The site is unspoiled, prone to damage by cyclones, and is "considered to be a true natural laboratory for scientific study.

A management plan for the site was completed in 2007 in conjunction with the islanders which recognises their rights to continue their traditional cultural practices and way of life.

These are thought not to be detrimental to the site, the IUCN stating that "customary ownership can be more conducive to conservation than if the land was under the control of a distant government office".

As a result, in 2013, UNESCO added East Rennell to its List of World Heritage in Danger.

[5] One reptile of note is Crocker's sea snake, an endemic species found in Lake Tegano and nowhere else in the world.