People and Plants of Micronesia

The objective of this biocultural research is to describe and publish, in print and electronically, the plant uses of more than 350 useful species of indigenous, endemic and introduced vascular plants found throughout Micronesia. The land areas involved include the Caroline Islands, Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Kiribati and associated outlier coral islands. To achieve this goal, a synthesis of core published research and plant specimen collection data from the region has been developed and compiled during the last 30 years. This ethnobotanical synthesis follows modern taxonomic concepts and is based on Darwin Core biodiversity information standards.

The primary objective is to complete the data synthesis including both previously published and unpublished research data. The secondary goal is to publish the data through an interactive data portal and in a print form. The book and web portal will serve as an important region-wide, cross-cultural publication and online resource that is now entirely lacking.

Regional Background
Micronesia forms a part of the Remote Oceanic sub-region of Oceania comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a shared cultural history with two other island regions, Polynesia to the east and Melanesia to the south. Micronesia is divided politically among several sovereign countries. One of these is the Federated States of Micronesia, which is usually also called "Micronesia" for short and is not to be confused with the overall region. Aside from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Micronesia region encompasses four other sovereign, independent nations including Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Palau as well as three U.S. territories: Guam, Northern Marianna Islands, and Wake Island. View References...