The Western Pacific nation of Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is situated approximately halfway between Hawaii and Australia. It lies, southeast of Nauru, south of Kiribati and north of Fiji. It is a very small island country but a large Oceanic State with an EEZ of 749,790 km sq As low-lying islands lacking a surrounding shallow shelf, Tuvalu are especially susceptible to changes in sea level and undissipated storms. Tuvalu is only 4.6 metres above sea level. It is estimated that a sea level rise of 20–40 centimetres in the next 100 years could make Tuvalu uninhabitable.

The reefs at Funafuti suffered damage during the El Niño events that occurred between 1998 and 2001, with 70% of the Staghorn (Acropora spp.) corals bleaching. A reef restoration project has investigated reef restoration techniques; and researchers from Japan have investigated rebuilding the coral reefs through the introduction of foraminifera.
The rising population has resulted in an increased demand on fish stocks, which are under stress, although the creation of the Funafuti Conservation Area has provided a fishing exclusion area to help sustain the fish population across the Funafuti lagoon. Population pressure on the resources of Funafuti, and inadequate sanitation systems, have resulted in pollution.