More about us
International scientists and students from any university or research institution are invited to carry out programs at the University of California Berkeley's Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station. While the focus of the Gump Station is field-based scientific research, activities in all academic fields are welcome.
Administration
The Gump Station is owned by the University of California and administered by the Berkeley campus through the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.
The Gump Station's Executive Director, Dr. Neil Davies in Moorea reports to the Vice Chancellor for Research, Dr. Beth Burnside, in Berkeley.
Our Mission
To promote research, education, and public service in tropical biocomplexity and sustainable development.
To develop Moorea as a model ecological system to understand how physical, biological, and cultural processes interact to shape tropical ecosystems.
Our Partners
The Gump Station works closely with its 'sister station' on Moorea: the Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l'Environnement (CRIOBE), a marine lab administered by the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE), France. Together with the French Polynesian government, the two stations have formed an alliance known as the 'Moorea Ecostation '.
In 2002, the UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor Research signed an agreement with Tahitian community-based organization "Association Te Pu Atitia" to establish a cultural and educational center at the Gump Station. The Atitia Center works to document, preserve, and promote the biocultural heritage of French Polynesia. It provides an important bridge between visiting scientists and the local community in Moorea.
Our Location
Located on Moorea (17o 30' S 149o 50' W), one of the Society Islands, 15 km northwest of the main island of Tahiti, French Polynesia, the Gump Station occupies 14 hectares (35 acres) of land from the shore to 149m (489ft). The Station stands at the entrance to Cook’s Bay, providing excellent access to the ocean, lagoon, and island interior. From Cook’s Bay, the main island of Tahiti and its capital Papeete is just 25 minutes by car-ferry. As the commercial heart of French Polynesia, Papeete provides for most logistical needs and is the hub for international air travel. Researchers and classes find the Gump Station an excellent base for field studies. Marine scientists can work in a variety of habitats - mud and sand flats, sea grass beds, inner and outer coral reefs, algal ridges and deep oceanic waters - all easily accessible from the Station. Terrestrial and freshwater scientists study island biogeography, geomorphology, the biology of invasive species, and the ecology of insular plant and animal communities. Human scientists (ethnobiology, public health, sustainable development, sociology, environmental design, policy, anthropology and archeology) find a fascinating balance between traditional Polynesian society and the culture of more recent immigrants (particularly from Europe and China) as well as a wealth of archeological sites.
About Moorea
Surrounded by a well developed coral reef and lagoon system, Moorea is a high, 1.2 million year old volcanic island with freshwater streams that flow year-round. A range of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats are located close to the station. Interdisciplinary studies are especially welcome. The six volumes of the Proceedings of the Fifth International Coral Reef Congress (1985), held on Tahiti, contain detailed information about the biology and geology of Moorea and other French Polynesian islands.