Originally, the islands had phosphate deposits, but those were exhausted by the time the country gained it independence from Britain in 1979. The bulk of natural resources and national exports now are copra and fish . Major Environmental and Conservation Issues Global warming is by far the single largest threat faced by Kiribati. The biggest threat from global warming is flooding of the islands, rendering them uninhabitable. However, freshwater salinization and erosion are also dangers.
Exotic species are dangers on the biodiversity front.
Most of the islands have been affected by this threat. For example, large feral cats have driven most of the species of birds to nesting only on isolated islets. Man's poaching, enhanced by access to new vehicles with whcih to reach bird colonies, has threatened other species of birds. Also, exotic plants have been introduced, causing harmul effects among some sea bird species. A final issue is the pollution of lagoons due to increased population and the ensuing dumping of waste products, leading to groundwater sources being at risk.