Brief Description
East Rennell makes up the southern third of Rennell Island, the southernmost island in the Solomon Island group in the western Pacific. Rennell, 86 km long x 15 km wide, is the largest raised coral atoll in the world. The site includes approximately 37,000 ha and a marine area extending 3 nautical miles to sea. A major feature of the island is Lake Tegano, which was the former lagoon on the atoll. The lake, the largest in the insular Pacific (15,500 ha), is brackish and contains many rugged limestone islands and endemic species. Rennell is mostly covered with dense forest, with a canopy averaging 20 m in height. Combined with the strong climatic effects of frequent cyclones, the site is a true natural laboratory for scientific study. The site is under customary land ownership and management.
East Rennell makes up the southern third of Rennell Island, the southernmost island in the Solomon Island group in the western Pacific. Rennell, 86 km long x 15 km wide, is the largest raised coral atoll in the world. The site includes approximately 37,000 ha and a marine area extending 3 nautical miles to sea. A major feature of the island is Lake Tegano, which was the former lagoon on the atoll. The lake, the largest in the insular Pacific (15,500 ha), is brackish and contains many rugged limestone islands and endemic species. Rennell is mostly covered with dense forest, with a canopy averaging 20 m in height. Combined with the strong climatic effects of frequent cyclones, the site is a true natural laboratory for scientific study. The site is under customary land ownership and management.
Rennell Est
Rennell Est est situé dans le tiers méridional de Rennell, île la plus australe de l'archipel des Salomon. Rennell est le plus grand atoll corallien surélevé du monde avec ses 86 km de long et 15 km de large. Le site couvre environ 37 000 ha et un secteur marin s'étendant jusqu'à trois milles nautiques. Une des caractéristiques principales de l'île est le lac Tegano, ancien lagon de l'atoll et le plus grand lac du Pacifique insulaire (15 500 ha). Il est saumâtre et contient de nombreuses îles calcaires accidentées. Rennell est essentiellement couverte de forêts denses dont la canopée atteint 20 m de hauteur en moyenne. Avec les effets climatiques marqués de cyclones fréquents, le site est un véritable laboratoire naturel pour l'étude scientifique. C'est la coutume qui régit la propriété et la gestion du site.
إيست رينيل
تقع إيست رينيل في الثلث الجنوبي لجزيرة رينيل، الجزيرة الأكثر جنوباً في أرخبيل جزر سليمان. وتشكّل رينيل أكبر جزيرة مرجانية ذات ارتفاع مُفرط في العالم إذ يبلغ طولها 86 كيلومتراً وعرضها 15 كيلومتراً. يغطّي الموقع تقريباً مساحة 37000 هكتار وقطاعاً بحرياً يمتدّ حتى ثلاثة آلاف ميل بحري. وتشكّل بحيرة تيغانو، وهي بحيرة مالحة قديمة من الجزيرة المرجانية وأكبر بحيرة في جزر المحيط الهادئ، إحدى أبرز مميزات الجزيرة. الموقع شديد الملوحة ويضمّ عدّة جُزر جيريّة وعرة. وتغطّي جزيرة رينيل بصورة خاصة غابات كثيفة يبلغ معدل ارتفاع نتوئها 20 مترا. وبفضل التأثيرات المناخية التي تخلّفها الأعاصير المتكرّرة، يشكّل الموقع مختبراً طبيعياً حقيقياً للدراسة العلمية. يجري الاعتماد على العادات التقليدية القديمة في ملكية هذا المكان وإدارته.
