Many societies have rules rooted in legal tradition that require the sustainable and efficient use of natural resources. The obligation of stewardship is a feature of
westernised legal systems. In nations following the common law tradition, the doctrine of waste requires owners of land to use it sustainably. Elsewhere, customary law systems
demand strict rules governing the allocation and use of resources. There is, therefore, an existing legal culture into which our generation's obligations towards the world's
resources can be set.
This report presents the results of a strategic environmental assessment of the development projects that have been proposed for the town of Neiafu, on the island of 'Uta Vava'u, Tonga, as part of the Vava'u Development Programme. The various project proposals have been described in the Neiafu Master Plan, accordingly, no details of the individual proposals are given in this assessment.
Available online|See also VF 1689|Prepared for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Tonga|3 copies
Call Number: 333.7109612 ONO [EL],VF 1689,341.762 SPR vf,STR
The Kingdom of Tonga has previously indicated to SPREP that specialised short term training in reef ecology and the development of coral reef survey and monitoring skills is a priority for their country (Thistlethwaite et al. 1993, SPREP 1995, SPREP 1996). In recognition of the ongoing need for regional capacity building in coral reef survey and monitoring techniques, and to accommodate the particular requests of the Kingdom of Tonga. SPREP sought and received funding from AusAID to run a sub-regional course in Vava'u. Kingdom of Tonga.
The climate of Tonga is tropical. It lies within the southeast trade wind zone of the South Pacific. Climatic parameters include rainfall, temperture. wind and sunshine hours. Tonga's annual rainfall can be defined by two seasons, the wet and dry seasons. Wet season is also known as the cyclone season and it is noticeable from November to April. Dry season runs from May to October. The wettest months are particularly January. February and March that may exceed 250mm of rainfall per month. During dry season, the amount of rainfall received per month is less than 250mm.
The Kingdom of Tonga requested assistance from the US Department of Agriculture. Forest Service,Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, to conduct a survey of invasive plant species of
environmental concern, similar to surveys previously conducted in Micronesia. American Samoa and Niue. The survey was carried out from 5-20 July 2001. The islands of Tongatapu. Eua,
Tonga has made "good and steady progress" towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as reported in Tonga 1st National Status Report: Millennium Development Goals Today and Tomorrow and summarised .
Maninita, the southernmost island of the Vava'u group is an important seabird nesting site and a proposed national protected area as originally identified by the Government of Tonga's Ministry of Lands, Survey and Natural Resources. The Tonga NZODA Nature Tourism Programme has responded to this and the increasing interest in the island from Vava'u's tourism sector by including a Maninita initiative as a component of its overall programme.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 29 p.
In June/July 2002 the eradication of Pacific rats from Maninita Island in the Vava'u group of the Kingdom of Tonga was attempted using Brodifacoum pellets in bait stations. In December 2002, Maninita was revisited and rat trapping carried out to determine if rats were present. While no rats were caught and none were seen, further monitoring in June 2003 is recommended before the island is declared "rat free '.
The purpose of the action is to improve transportation and reduce maintenance cost by upgrading
causeway between Foa and Lifuka Islands, to become more resilient and less vulnerable to impacts
of high energy waves. Built in the period 1978-1979, the raised coral structure has served the people
of Foa and Lifuka well despite increasing maintenance cost. The replacement structure is similar to
the existing one but with rock armoring to reduce the energy of waves impacting on the structure