Editing Tuvalu (section)

===Geography===
[[File:Tuvalu-CIA WFB Map.png|thumb|Map of Tuvalu, showing major towns and islands]]
[[File:Tuvalu Funafuti atoll beach.jpg|thumb|right|A beach at Funafuti atoll]]
Tuvalu is a volcanic archipelago, and consists of three [[reef]] islands ([[Nanumanga]], [[Niutao]] and [[Niulakita]]) and six true [[atolls]] ([[Funafuti]], [[Nanumea]], [[Nui (atoll)|Nui]], [[Nukufetau]], [[Nukulaelae]] and [[Vaitupu]]).<ref name="PSK1">{{cite journal |last=Paul S. Kench, Murray R. Ford & Susan D. Owen |title=Patterns of island change and persistence offer alternate adaptation pathways for atoll nations |journal=Nature Communications |date=9 February 2018 |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=605 |doi=10.1038/s41467-018-02954-1 |pmid=29426825 |pmc=5807422 |bibcode=2018NatCo...9..605K}}</ref> Its small, scattered group of low-lying atolls have poor soil and a total land area of only about {{convert|26|km2|0|abbr=off}} making it the [[List of sovereign states by area|fourth smallest country in the world]]. The highest elevation is {{convert|4.6|m|ft}} above sea level on [[Niulakita]]; however, the low-lying atolls and reef islands of Tuvalu are susceptible to seawater flooding during cyclones and storms.<ref name="JCon">{{cite journal |last=Connell |first=John |url=http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/38764/1/v27n1-1-36.pdf |title=Vulnerable Islands: Climate Change, Techonic Change, and Changing Livelihoods in the Western Pacific |journal=The Contemporary Pacific |volume=27 |issue=1 |year=2015 |pages=1–36 |doi=10.1353/cp.2015.0014 |hdl=10125/38764 |s2cid=162562633 |access-date=3 October 2017 |archive-date=19 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719173613/https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/38764/1/v27n1-1-36.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The sea level at the Funafuti tide gauge has risen at 3.9&nbsp;mm per year, which is approximately twice the global average.<ref name="PSK2">{{cite journal |last=Paul S. Kench, Murray R. Ford & Susan D. Owen |title=Patterns of island change and persistence offer alternate adaptation pathways for atoll nations (Supplementary Note 2) |journal=Nature Communications |date=9 February 2018 |volume=9 |issue=1 |page=605 |doi=10.1038/s41467-018-02954-1 |pmid=29426825 |pmc=5807422 |bibcode=2018NatCo...9..605K}}</ref> However, over four decades, there had been a net increase in land area of the islets of {{convert|0.74|km2|1|abbr=off}} (2.9%), although the changes are not uniform, with 74% increasing and 27% decreasing in size. A 2018 report stated that the rising sea levels are identified as creating an increased transfer of wave energy across reef surfaces, which shifts sand, resulting in accretion to island shorelines.<ref name="PSK1"/> The Tuvalu Prime Minister objected to the report's implication that there were "alternate" strategies for Islanders to adapt to rising sea levels, and criticised it for neglecting issues such as [[saltwater intrusion]] into groundwater tables as a result of sea level rise.<ref name="ML">{{cite web |last=Movono |first=Lice |title=Tuvalu PM refutes AUT research |work=The Fijian Times |date=12 February 2018 |url=http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=434351 |access-date=13 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213080511/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=434351 |archive-date=13 February 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Funafuti is the largest atoll, and comprises numerous islets around a central lagoon that is approximately {{convert|25.1|km|mi|abbr=off}} (N–S) by {{convert|18.4|km|mi|abbr=off}} (W-E), centred on 179°7'E and 8°30'S. On the atolls, an annular reef rim surrounds the lagoon with seven natural reef channels.<ref>{{cite journal |author=McNeil, F. S. |year=1954 |title=Organic reefs and banks and associated detrital sediments |journal=American Journal of Science |volume=252 |issue=7 |pages=385–401 |quote=on p. 396 McNeil defines atoll as an annular reef enclosing a lagoon in which there are no promontories other than reefs and composed of reef detritus |doi=10.2475/ajs.252.7.385 |bibcode=1954AmJS..252..385M |doi-access=free}}</ref> Surveys were carried out in May 2010 of the [[Coral reefs of Tuvalu|reef habitats]] of Nanumea, Nukulaelae and Funafuti; a total of 317 fish species were recorded during this ''Tuvalu Marine Life'' study. The surveys identified 66 species that had not previously been recorded in Tuvalu, which brings the total number of identified species to 607.