Solomon Islands
East Rennell
Photo in the Public Domain
East Rennell is an important site for the science of island biogeography, being a stepping stone between Papua New Guinea and the Pacific islands.
Its relatively undisturbed state and the frequent occurrence of cyclones make it a true natural laboratory. The designated area comprises the southern portion of Rennell Island, the largest raised coral atoll in the world. Its Lake Tegano is the largest lake in the insular Pacific and contains a number of endemic species such as banded sea snake. The site also has a high number of endemic bird and insect species.
Community Perspective: from the Solomon Islands’ capital Honiara it takes a flight and a drive on an unpaved road to get there. The main tourist facilities are centered around Lake Tegano.
Site Info
Official Information
- Full Name
- East Rennell (ID: 854)
- Country
- Solomon Islands
- Status
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Inscribed 1998
Site history
History of East Rennell
- WHS Type
- Natural
- Criteria
- ix
Links
- UNESCO
- whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
- whc.unesco.org — whc.unesco.org/
News Article
- Feb. 21, 2019 whc.unesco.org — Concern for oil spill in East Rennell
- Aug. 20, 2017 solomonstarnews.com — No more logging on Rennell Island
- Feb. 24, 2015 solomonstarnews.com — Proposed logging threatens World Heritage lake Tegano
Community Information
- Community Category
- Natural landscape: Insular
Travel Information
One thousand visitors or fewer
Recent Connections
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One thousand visitors or fewer
DD : “In the mid-2000s, for example, on… -
Molluscs
Crit ix "The invertebrate life is also … -
Affected by Climate Change
Changes and global warming are also a d…
Connections of East Rennell
- Geography
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Isolated WHS
1070 km from Chief Roi Mata's Domain -
Melanesia
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Coral Sea
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Situated in one of the SIDS
Solomon Islands 1998 -
Pacific Ocean
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Atoll
Raised Coral atoll
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- Trivia
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Customary ownership
The land is under customary ownership and the lake is regarded as common property (AB ev)
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- Ecology
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Coral
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Molluscs
Crit ix "The invertebrate life is also rich with 27 species of land snail (seven endemics) and approximately 730 insect species, many of which are endemic" -
Endemic Bird Species
Bare-eyed Whiteeye, Rennell Starling, Snakebill, Fantail -
Mangroves
small patches of mangrove (Coastal WHS) -
Lagoons
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- Damaged
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Oil Spill
"On 4 February 2019, the bulk carrier MV Solomon Trader ran aground in Kangava Bay, Rennell Island, while loading bauxite ore. While the grounding and consecutive oil spill occurred just outside the World Heritage property, there is concern for a possible impact on the World Heritage site and the livelihoods of the local communities."See whc.unesco.org
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Affected by Climate Change
Changes and global warming are also a dangerous threat to the island, which is already suffering with more frequent and intense floods (Solomon Island Official Tourism 2017). In 2019, the SP reported that the impacts of climate change are increasingly felt by the communities in the ERWHP and that sea level rise has resulted in increasing water levels and salinity in Lake Tegano, reducing the harvest of taro and coconut. The SP also reported that long droughts are of particular concern. (IUCN reactive monitoring mission 2019). Also annual severe coral bleaching (IUCN Outlook 2020).
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- World Heritage Process
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First inscriptions
Solomon Islands 1998 -
Controversial at inscription
Land is under customary ownership - which was supported after a considerable debate. The delegate of Thailand dissociated himself from this decision. -
Inscribed on a single criterion only
ix. to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals -
Only WHS in their country
Solomon Islands
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- Human Activity
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Natural sites with indigenous human population
Approximately 800 people of Polynesian origin reside in four villages within the nominated area (AB ev)
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- WHS on Other Lists
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IUCN Conservation Outlook Assessment Critical
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Biodiversity hotspot
East Melanesian Islands -
World Heritage Forest Programme
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- Timeline
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Late Pleistocene
Near the end of the Pleistocene, tectonic movements raised the seabed sufficiently to allow coral building on Bellona, Rennell and Indispensable Reefs. (EOEarth)
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- Visiting conditions
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One thousand visitors or fewer
DD : “In the mid-2000s, for example, only about 15 tourists per year visited East Rennell (Gabrys & Heywood, 2012). In addition, by the mid-2000s, all businesses established and supported through the nomination process had failed (Tabbasum & Dingwall, 2005). More recent data on tourist arrivals to Rennell is not readily available, but is unlikely to be significantly different from the mid-2000s figures. “ source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/app5.311
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News
- whc.unesco.org 02/21/2019
- Concern for oil spill in East Renn…
- solomonstarnews.com 08/20/2017
- No more logging on Rennell Island
- solomonstarnews.com 02/24/2015
- Proposed logging threatens World H…
Recent Visitors
Reserved for members.Community Reviews
Show full reviews
I visited East Rennell in 2007.
Without a doubt East Rennell is one of the most remote, and difficult to visit world heritage sites on Earth.
To get there you need to fly from Honiara to Rennell. From there you then have to drive 20 miles on an unpaved road made of raised coral. We had EIGHT flat tires on our trip there.
Once you get to Lake Tegano you've reached the world heritage area, but the lodges are on the other side of the lake, which requires a final trip by boat.
Getting here is neither easy nor cheap, but it is a fantastic experience.
Read more about East Rennell on my website.
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A long flight from Honiara to Rennel but a longer drive from the
Rennel airstrip to Lake Tegano, on a WW2 coral based road.
Well worth the visit to see this amazing fresh water lake with its huge artesian springs. Some of these are hidden in little inlets under the forest canopy, others more visible. And then there is the magical attol like islands dotted about the lake.
Quite close to the sea at one end it's remarkable that it's fresh water. The few power boats on the lake were dragged by hand from the sea over a high ridge and then down some cliffs to the lake. The local villagers live a remote life with little interuption from the outside world. Be sure to leave ample time to get back to your flight out. This weekly flight is in itself is an occasion, interupting the children playing on the strip, not to mention the ducks wading in the puddles!
Well worth the visit and not to be missed. Shame the lodge closed down but may well be re-opened since my visit.
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Rennell is beautiful!! As an environmental scientist, living and working in the Solomons, I was amazed at the beauty and diversity of Rennell and the lake. However, logging and bauxite mining has been on the cards of the locals in West Rennell, and many in East fear it will destroy their World Heritage Listing. There is great potential for alternatives, as my work is attempting to currently faciltate, but without the understanding of Australian and European nationals, I fear the island could be lost to a cash-economy.
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