Source: UNESCO/BPI
东伦内尔岛
东伦内尔岛位于西太平洋所罗门群岛的最南端，它是伦内尔岛南面的第三个岛屿。伦内尔岛长86公里，宽15公里，是世界上最大的上升珊瑚环礁。该区域占地约37 000公顷，还有3海里的海域面积。这个岛最主要的特色就是特加诺湖，它以前是环状珊瑚岛的泻湖。这个面积为15 500公顷的太平洋岛屿中的最大湖泊，是一个咸水湖，包括许多崎岖不平的石灰石岛屿以及当地的特有物种。伦内尔岛大部分被茂密的森林所覆盖，这些森林的平均高度为20米。加之这里时常发生飓风，故成为一处真正的科学研究的天然实验室。这个岛屿遵循习惯的岛屿所有制和管理。
Source: UNESCO/ERI
Восточная часть острова Реннелл
Реннелл – самый южный из группы Соломоновых островов, лежащих в западной части Тихого океана. Это самый большой в мире поднятый атолл, его размеры 86х15 км. Объект наследия площадью 37 тыс. га охватывает южную треть этого острова и включает также прилегающую акваторию в радиусе трех морских миль. Главный природный объект острова – озеро Тегано, бывшая лагуна атолла. Озеро считается крупнейшим внутренним водоемом во всей Океании (15,5 тыс. га), оно имеет солоноватую воду, множество скалистых известняковых островков, и служит местообитанием для некоторых эндемичных видов. Преобладающая часть острова Реннелл покрыта густыми лесами, которые образуют сплошной полог на высоте 20 м. Подверженный воздействию частых циклонов, Реннелл является отличной естественной научной лабораторией и районом традиционного землевладения и землепользования.
Source: UNESCO/ERI
Rennell Este
El sitio de Rennell Este abarca el tercio meridional de la isla Rennell, la más austral del archipiélago de las Salomón. Con sus 86 kilómetros de longitud y 15 de ancho, Rennell es el atolón de coral elevado más grande del mundo. El sitio comprende una superficie terrestre de 37.000 hectáreas y una zona marina de tres millas. Después de la elevación del atolón primigenio, su laguna dio origen al lago Tegano, que con sus 15.500 hectáreas es el mayor de todas las islas del Pacífico. En sus aguas salobres emergen numerosos islotes calizos que albergan especies endémicas. El sitio está cubierto por espesos bosques cuyo dosel alcanza una altura de 20 metros por término medio. Además, sus condiciones climáticas, caracterizadas por la frecuencia de fenómenos ciclónicos, hacen de él un auténtico laboratorio natural para los estudios científicos. La propiedad y administración del sitio se rigen por el derecho consuetudinario.
Source: UNESCO/ERI
Justification for Inscription
Criterion (ix): East Rennell, as a stepping stone in the migration and evolution of species in the western Pacific, is an important site for the science of island biogeography. Combined with the strong climate effects of frequent cyclones, East Rennell is a true natural laboratory for scientific study.
Long Description
The site of East Rennell is located on the southern third of Rennell Island which is the southernmost island in the Solomon Island group. Rennell is the largest raised coral atoll in the world. The island is subject to relatively frequent hurricanes which are a major factor affecting the island. Rennell was formed by the uplift of corals which formed on an undersea ridge and then were subject to faulting. The landform is a typical jagged and eroded limestone karst rising to 200 m. A major feature of the island is Lake Tegano which was the former lagoon on the atoll. The lake is the largest in the insular Pacific. It is brackish and contains many rugged limestone islands.
Rennell is mostly covered with dense forest with a canopy averaging 20 m in height. The three main vegetation types are low scrub forest on the karst ridge, tall forest in the interior and beach flora along Lake Tegano. The lake's flora is dominated by 312 species of diatoms and algae, a small number of which are endemic. There are 10 endemic plants on the island and its flora contains elements from the more impoverished Pacific islands to the east and the much richer Melanesian flora to the west.
Wildlife includes 11 species of bat, one of which is endemic, and 43 bird species, four of which are endemic. An endemic banded sea snake lives in Lake Tegano. The invertebrate life is rich, with 27 species of land snails and 731 insect species. Approximately 800 people of Polynesian origin live in four villages within the area. Subsistence agriculture, fishing and hunting are the bases of the economy. The local people rely on forest products for most construction materials.
The distinguishing features of the site that are not duplicated elsewhere are:
- Rennell is the world's largest raised coral atoll;
- Lake Tegano is the largest lake in the insular Pacific and contains a number of endemic species;
- the forests are largely undisturbed by humans and display a number of adaptations to the effects of the frequent cyclonic storms;
- for its size Rennell Island has a high number of endemic species, particularly birds;
- within the Pacific, most oceanic islands have been much modified by human activity. On Rennell, these impacts have been relatively light and invasive predators such as rats and alien land snails, which have decimated the fauna of other islands, are absent.
East Rennell has a number of marine, coastal and forest values that are better displayed in other Pacific locations. The fact, however, that the atoll combines them in one place and in a relatively undisturbed state, makes the island a special place in the Papuan biogeographic province.
Source: UNESCO/CLT/WHC