<ref name=TMLSY>{{cite web |author1=Sandrine Job |author2=Daniela Ceccarelli |title=Tuvalu Marine Life Synthesis Report |date=December 2011 |work=an Alofa Tuvalu project with the Tuvalu Fisheries Department |url=http://www.alofatuvalu.tv/US/05_a_tuvalu/05_page_tml/livret2light.pdf |access-date=3 December 2013 |archive-date=31 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031011545/http://www.alofatuvalu.tv/US/05_a_tuvalu/05_page_tml/livret2light.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=TMLScR>{{cite web |author1=Sandrine Job |author2=Daniela Ceccarelli |title=Tuvalu Marine Life Scientific Report |date=December 2012 |work=an Alofa Tuvalu project with the Tuvalu Fisheries Department |url=http://www.alofatuvalu.tv/US/05_a_tuvalu/05_page_tml/livret4light.pdf |access-date=3 December 2013 |archive-date=31 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031011556/http://www.alofatuvalu.tv/US/05_a_tuvalu/05_page_tml/livret4light.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Tuvalu's [[exclusive economic zone]] (EEZ) covers an oceanic area of approximately 900,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name="AJT">{{cite book |last1=Dr A J Tilling & Ms E Fihaki |title=Tuvalu National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan |url=http://www.cbd.int/doc/world/tv/tv-nr-04-en.pdf |date=17 November 2009 |publisher=Fourth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity |page=7 |access-date=29 September 2013 |archive-date=30 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730061104/https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/tv/tv-nr-04-en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>

Tuvalu signed the [[Convention on Biological Diversity]] (CBD) in 1992, and ratified it in December 2002.<ref name="CBD">{{cite web |last= |first= |title=Tuvalu Sixth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity |publisher=Government of Tuvalu |page= |year=2020 |url=https://www.cbd.int/doc/nr/nr-06/tv-nr-06-en.pdf |access-date=11 November 2023 |archive-date=17 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117145949/https://www.cbd.int/doc/nr/nr-06/tv-nr-06-en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="RT16">{{cite web |first1=Randy |last1=Thaman |first2=Faoliu |last2=Teakau |first3=Moe |last3=Saitala |first4=Epu |last4=Falega |first5=Feagaiga |last5=Penivao |first6=Mataio |last6=Tekenene |first7=Semese |last7=Alefaio |work=Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Tourism, Environment and Labour Government of Tuvalu |title=Tuvalu National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan: Fifth National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity |year=2016 |url=https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/tv/tv-nr-05-en.pdf |access-date=25 May 2019 |archive-date=6 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206154235/https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/tv/tv-nr-05-en.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The predominant vegetation type on the islands of Tuvalu is the cultivated coconut woodland, which covers 43% of the land. The native broadleaf forest is limited to 4.1% of the vegetation types.<ref name="RBA">{{cite web |first1=Randy |last1=Thaman |first2=Feagaiga |last2=Penivao |first3=Faoliu |last3=Teakau |first4=Semese |last4=Alefaio |first5=Lamese |last5=Saamu |first6=Moe |last6=Saitala |first7=Mataio |last7=Tekinene |first8=Mile |last8=Fonua |work=Rapid Biodiversity Assessment of the Conservation Status of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BES) In Tuvalu |title=Report on the 2016 Funafuti Community-Based Ridge-To-Reef (R2R) |year=2017 |url=https://www.sprep.org/attachments/VirLib/Tuvalu/r2r-biorap.pdf |access-date=25 May 2019 |archive-date=25 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525050122/https://www.sprep.org/attachments/VirLib/Tuvalu/r2r-biorap.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> Tuvalu contains the [[Western Polynesian tropical moist forests]] terrestrial ecoregion.<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>