Agriculture is a foundational industry in Pacific island economi es and central to the independence of island communities. Together, agriculture, forestry and fishing provide from 3% to over 25% of the GDP of Pacific island countries, with a regional average of 17% (World Bank 2020), and agriculture accounts for a large share of employment (ADB 2015).
Pacific data are limited, but existing data show high
proportions of plastic in the waste stream (Table 29.1),
as marine litter, and as microplastics present throughout Pacific marine ecosystems, including in the guts of fish and their prey (SPREP 2016, Markic et al. 2018). In a 2011 study, plastics formed 12% of the waste stream in Honiara (SPREP 2017).
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Physical Description: 6 p.
Enterococci are used as an indicator for the microbiological quality of marine waters from the standpoint of human health. The same bacterial group is also commonly used as an indicator for safe consumption of shellfish. The safety thresholds differ by the type of use, such as swimming or consumption of seafood from the marine area.
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Physical Description: 4 p.
Pacific island countries and territories are well placed
to lead in the protection of nature, with customary land tenure and vast expanses of ocean within their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). Establishing protected areas has been used as a key mechanism for countries to conserve their biodiversity around the world and in the Pacific island countries and territories
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Physical Description: 14 p.
Long timescales, uncertainties, and the multi-faceted nature of climate change adaptation makes monitoring progress in this field inherently challenging; there is no simple way to determine how well prepared we are for current and future climate change impacts. This contrasts with climate change mitigation, for which greenhouse gas emissions can be considered a universal indicator, and there are clear guidelines for preparing and analysing greenhouse gas inventories.
Island biodiversity continues to be extremely vulnerable, and 47% of the known threatened Pacific species are declining towards extinction. Pacific island species have high levels of endemism combined with small land areas and therefore limited habitat. Habitat change, naiveté to predation by introduced animals, vulnerability to invasive species-driven changes, pollution, and climate change combine to influence
the abundance and population structure of Pacific biodiversity.
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Physical Description: 6 p.
The regionally endorsed Cleaner Pacific 2025 strategy set a target for the performance indicator Per capita generation of municipal solid waste of 1.3 kilograms or less per person per day by 2020.
Ozone depleting substances (ODS) are considered hazardous waste s due to the impacts of ozone destruction on people, ecosystems, and species. For more about other hazardous wastes, please see Regional Indicator: Hazardous waste.
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Physical Description: 2 p.
The full range of wildlife use in the Pacific islands region is outside of the scope of the present indicator. Many wildlife species are used in modern Pacific societies, on land, at sea, and in coastal areas. Wildlife is used for subsistence, traditional ritual, and in a range of industries, including the aquarium and seashell trade, decorative arts, agrifood, tourism, pet trade, and more
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Physical Description: 10 p.
The Pacific island region has diverse wetlands, such as
the classic coastal ecosystems of mangrove forests, salt marshes, coral reefs, and seagrass beds along with rivers, freshwater lakes, and swamps (SPREP 2016). However, these wetlands are understudied. Land-use change and environmental change can alter the areal extent and condition of wetlands, and the pace of these changes vary among Pacific islands.
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Physical Description: 4 p.
The number of multilateral environment agreements (MEAs) varies by country, with at least 20 MEAs for the Pacific islands region. Pacific leaders have adopted the
Convention on Biological Diversity with its Aichi Targets
(2011–2020), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and several other global, regional, and national commitments that rely on resourced environmental management.
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Physical Description: 4 p.
To date, there is no defined list of priority migratory species of concern (indicator species) at the regional level for the Pacific islands to direct efforts. The Regional Marine Species Action Plans (under revision; see below) and the regional CMS Memorandum of Understanding (2006) for cetaceans can be considered as part of regional level prioritisation. For birds, Bird Life’s Data zone includes a list of migratory species for each country in the region.
Here, hazardous waste is defined according to the Basel and Waigani Conventions, with categories listed in Basel Convention Annex I, Annex II and characteristics in Annex III. These include wastes that are explosive, flammable or prone to spontaneous combustion, poisonous or toxic, and infectious, among other characteristics.
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Physical Description: 4 p.
The Biodiversity Information for Development (BID) programme is a European Union-funded programme led by GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. The programme's objective is to improve management of natural capital for human well-being, through the increased application of biodiversity information
as evidence for decision-making.
Available online|Available in vertical file - one copy
Call Number: [EL],VF 8417
Physical Description: 16 p.
While progress in sharing, transferring and applying scienti c knowledge about the worlds biodiversity is steadily improving, gaps in information about the distribution of the worlds biodiversity still impede elective policy decision making
Available online|Available in vertical file - one copy
Call Number: [EL],VF 8418
Physical Description: 16 p.
Invasive species are the primary cause of extinction on islands (IUCN Red List 2020, SPREP 2016, SOCO 2017). Invasive species have been formally identified as a threat for 1,531 species in the Pacific islands region to date (IUCN Red List, 2020). Pacific leaders have established two core regional indicators for invasive species management. Efforts for invasive management are ongoing in almost all Pacific island countries and territories.
The Pacific ocean's exceptional terrestrial and marine biodiversity offers invaluable services to communities. But for this part of the world is particularly vulnerable to climate change, which has a direct impact on ecosystems and traditional way of life. The KIWA initiative is a multi-donor program that aims to strengthen the climate resilience of ecosystems, communities and economies in the Pacific countries and territories by using Nature-based solutions (NbS) to protect, restore and sustainably manage biodiversity.
Fishing has been major source of food, income, recreation activity, employment and various other economic benefits for the people of Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs). However with increases in population, urbanisation and development of fisheries, it has been realised that fisheries resources, although renewable are not infinite. They must be properly managed if their contribution to the nutritional, economic and social well-being of the growing population is to be sustained.
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Physical Description: 11 p.
The management plan describes the priority strategies for the upland areas of the Lake Lanuto'o National Park that will best maintain and improve the key conservation values in these areas by reducing the impact of threats, including from climate change. The management planning process began in 20-24 August 2012 with the Site management planning workshop for climate resilience of Samoa's forest. This workshop involved application of the Conservation Action Planning (CAP) Process of the Open Standards for the practice of conservation.
Call Number: [EL],333.7 MAN
A case put forward to make best use of UNEP's Regional Seas Programme (RSP) for the convention on biological diversity's (CBD) post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF). A review of the work of the RSP's component Regional Seas Conventions and action plans (RSCAPs) highlights their potential for strengthening the marine and regional outlook of the GBF as well as their current limitations.