Heritage Expeditions

Geographical Information:

8º 00’S, 159º 00 E

Area:

28,450 sq km’s  consisting of more than 990 Islands.

Physical features: 

The Solomon Islands archipelago is part of two distinct terrestrial eco regions. Most of the Islands are part of the Solomon Islands rain forest eco region. The Santa Cruz Islands (which are part of the  Solomon’s) are part of the Vanuatu rain forest eco region.  Soil quality ranges from extremely rich volcanic to relatively infertile limestone. There are a number of volcanoes situated on some of the larger islands that are still relatively active.

Historical Features:

The Solomon Islands have been inhabited by Melanesian people for over 30,000 years. Polynesian settlers began to arrive in 4000BC. The first European to discover the Islands was de Gambo in 1568.  Missionaries began arriving in the Solomon’s in the mid 1800’s. The brutal recruitment of labourers for sugar plantations in Queensland and Fiji led to a series of reprisals and massacres. This led the United Kingdom to declare a protectorate over the southern Solomon’s in 1893, this was extended in 1900 to include the entire group. Under the protectorate missionaries settled in the Solomon’s converting most of the population to christianity.

Some of the most intense fighting of World War 2 occurred in the Solomon Islands. The Battle of Guadalcanal  became one of the most important battles fought in the Pacific.  Following the end of World War 2, the British Colonial government returned. In 1974 a  new constitution was adopted, establishing a parliamentary democracy and ministerial system of government. In January 1976 the Solomon’s became self-governing and independence followed in 1978.

The current political situation in the Solomon’s is unstable. Lawlessness, widespread extortion and ineffective police are rife. New Zealand and Australia sent in police and troops to quell the unrest. The most recent unrest was in April 2006.

Wildlife:

Although the Solomon Islands contain only forty-seven mammal species, a remarkable twenty-six of those species are endemic or near endemic, including nine murid rodents (Melomys, Solomys, Uromys), fifteen pteropodid bats (Dobsonia, Melonycteris, Nyctimene, Pteralopex, Pteropus), a horseshoe bat (Anthops), and one molossid bat (Chaerephon). Three of the fruit bats-Bougainville monkey-faced bat (Pteralopex ancep), Guadalcanal monkey-faced bat (Pteralopex atrata), and montane monkey-faced bat (Pteralopex pulchra)-are critically endangered, and three of the rodents-Specht's mosaic-tailed rat (Melomys spechti), Poncelet's giant rat (Solomys ponceleti), and emperor rat (Uromys imperator)-are endangered.

The Solomons are considered a centre of bird endemism, with at least seven endemic genera. A total of 199 bird species inhabit the Solomons. The unique islands of Rennell and Bellona, separated from the rest of the Solomons by a submarine trench, contain a total of twelve endemic species, and seven additional species. The Solomon’s  are a global priority for bird conservation. Ninety species are endemic or near endemic. Three bird species are critically endangered: Makira moorhen (Gallinula silvestris), yellow-legged pigeon (Columba pallidiceps), and thick-billed ground-dove (Gallicolumba salamonis). Four additional bird species are endangered: imitator sparrowhawk (Accipiter imitator), Woodford's rail (Nesoclopeus woodfordi), chestnut-bellied imperial pigeon (Ducula rubricera), and white-eyed starling (Aplonis brunneicapilla).

Click here for a detailed Bird Checklist