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In the Pacific, land and sea are life; livelihoods and the natural environment are inseparable. Culture, tradition and livelihoods, are underpinned by the incredible biodiversity of the nearly 3,000 islands and atolls of the Pacific. However, high birth rates, unsustainable use of natural resources, increasing dependency on the cash economy, labour migration, and the deterioration of traditional social systems, are changing traditional lifestyles. Globally, the Pacific is considered a unique region in the world, from both marine and terrestrial perspectives. However, the Pacific is also one of the most threatened with more extinctions per capita than anywhere else in the world. Less than 30% of the forest cover remains in a natural state and what is left is being removed at up to 4% per annum on some islands. The threat of extinctions will continue as more coastal areas are degraded by increased land based sources of pollution, the modification of critical habitats, the increasingly unsustainable exploitation of resources, and the impacts of climate change.

Invasive mammal eradications are a proven, effective method of restoring damaged ecosystems and preserving biodiversity. On most tropical oceanic islands indigenous land crabs compete with targeted alien species for bait and interfere with traps and detection devices. Current eradication practices are inherited from successful termperate or subantarctic campaigns, yet we do not possess trued and tried methods for managing land crab interference. This report is the first organized attempt to address what's now commonly referred to as "the land crab problem." Accounts of land crab interference with eradication projects were sourced from an array of eradication practitioners; the resulting information was sorted into major topics and presented in tables, figures, and text. Major topics include: bait application rates, land crab and rat bait consumption, land crab behaviour, land crab interference with bait-stations, land crab deterring bait masks, and toxin exposure risk for non-target species. The summarized information in this report will guide future investigations into the land crab problem.

Coral reefs are very important to Pacific island life; they provide food, medicine, inspiration for arts and culture and sustain our livelihoods. During storms and cyclones, coral reefs protect land, villages and towns from rough seas that would normally destroy our islands. In this climate of global change, the health of coral reefs is critical - the stronger our coral reefs, the stronger our islands.