Shells of Tahiti

This book summarizes in a clear and practical manner the range of knowledge contained in "Shells of Polynesia" which is published by the same firm. It offers, to lovers of nature, as well as to enthusiastic collectors, a panorama of conchology fauna found in Tahiti and The Archipelagoes of French Polynesia. This book will help to easily identify the various species, situate their environment, and understand the mysteries of their way of life. The author, Bernard Salvat, was appointed as scientific advisor of the CRISP (Coral Reef Initiatives for the Pacific) programme in September 2005. He worked at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Perpignan. After having finished his undergraduate and Master's Degree at the University of Bordeaux, he did his PhD at the University of Sorbonne, Paris in 1967. His thesis, in the field of marine biology, was about the ecology of crustaceans of the French Atlantic sand beaches. He started to work on coral reefs in New Caledonia in the early 60's and became more involved in ecological coral reef research in French Polynesia where he founded a Research Station on Moorea, the sister island of Tahiti. His laboratory has been associated with CNRS on coral reef research. He has worked on coral reefs all over the world with special interest on interdisciplinary approaches linking natural and human sciences such as the Man and Biosphere Programme. In the 80's, he raised the interest of IUCN's Commision on Ecology on Coral Reef issues. He has worked as scientific editor for many nature popular books concerning all French tropical overseas territories. Having participated in the International Symposium on Coral Reefs (held every four years) since 1969, he organised the fifth Symposium held in Tahiti in 1985. He is the former President of the International Society for Reef Studies (ISRS) and the former chair of the Coordinating and Planning Committee (CPC) of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI).