One of the most critical factors influencing the success of the IWP pilot projects has been the choice of sites. Communities that choose to be involved in the project were committed to the
Climate change2 is one of the most pressing issues for the Pacific Island countries (PICs). The impacts of climate variability and extreme events (cyclones, floods, droughts, sea
Niue consists of a single uplifted coral atoll with a unique rugged coastline. It is situated in the Southwest Pacific Ocean within the Polynesian cultural zone. The population of Niue was 2.088 at the 1977 population census, and is a declining population due to outward migration. Niue lies on the edge of the southern tropical cyclone belt, and has two distinct seasons, a hot wet season from November to March and a cool dry season from April to November. The economy is largely dependent on overseas aid. with no realistic prospect of economic self-reliance.
The development and sustainable management of Nukunono's resources requires active involvement from all sectors of the community. Meetings were held with all stakeholder groups to document their concerns and perceptions of atoll resources and
current and historic resource use. These were further supplemented by semi-structured interviews conducted at random with individuals from all community groups to obtain more details perceptions on the status and use of resources and also
on management systems and their success or otherwise.
This book is primarily targeted at solid waste officers in Pacific island countries who may have little background in engineering and construction. The objective of this guide is to help those users understand the concept of a landfill and its operation. It also demonstrates ways to upgrade/improve an existing facility in an economical and effective way that suits most landfills in the Pacific island countries. This book focuses on inland-based waste disposal and does not include landfilling at coastlines, lagoons or wetlands where a different method needs to be developed and applied.
Recovery planning has been adopted internationally as a way of developing an agreed approach for the conservation of a threatened species. It provides an opportunity for all with knowledge of, or an interest in, a given species to contribute their ideas and agree on priority actions within a recovery plan
Also available electronically
Call Number: 598.65099614 MIN [EL]
Physical Description: 46 p. ; 29 cm
This report provides an overview of the current state of knowledge of cetacean diversity, habitat and threats in the Pacifi c Islands Region.
Coral reef, deep ocean and terrestrial surveys were conducted during 25 days of field work in the Phoenix Islands, Republic of Kiribati, with additional surveys of marine mammals during the 9 days of passage to and from Fiji. This study builds on an earlier survey conducted in 2000. Islands visited in 2002 included Nikumaroro, Manra, Kanton, Enderbury, Orona, Birnie and Phoenix, leaving out McKean which was surveyed in 2000. This report summarizes the results of the expedition, with detailed results being prepared for individual components for separate publication.
Global change poses enormous challenges to those responsible for managing the world's forests. There is perhaps no other ecosystem that is so closely linked to, and affected by, human induced changes to climate - being regarded simultaneously as a victim, a villain and a potential saviour. Concentrations of carbon dioxide methane and other greenhouse gases are rising at an accelerating rate in the atmosphere, largely as a result of emissions from human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels.
As an outcome of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the 1994 Barbados Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States not only recognized common environmental challenges facing SIDS, but also highlighted the meteorological, hydrological and oceanographic issues in many of these countries. The Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA), the principal output of the Conference, identified 14 issues and/or focal areas as urgent priorities.
This report presents the integrated case study for Fiji carried out under an OECD project on Development and Climate Change. The report is structured around a three-tier framework. First, recent climate trends and climate change scenarios for Fiji are assessed, and key sectoral impacts are identified and ranked along multiple indicators to establish priorities for adaptation. Second, donor portfolios are analyzed to examine the proportion of donor activities affected by climate risks.
The management of waste materials is a world wide problem. In the small island developing states of the Pacific (Pacific SIDS), waste management is becoming an acute problem as urban population increases, the economies of these countries develop, and the quantities of waste materials requiring management increases. The problems are particularly evident on small atoll islands where there is little land available for landfill waste disposal and such activities are impacting on potable groundwater resources.
Kept in vertical file collection|Electronic copy available
Between 4 February and 8 March 2005, the Cook Islands experienced five damaging cyclones within a period of five weeks, four of which were assigned a severity rating of Category 51 and caused damage to homes and essential public infrastructure. The Government and its agencies provided early warning information dissemination, evacuation and emergency relief to the affected population with the support of international and regional relief agencies.
Some underwater photographs of live sea cucumbers are reproduced with kind permission from the French Institute of Research for Development (IRD) and the WorldFish Center. Photographs of dried beche-de-mer are by Eric Aubry and Jipé LeBars, Noumea, New Caledonia.
Avaialable electronically|2 copies kept at vertical file collection
Call Number: VF 7005 [EL]
Physical Description: 52 p. 25 cm
The natural environment of Pacific Island countries has supported, maintained and improved the social and economic wellbeing of its people and cultures since the arrival of the first inhabitants. The importance of the regions biodiversity cannot be understated; it is present in every facet of the island way of life. Natural resources provide food, shelter, medicine and are used extensively in traditions. In the past, utilization of these resources was allowed under traditional and community management.
The Cook Islands, a self-governing country in the central South Pacific consists of fifteen islands, all islands between 8°S and 23°S and 156°W and 167°W. It is geographically divided into two groups a Northern Group comprising Penrhyn, Rakahanga, Manihiki,Suwarrow, Nassau and Pukapuka. All are atolls except Nassau. The Southern Group comprises Palmerston, Rarotonga,Mangaia, Mauke and Atiu as high islands; Aitutaki a part atoll with a volcanic peak and a large lagoon: Mitiaro an elevated coral island and Manuae and Palmerston atolls. Tukutea is a small island near Atiu.
The self-governing territory of the Cook Islands consists of 15 islands and atolls that are spread over 2 million square kilometres of the South Pacific Ocean.
The islands are geographically divided into two groups, commonly referred to as the Northern and Southern Group islands. The two groups of islands making up the country exhibit marked differences in their social, cultural and economic activities. The Northern Group islands remain relatively isolated from
the Southern Group islands.
This document presents a national plan for the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. Fiji was the second country in the
world to ratify the Stockholm Convention, having done so on 20 June 2001. The Convention entered into force on 17 May, 2004.
Available online
Call Number: 363.7287 NAT [EL]
Physical Description: v, 61 p. ; 29 cm
Local trees in the Northern Mariana Islands are some of our most precious resources. For centuries our people have relied on native trees and plants for food, medicine, building materials, and countless other uses. Trees also provide much-needed shade, help control soil erosion and serve as watershed areas which store our life-giving water. Birds, fruit bats and other animals also depend on plants for food and habitat needs. Today, much
Climate variability is the variation around the average climate, including seasonal variations as well as large-scale variations in atmospheric and ocean circulation such as the EI Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Climate change operates over decades or longer. Changes in climate occur as a result of internal variability within the climate system and external
factors (natural and anthropogenic). Although climate is always changing, over the past 10,000 years it has been both relatively stable and warm.
Call Number: [EL]