15
|Oct precipitation days = 11
|Nov precipitation days = 10
|Dec precipitation days = 17
|year precipitation days = 172
|Jan humidity = 81
|Feb humidity = 80
|Mar humidity = 81
|Apr humidity = 82
|May humidity = 81
|Jun humidity = 81
|Jul humidity = 80
|Aug humidity = 79
|Sep humidity = 77
|Oct humidity = 77
|Nov humidity = 79
|Dec humidity = 81
|year humidity = 80
|Jan sun = 220.1
|Feb sun = 192.1
|Mar sun = 207.7
|Apr sun = 201.0
|May sun = 229.4
|Jun sun = 219.0
|Jul sun = 229.4
|Aug sun = 257.3
|Sep sun = 243.0
|Oct sun = 260.4
|Nov sun = 240.0
|Dec sun = 189.1
|year sun =
|Jand sun = 7.1
|Febd sun = 6.8
|Mard sun = 6.7
|Aprd sun = 6.7
|Mayd sun = 7.4
|Jund sun = 7.3
|Juld sun = 7.4
|Augd sun = 8.3
|Sepd sun = 8.1
|Octd sun = 8.4
|Novd sun = 8.0
|Decd sun = 6.1
|yeard sun = 7.4
|source 1 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]]<ref name = DWDTarawa>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_916100_kt.pdf
| title = Klimatafel von Tarawa, Int. Flugh. Bonriki / Kiribati (Gilbert-Inseln)
| work = Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world
| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst
| language = de
| access-date = 30 November 2020}}</ref>
}}

=== Ecology ===
{{Further|Wildlife of Kiribati}}

[[File:AcrocephalusPistorKeulemans.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[bokikokiko]] (''Acrocephalus aequinoctialis'') is the only land wildlife species endemic to Kiribati.]]
Kiribati contains three ecosystems: [[Central Polynesian tropical moist forests]], [[Eastern Micronesia tropical moist forests]], and [[Western Polynesian tropical moist forests]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Because of the relatively young geological age of the islands and atolls and the high level of [[soil salination]], the flora of Kiribati is somewhat unhealthy. The Gilbert Islands contain about 83 indigenous and 306 introduced plants, whereas the corresponding numbers for Line and Phoenix Islands are 67 and 283. None of these species are [[Endemism|endemic]], and about half of the indigenous ones have a limited distribution and have become endangered or nearly extinct due to human activities such as phosphate mining.{{sfn|Thomas|2003|p=22}}

[[Coconut]], [[Pandanus tectorius|pandanus]] palms and [[breadfruit]] trees are the most common ''wild'' plants,<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kiribati|title=Kiribati {{!}} Culture, History, & People|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=12 July 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref name=brit>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/319111/Kiribati Kiribati]. ''Encyclopædia Britannica''</ref> whereas the five most cultivated crops but the traditional ''Babai'', ''[[Cyrtosperma merkusii]]'',<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/jatba_0183-5173_1999_num_41_1_3703|doi = 10.3406/jatba.1999.3703|title = Migration d'une plante et migration de ses représentations. Le taro de marécage (Cyrtosperma chamissonis) sur Nikunau et Tabuaeran (République de Kiribati)|year = 1999|last1 = Di Piazza|first1 = Anne|journal = Journal d'Agriculture Traditionnelle et de Botanique Appliquée|volume = 41|pages = 93–108}}</ref> are imported [[Chinese cabbage]], pumpkin, tomato, watermelon and cucumber.{{sfn|Thomas|2003|p=14}} Over eighty percent of the population participates in either farming or fishing.{{sfn|Moseley|2014|page=191}}

[[Seaweed farming]] is an important part of the economy {{why|date=February 2017}}, with two major species ''Eucheuma alvarezii'' and ''Eucheuma spinosium'' introduced to the local lagoons from the Philippines in 1977. It competes with a collection of the black-lipped pearl oyster (''[[Pinctada margaritifera]]'') and shellfish,{{sfn|Thomas|2003|p=17}} which are dominated by the strombid gastropod (''[[Strombus luhuanus]]'') and Anadara cockles (''[[Anadara]] uropigimelana''), whereas the stocks of the giant clam (''[[Tridacna gigas]]'') have been largely exhausted.{{sfn|Thomas|2003|pp=17–19}}

Kiribati has a few land mammals, none being indigenous or endemic. They include the Polynesian rat (''[[Rattus exulans]]''), dogs, cats and pigs. Among the 75 bird species, the [[Bokikokiko]] (''Acrocephalus aequinoctialis'') is endemic to [[Kiritimati]].{{sfn|Thomas|2003|p=22}}

There are 600–800 species of inshore and pelagic finfish, some 200 species of corals and about 1000 species of shellfish.<ref name="LPS">{{cite journal |last=Lobel |first= P.S. |url= https://micronesica.org/sites/default/files/gilbertese_and_ellice_islander_name_of_fishes_and_other_organisms_micronesica_vo_14_no._2_dec.1978-4.pdf |title= Gilbertese and Ellice Islander names for fishes and other organisms |journal= Micronesica |volume= 14|issue= 2 |year= 1978}}</ref>{{sfn|Thomas|2003|p=23}} Fishing mostly targets the family [[Scombridae]], particularly the [[skipjack tuna]] and [[yellowfin tuna]] as well as [[flying fish]] (''Cypselurus'' spp.).{{sfn|Thomas|2003|p=15}}

Dogs were already accompanying the first inhabitants but were re-introduced by European settlers: they have continued to grow in numbers and are roaming in traditional packs,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bowers |first1=Mike |title=Kiribati: life on a tiny island threatened by the rising sea – in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2014/may/30/kiribati-line-in-sand-pictures |access-date=23 July 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=29 May 2014}}</ref> particularly around South Tarawa.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}