Editing Kiribati (section)

=== 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}}