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{{Short description|A marine ecoregion of the Pacific Ocean}}
{{About|the ecoregion|its geography|Solomon Islands (archipelago)|the country|Solomon Islands}}
<noinclude>{{Requested move notice|1=Solomon Islands archipelago (ecoregion)|2=Talk:Solomon Islands (archipelago)#Requested move 12 June 2025}}
</noinclude>{{Infobox islands
| name = '''Solomon Archipelago'''
| image_name = Solomon Isles.jpg
| image_caption = Aerial view of islands in Solomon Archipelago
|image_size =
| image_map = Political map of the Solomon Islands archipelago in 1989.jpg
| map_caption = The Solomon Islands archipelago
| local_name =
| nickname =
| location = [[Pacific Ocean]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|9|28|S|159|49|E|type:city}}
| archipelago = [[Solomon Islands (archipelago)|Solomon Islands archipelago]]
| total_islands = 6 main islands and more than 986 smaller islands
| major_islands = [[Bougainville Island|Bougainville]], [[Choiseul island|Choiseul]], the [[New Georgia Islands]], [[Santa Isabel Island|Santa Isabel]], [[Malaita]], [[Makira]] (San Cristobal), [[Guadalcanal]].
| area_km2 =
| highest_mount =
| elevation_m =
| country = [[Solomon Islands]] and [[Papua New Guinea]]
| country_admin_divisions_title =
| country_admin_divisions =
| population =
}}

The '''Solomon Archipelago''' is a [[terrestrial ecoregion]] and [[marine ecoregion]] in the [[Pacific Ocean]]. It includes the tropical ocean waters surrounding most of the [[Solomon Islands (archipelago)|Solomon Islands archipelago]] (excluding the [[Santa Cruz Islands]], which is a part of the [[Vanuatu]] marine ecoregion with the forests being part of the [[Vanuatu rain forests]] ecoregion), and includes [[Bougainville Island]] and [[Buka Island]] of [[Papua New Guinea]] and their surrounding waters.

Bougainville is the largest island in the archipelago, while it is geographically part of the Solomon Archipelago, it is politically an [[Autonomous Region of Bougainville|autonomous region of Papua New Guinea]].

The [[Solomon Islands rain forests]] form part of the [[East Melanesian Islands]] ecoregion, also known as the Solomons-Vanuatu-Bismarck moist forests, which is a [[biogeography|biogeographic]] region in the [[Melanesia]] subregion of [[Oceania]].<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}}</ref>

== Key Biodiversity Areas==

In the Solomon Islands there are 28 land based and 24 marine protected areas formally recognised (PIPAP 2016).<ref name=" SPREP2018">{{cite report|author= Beth Toki, Lyn Leger, Suanne Richards, Sophie Hipkin, Joseph Lorimer, Rod Coulton |url= https://www.sprep.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/solomon-islands-esram-vol1_1.pdf|title= Solomon Islands Ecosystem and Socio-Economic Resilience Analysis and Mapping (ESRAM), Volume 1: Introduction and national assessment |publisher= Apia, Samoa: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)|year= 2018|access-date= 31 March 2021}}</ref> The Pacific Islands Protected Areas Portal (PIPAP 2021) states that {{convert|530.42 |km2|mi2|abbr=on}} out of {{convert|29,191.65 |km2|mi2|abbr=on}} (1.82%) of the total land area of Solomon Islands is protected, while {{convert|1,879.38 |km2|mi2|abbr=on}} out of {{convert|1,609,756.55 |km2|mi2|abbr=on}} (0.12%) of the total marine area is protected.<ref name="PIPAP">{{cite web|title= Solomon Islands Protection Coverage |url= https://pipap.sprep.org/country/sb|publisher= Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) |date= 2021|access-date= 17 April 2021}}</ref>

The protected areas in the Solomon Archipelago include: [[Arnarvon Islands|Arnavon Community Marine Conservation Area]], [[Kolombangara]] Forest Reserve, [[Makira]] Highlands Conservation Area and Komarindi Catchment Conservation Area on [[Guadalcanal]].<ref name="CEC2018">{{cite report|author= Ceccarelli DM, Wini-Simeon, Sullivan, Wendt, Vave-Karamui, Masu, Nicolay-Grosse Hokamp, Davey, Fernandes |url= http://macbio-pacific.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SUMA-Solomon-Islands-Digital-High-Resolution.pdf |title= Biophysically Special, Unique Marine Areas of the Solomon Islands |publisher= MACBIO, (GIZ, IUCN, SPREP), Suva |year= 2018|isbn=978-0-9975451-6-6| access-date= 31 March 2021}}</ref> There are 36 Key Biodiversity Areas identified for the Solomon archipelago, including Kunua Plains and Mount Balbi on Bougainville Island, Mount Maetambe – Kolombangara River Important Bird Area on [[Choiseul Island]], [[Kolombangara]] Upland Forest, Guadalcanal Watersheds, [[Nendö Island]] and Marovo Kavachi, a [[submarine volcano]] known as [[Kavachi]], which is {{convert|28|km|-1|abbr=on}} to the south of [[Vangunu]].<ref name="CEC2018"/><ref name="JM">{{cite web|title= Solomon Islands, east of New Guinea|url= https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/aa0119|publisher= World Wildlife Fund|date= 2020|access-date= 17 April 2021}}</ref>

