This document provides a plan to protect and enhance the cloud forests of Rarotonga so that their indigenous ecosystems, habitats for endemic species, and water supply functions are preserved in perpetuity.
Montane habitats of the interior of Rarotonga, southern Cook Islands, are critical to the health and well-being of the island’s people, and its indigenous biota. The steep mountain slopes, isolated and at least partly protected by their extreme terrain, support one of the best remaining examples of montane rainforest in the tropical Pacific, and are critical habitat for many of the island’s endemic species. For these reasons, the montane and cloud forests of Rarotonga are internationally significant. Rainfall increases dramatically with altitude, and cloud forest on the mountain summits intercepts, filters, and releases water that supplies the island’s streams, that are the sole water supply for the island. Cloud forest habitats, with their abundance of non-vascular plant species such as lichens, can also increase water yield relative to other vegetation types, as lichens can absorb water from moisture-laden air, in the absence of precipitation. The importance of the island’s montane habitats must also be seen in the context of all terrestrial and marine ecosystems; a ridge to reef management approach will ensure that the inherent linkages between land management and marine resources are recognized and protected.
