A new strategy: Combining the horizontal and vertical approaches to ecosystem studies and conservation

PABITRA is a collaborative program for investigating the function of biodiversity and the health of ecosystems in the tropical Pacific Islands. Particular emphasis is put on the comparative analysis of indigenous upland and inland forests of the volcanic high islands and their role as ecological reserves and watersheds. Their function under the natural biogeographic restraints of isolation and their watershed services in relation to the various lowland ecosystems will become the principal focus of collaborative research.

Recent Highlights

The Pacific Science issue on "The PABITRA Project: Island Landscapes under Global Change" has now been published.

The PABITRA methods book, Biodiversity Assessment of Tropical Island Ecosystems, is now available for purchase

Network Organization

• Organization of PABITRA (including core participants)

Past Events

• 21st Pacific Science Congress, Okinawa, Japan, June 12-16, 2007
• PABITRA meeting, Palau, March 25-April 2, 2007
• International Association of Vegetation Science (IAVS) 2007 Annual Symposium, New Zealand, February, 2007
• PABITRA meeting, Palau (August, 2006)
• International Association of Vegetation Science (IAVS) 2005 Annual Symposium, Lisbon, Portugal, July 24-29, 2005
• International Association of Vegetation Science 2004 Annual Symposium, Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i, July 18-23, 2004
  • Download the full Post-Conference Field Trip Guide (about 8.5 mb PDF file)
  • Download just the text information of the Post-Conference Field Trip Guide (about 85 K PDF file)
• Living Archipelagos Workshop, Honolulu, Bishop Museum, April 14-16, 2004
• Joint Analysis Workshop, Apia, Samoa, November 24-December 5, 2003
  (check this link for planning information, resources and reports)
• Apia, Samoa, Initial Workshop, June 10-13 2003
• 20th Pacific Science Congress, Bangkok, March 17-21 2003
  PABITRA topic: Island Landscapes Under Global Change: The PABITRA Project APN/PABITRA
  (Note: Bangkok Symposium papers due April 30, 2003)
  Joint Analysis Workship, November 18-December 3, 2002, Fiji
• PABITRA Fiji Transect: Initial Workshop (July 15-19, 2002)
• Pacific Science Inter-Congress, June 1-6, 2001, Guam
• Field Meeting, September 30-October 8, 2000, Suva, Fiji 
• International Association of Vegetation Science, July 23-28, 2000, Nagano, Japan
• (Workshop Outline: Speakers & Schedule; Abstracts) 
• 19th Pacific Science Congress, July 6-7, 1999, Sydney, Australia 
  (abstracts of the current & planned projects)
• PABITRA workshop, November, 1998, Taipei, Taiwan