==Tropical forests of the Solomon Archipelago==
{{see also|Solomon Islands rain forests}}
[[Image: Kirakira River and Beach.JPG|thumb|right|200px| Kirakira River and Beach, [[Makira]]]]

This ecoregion consists of tropical lowland and montane forests on oceanic islands. The islands are predominantly hill forest, although only a few of the islands are higher than {{convert|1,000|m|ft|sigfig=4}} in elevation. The vegetation types in this ecoregion, include mangrove forests and saline swamp forests, coastal strand vegetation, freshwater swamp, riverine forests, different types of lowland rain forests and montane rain forest.<ref name="LPF2015"/><ref name=" SPREP2018"/> The Solomon Islanders use trees from different forest types for housing, food and medicinal purposes.<ref name="JEE">{{cite journal |author = Takuro Furusawa, Myknee Qusa Sirikolo, Masatoshi Sasaoka, and Ryutaro Ohtsuka |year= 2014|title= Interaction between forest biodiversity and people's use of forest resources in Roviana, Solomon Islands: implications for biocultural conservation under socioeconomic changes
|journal= Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |volume=10 |page= 10
|doi=10.1186/1746-4269-10-10|pmid= 24468329
|pmc= 3974228
|doi-access= free}}</ref> Large areas of the natural forest below {{convert|400|m|ft|sigfig=4}} have been logged or are planned to be logged. Forest clearing for [[subsistence agriculture]] also reduces the amount of natural forest.<ref name="JM"/>

Seasonally dry forest and grassland is found only on the leeward (north) side of Guadalcanal as the result of the “rain shadow” caused by the mountains of Guadalcanal which are higher than {{convert|2,000|m|ft|sigfig=4}} in elevation.<ref name="LPF2015"/>

== Coral Triangle==
{{main|Protected areas of Solomon Islands|Coral reefs of the Solomon Islands}}
{{see also| List of corals of the Solomon Islands}}
[[File:dugong.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A dugong mother and calf in shallow water]]

Fringing [[reef]]s are located around the coast of the mountainous [[high island]]s of the Solomon Archipelago including: [[Choiseul island|Choiseul]], the [[Shortland Islands]], the [[New Georgia Islands]], [[Santa Isabel Island|Santa Isabel]], the [[Russell Islands]], the [[Florida Islands]], [[Tulagi]], [[Malaita]], [[South Malaita Island|Maramasike]], [[Ulawa Island|Ulawa]], [[Owaraha]] (Santa Ana), [[Makira]] (San Cristobal), and the main island of [[Guadalcanal]].

According to the WWF/Nature Conservancy system, the Solomon Archipelago is part of the Eastern Coral Triangle [[Marine ecoregion#Provinces|marine province]] of the [[Central Indo-Pacific]] [[Marine ecoregion#Realms|marine realm]].<ref>Spalding, Mark D., Helen E. Fox, Gerald R. Allen, Nick Davidson ''et al.'' "Marine Ecoregions of the World: A Bioregionalization of Coastal and Shelf Areas". ''Bioscience'' Vol. 57 No. 7, July/August 2007, pp. 573-583.</ref>

The Solomon archipelago has a rich and diverse marine life, including coral reefs and [[seagrass meadow]]s. The archipelago is part of the [[Coral Triangle]], the region of the western Pacific with world's greatest diversity of corals and coral reef species. The baseline survey of marine biodiversity in 2004,<ref name="TE2006">{{cite report|author= Turak, E. edited by Green, A., P. Lokani, W. Atu, P. Ramohia, P. Thomas and J. Almany |url= https://www.conservationgateway.org/Documents/SolomonIslandsMarineAssessmentReport-Full.pdf|title= Solomon Islands Marine Assessment: Technical report of survey conducted May 13 to June 17, 2004. TNC Pacific Island Countries Report No. 1/06 |publisher= DC: World Resources Institute |year= 2006|pages= 64–109|access-date= 31 March 2021}}</ref> identified 494 [[coral]] species, including nine potentially new species and extended the known range of 122 coral species to include the Solomons.<ref name="VT2006">{{cite report|author= Veron, J. E. N., and E. Turak, edited by Green, A., P. Lokani, W. Atu, P. Ramohia, P. Thomas and J. Almany | title= Solomon Islands Marine Assessment: Technical report of survey conducted May 13 to June 17, 2004. TNC Pacific Island Countries Report No. 1/06 |publisher= DC: World Resources Institute |year= 2006| pages= 35–63}}</ref> The 2004 survey also recorded 1,019 species of reef fish, of which 47 were species range extensions.<ref name="AGR2006">{{cite report|author= Allen, G. R., edited by Green, A., P. Lokani, W. Atu, P. Ramohia, P. Thomas and J. Almany |title= Solomon Islands Marine Assessment: Technical report of survey conducted May 13 to June 17, 2004. TNC Pacific Island Countries Report No. 1/06 |publisher= DC: World Resources Institute |year= 2006| pages=196–267}}</ref>

