The Republic of Kiribati, comprising 33 atolls and reef islands, is unique in
having the largest Pacific atoll population and the largest concentration of urban dwellers
in the Pacific atoll groups. Because of uneven distribution, this population is severely
taxing the environment, particularly on Tarawa Atoll. The island nation is attempting to
strike a balance between modem aspirations and the need to develop limited resources
in a sustainable way. The challenges of small size, remoteness, geographical dispersion,
vulnerability to drought, and a highly limited internal market are of significance to
the human ecology. While Kiribati benefits from aid and remittances and from other
rent opportunities, including fishing licenses and income derived from the Revenue
Equalization Fund (a legacy of phosphate mining on Banaba), it is also aiming to further
develop its fisheries and, to a lesser degree, diversify local agricultural production in the
hope of achieving greater economic independence and improve local nutrition. Future
development of the primary sector cannot be divorced from wider concerns such as
improvements in transport and storage infrastructure, resource management, pollution,
coastal erosion, water quality control, renewable energy production, family planning, and
global warming.