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Priority watersheds for Tinian
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Posted on Oct 22 2008
The Micronesia Challenge benthic team has identified the Puntan Daiplo-Lamanibot and the Puntan Tahgong as priority watersheds.
The Puntan Daiplo-Lamanibot watershed includes the San Jose village leading to the Taga Beach area. The Puntan Tahgong watershed includes Unai Babui and Unai Chulu.
The goals for these sites are to first identify the types and quantities of the contaminants, and the ecological consequences. The restoration options for the two watersheds will then be determined.
Threats to these watersheds are similar to those on Saipan and Rota. There are some farming and grazing, with minimal erosion control.
“There appears to be extremely fast percolation through the karst aquifer, facilitating the rapid transport of nutrients from these watersheds,” said Peter Houk, DEQ biologist.
Houk said the reefs in the watershed sites are well developed; they are high in coral cover, richness and diversity. However, negative trends over the past eight years indicate an impact from land-based pollution in the sites.
The watershed sites are also home to Tinian monarch; green sea turtle Micronesian megapdode, Marianas fruit bat, and hawksbill turtle.
The Micronesia Challenge is a commitment by the Chief Executives of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, theRepublic of Palau, the U.S. Territory of Guam and the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to effectively conserve at least 30 percent of the near-shore marine resources and 20 percent of the terrestrial resources across Micronesia by 2020. [B][I](CoCo)[/I][/B]