[[Dugong]]s are found in the seagrass meadows and near-shore waters.<ref>Green, A., P. Lokani, W. Atu, P. Ramohia, P. Thomas and J. Almany (eds.) 2006. Solomon Islands Marine Assessment: Technical report of survey conducted May 13 to June 17, 2004. TNC Pacific Island Countries Report No. 1/06.</ref>

==Reptiles==
[[File:Corucia zebrata.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Solomon Islands skink]]]]

Lizards are the most diverse group of reptiles in the Solomon Archipelago, and within the lizards there are several different types: skinks (including the Solomon Islands skink or prehensile tailed skink ''[[Solomon Islands skink|Corucia zebrata]]'' and Poncelet’s crocodile skink ''[[Giant spiny skink|Tribolonotus ponceleti]]'', which are [[Endemism|endemic]] to the Solomon archipelago), [[gecko]]s, varanids (or ‘[[Monitor lizard|monitors]]’), and agamids (or ‘dragons’) of the genus ''[[Hydrosaurus]]''.<ref name="LPF2015">{{cite report|author= Lavery TH, Pikacha PG, Fisher DO. |url= https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:387049 |title= Solomon Islands forest life: information on biology and management of forest resources |publisher= The University of Queensland, Brisbane|year= 2013| isbn= 978-1-74272-157-6 |access-date= 31 March 2021}}</ref>

Different snake species are found in the Solomon Archipelago, ranging from those that live in the ocean ([[sea krait]]s and sea snakes), those that live in moist conditions underground or in rotting logs and leaf litter (blind snakes ''[[Acutotyphlops]]''), and those that are found in the trees ([[Candoiinae|South Pacific tree boa]], the [[brown tree snake]] ''Boiga irregularis'' and the Solomons tree snake ''[[Dendrelaphis calligastra]]''). The sea kraits, and two other terrestrial species, the Solomons Red Krait ''[[Salomonelaps|Salomonelaps par]]'' and the Solomons Black-banded krait ''[[Loveridgelaps|Loveridgelaps elapoides]]'', are members of the cobra family (''[[Elapidae]]'') and are considered dangerous due to their toxic venom.<ref name="LPF2015"/>

One species of crocodile, the [[saltwater crocodile]] (''Crocodylus porosus'') is found in mangrove swamps, rivers and tidal estuaries, and also in the open ocean.<ref name="LPF2015"/>

== The mammalian species of the Solomon archipelago==
[[Image: Pteralopex anceps.jpg|thumb|right|100px|[[Bougainville monkey-faced bat]] ]]
{{see also|List of mammals of the Solomon Islands archipelago}}

Although this oceanic island ecoregion contains only forty-seven [[mammal]] species, twenty-six of those species are endemic or near endemic, including nine [[Muridae|murid rodents]] (Melomys, Solomys, Uromys), fifteen [[Megabat|pteropodid bats]] (Dobsonia, Melonycteris, Nyctimene, Pteralopex, Pteropus), one molossid bat (''[[Chaerephon (bat)|Chaerephon]]'') and the [[Flower-faced bat]] (''Anthops ornatus''). Three of the fruit bats, [[Bougainville monkey-faced bat]] (''Pteralopex anceps''), [[Guadalcanal monkey-faced bat]] (''Pteralopex atrata'') and [[Montane monkey-faced bat]] (''Pteralopex pulchra''), are critically endangered, and three of the rodents are endangered, [[Buka Island mosaic-tailed rat]] or Buka Island melomys (''Melomys spechti''), [[Poncelet's giant rat]] or Poncelet's naked-tailed rat (''Solomys ponceleti''), and [[emperor rat]] (''Uromys imperator'') that is [[Endemism|endemic]] to [[Guadalcanal]].<ref name="JM"/>

== The bird species of the Solomon archipelago==
[[Image: Hana2.jpg |thumb|left|200px|[[Ducorps' cockatoo]] ]]
{{see also|List of birds of the Solomon Islands archipelago}}

This oceanic island ecoregion has least seven endemic genera of birds. Makira (San Cristobal) and the New Georgia group, have their own endemic species.<ref name="JM"/> A total of 199 bird species inhabit the Solomons and of those birds, about 69 bird species are found nowhere else in the world. Two bird species are critically endangered: [[Makira woodhen]] (''Gallinula silvestris''), [[yellow-legged pigeon]] (''Columba pallidiceps''). Four bird species are endangered: [[imitator goshawk]] or imitator sparrowhawk (''Accipiter imitator''), [[Woodford's rail]] (''Hypotaenidia woodfordi''), [[red-knobbed imperial pigeon]] (''Ducula rubricera''), and [[white-eyed starling]] (''Aplonis brunneicapillus'').<ref name="JM"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Solomon Archipelago}}

[[Category:Marine ecoregions]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of Papua New Guinea]]
[[Category:Ecoregions of the Solomon Islands]]
[[Category:Central Indo-Pacific]]

Solomon Archipelago - Revision history

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