Tetepare Island

Island in Western Province, Solomon Islands

Tetepare Island is an island in Western Province, in the independent nation of Solomon Islands. It is the largest uninhabited island in the South Pacific, covering approximately Tetepare supports pristine lowland rainforest and a rich inshore marine area. Tetepare Island is identified as an area with high biodiversity and conservation values. The meaning of the name is uncertain; it most probably means "wild pig" or "fighting boar" because the island was (and to some degree still is) famous for these animals among inhabitants of the region. The local residents were apparently once a distinct ethnic group; a Tetepare language and unique traditions are attested, but information is fragmentary. Like their neighbors on Rendova Island and New Georgia, they appear to have been swidden agriculturalist, and to have occasionally practiced headhunting. But the island was abandoned in the mid 19th century, with the locals dispersing to New Georgia, Roviana Lagoon, Vona Vona Lagoon, Nggatokae and Ranongga. At the western tip, a coconut plantation was established in 1907–1918, but this declined since World War II and all maintenance ceased after 1990. Secondary forest is now reclaiming this area. Three species of marine turtles, including the critically endangered leatherback and hawksbill and the endangered green, nest on Tetepare's volcanic black sand beaches. Sharks, dolphins, crocodiles and an extraordinary diversity of fish species make the island's reefs their home. The coral reefs of the region support one of the highest diversities of fish and coral in the world, second only to Raja Ampat in Indonesia. Most mammals on Tetepare are bats. Among these is Fardoulis' blossom bat (only described in 1993) and a roundleaf bat that might be Maggie Taylor's roundleaf bat (described in 1981) or a new taxon. In addition, some flying foxes from Tetepare are hitherto unidentified; possibly the New Georgia monkey faced bat (Pteralopex taki) is one of them. Land "ownership" among the Tetepare people was of a customary caretaker nature. Their descendants are still recognized as the traditional landowners or overseers of Tetepare Island, and the island continues to be a place of spiritual and traditional significance in the region.

In 1995 Friends of Tetepare was formed from a group of customary landowners to prevent commercial logging on the island. In 2002, the Friends of Tetepare and TOLOA (Tetepare Traditional Landowners Association) came together to form the Tetepare Descendants' Association (TDA). Their aim was to conserve Tetepare for the benefit of all descendants and future generations. More than 3000 descendants have since joined the TDA, making it one of the largest land owning organisations in the Solomon Islands. The TDA is a registered Solomon Islands charitable organisation, with an office in the town of Munda, and a field station and ecolodge on Tetepare Island. The TDA has established a Marine Protected Area on Tetepare, which is a no take zone. This is one of the largest contiguous Marine Protected Areas in the Solomon Islands. TDA rangers, marine monitors, seagrass monitors and turtle monitors work on the island to patrol and protect the MPA and the forest, and to monitor the health of the island's reefs, seagrass meadows and forests, and to tag turtles and protect and relocate turtle nests during the nesting season from September to April. With funding and support from the European Union, the TDA has created an ecolodge on Tetepare, which provides jobs for descendants from local villages and raises money to support the conservation program. The TDA also runs sustainable livelihoods programs for descendant communities and runs a scholarship program to help TDA members pay school fees for their children. The TDA has received support and funding from several international organisations and individuals including the European Union, World Wide Fund for Nature, Conservation International, Australian Volunteers International and NZ Aid.