Program 380: The Great Barrier Reef; Kiribati and Vanuatu

Learn about the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia and the serious threats it's facing to its survival. Also, author J Maarten Troost introduces the remote Pacific Island nations of Kiribati and Vanuatu, and we'll learn how people have lived for centuries on a series of coral atolls and on rugged islands that include an active volcano.

• University of Sydney professor Iain McCalman, author of "The Reef" (Scientific American-FSG)
• Freelance journalist Jake Warga
• J. Maarten Troost, author of  "Head Hunters on My Doorstep:  A True Treasure Island Ghost Story"  (Gotham Books)

• This video presentation accompanies Iain McCalman's book "The Reef."  
• Iain McCalman is a co-director of the Sydney Environment Institute at the University of Sydney. 
• Writer Ted Banfield found a home on the reef to be a literal life-safer for him in the early 20th century. 
• Jake Warga has included photos and video clips of his trip to Papua New Guinea in this Vimeo link.  
• Jake Warga's website includes a gallery from his photo tours.
• Publisher's bio and book links for J. Maarten Troost.
• The visitor website for the Vanuatu Tourism Office.
• The story of the John Frum Cargo Cult on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu.
• The kava on Vanuatu is reported to be particularly potent.