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The
atoll of Taiaro, which belongs to the commune of Kauehi, is 535
km from Papeete and 95 km from Fakarava. This small Central
Tuamotu atoll is situated 15°45' south and 144°38' west.
To
reach this atoll, it is necessary to take a whale-boat. The
lagoon, which has an area of approximately 6 km2,
does not communicate with the open sea, which has meant that its
fairly restricted range of fauna has had to adapt to a higher
than average level of salinity, and only one species of coral
has developed.
After
its discovery by Commander Robert Fitz Roy in 1835, this
relatively isolated island was densely populated at one time,
since many fish ponds (now disused) were set up on its shores.
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This
island now belongs to Mr. W.A. Robinson, and is no
longer inhabited. Its lagoon was designated
a " W.A. Robinson reserve" by decree n°2456
AA dated 1st. August 1972, which was published in the
French Polynesian Official Journal of 15th. August 1972,
on page 590.
In
1977, at the joint request of the French Polynesian
Territory and Mr. W.A. Robinson, this atoll then
became a UNESCO biosphere reserve (in the
framework of the Men And Biosphere programme). The reserve
includes not only the emergent land and the lagoon, but
also the surrounding coastal region up to a radius of
one kilometer. |
From :
.
"Les Tuamotu
Gambier : recueil de données essentielles, décembre 1998",
Ministère
des Archipels (1998), Les Tuamotu Gambier : recueil de données
essentielles, décembre 1998, Service de l'administration
et du développement des archipels, PAPEETE.
Norman&Ngaire,
Douglas (1994), Pacific Islands
Yearbook, 17° édition, Fiji Times Ltd, 767p. |
Atoll_site_