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Blue LagoonSPECIAL REPORT: BIODIVERSITY AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE Mo‘orea, just 12 miles (20 kilometers) northwest of Tahiti, stands out among South Pacific islands. Anchored by a nearly 1,200-year-old culture and history steeped in exploration, Mo‘orea has become an international hotspot for biodiversity research. (Read more about the history of the island.) --Tasha Eichenseher
Photograph by David Liittschwager, National Geographic

Cutting-Edge Science Meets Centuries-Old Tradition

The waves of exploration that have washed over Mo’orea -- both Polynesian and European, cultural and scientific – have altered the landscape, natives, and research community in profound ways.

February 25, 2011