The National Capacity Self-Assessment is a Global Environment Facility(GEF)-funded initiative currently being undertaken by over 50 developing countries world-wide. It responds to a concern that is raised frequently in the post-project evaluation of GEF-funded projects, namely that activities cease once GEF-
Two decades before she ratified the CBD, Samoa was among the first of the small island states in the South Pacific to establish a system of both state and indigenous grassroots community managed terrestrial and marine protected areas; to launch public awareness and community action on the conservation of her biological resources; to establish policy and legislative measures and institutions for the management and sustainable use of components of her biodiversity components.
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Call Number: [EL]
The study of marine sediments provides useful information in marine, environmental and geochemical research about pollution of the marine environment (Calace et al. 2005). Urban developments and industrial activities contribute to the introduction of significant amounts of contaminants (among them trace metals) into the marine environment and affect directly the coastal systems where they are often deposited (Angelidis 1995; Dassenakis et al. 2003).
This thesis is a critical ethnographic account of the Wartha people, a small group of hunter-horticulturalists living on the Torassi or Bensbach River, in the southwest corner of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG). This area is adjacent to the international border between PNG and Indonesia's Papua Province (West Papua).
Available online|A thesis submitted to the School of Social Science, the University of Queensland for the degree of Doctor or Philosophy
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 438 p.
Development of conceptual models is an important step in the design of the Inventory and Monitoring Program. Conceptual models provide a framework for clarifying meaningful
The native plants of remote tropical islands have been frequently characterized as poor competitors against seemingly more aggressive alien species.. Does this "weak competitor" characterization relate to some real adaptive consequences of island isolation and endemism, or does the generally concurrent presence of introduced ungulates and other forms of recurrent
The purpose of this thesis is to develop an analytical framework that can be used to better understand the impacts of tourism on small island developing states (SIDS). In particular, the framework will address tourism in light of sustainability goals
The American Samoa Local Action Strategies (LAS) are the result of a nearly two-year process that saw input from territorial agencies, non-profit groups, interested individuals, and other stake-holders such as local fishers, and federal agency partners. This process was initiated through the American
In recent years, the European Commission has continuously developed the tool of cost-benefit analysis to better inform decision-makers in the process of settling on new directives and regulations concerning the environment. However, according to the Terms of Reference of this assignment "most studies in
the field of waste have been restricted to an analysis of costs and, at best, a relatively superficial description of benefits".
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 88 p.
What is biodiversity? Biodiversity has different meanings depending on the situation being discussed and the target audience. For example, the Oxford English Dictionary defines biodiversity as being "The variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat". This is definition is clearly sufficient for non-specialists. However, when looking more specifically at biodiversity, it becomes evident that thought needs to be given to other groups such as fungi, bacteria and archea.
The review of the institutional arrangements that govern water resources management in Samoa provides a snapshot of the current challenges faced and recommendations and action points to address these challenges. To carry out the review, a five stage approach was adopted that consisted of (1) Literature Review, (2) Institutional Inventory and Key Stakeholder consultations, (3) Gap Analysis, (4) Recommendations and Action Points, (5) Workshop on Findings.
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Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 50 p.
If current trends continue, leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles will probably go extinct in the Pacific in our lifetime. Eastern Racific hawksbills are likely past the point of
no return, while green turtles and olive Ridleys are at a fraction of their former populations. The turtle decline is clear evidence that human activities are causing loss of biodiversity on our planet. If we choose to save Pacific
The objective of the evaluation is to provide the GEF Council with an assessment of how the GEF is implemented in Samoa. It reports on results from projects and assesses how these
projects are linked to national environmental and sustainable development strategies as well as the GEF mandate of generating global environmental benefits within its focal areas.
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Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 7 Pages
The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (MSRA) includes a requirement to establish the "Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology
1. A defining feature of the Pacific is the Western Pacific Warm Pool ecosystem. The limited land base of the area is distributed among 200 high islands and 2,500 low islands and atolls. All
participating islands lie in the tropical zone and experience sea surface temperatures that rarely fall below 20 degrees Celsius. In general, the islands increase in size from east to west such that over 83% of the region's land mass is situated in Papua New Guinea, and most of the rest is in the other Melanesian countries and territories.
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The Palolo Deep Marine Reserve known for its unique shape, the deep, was established as a marine reserve in 1974 under the National Parks and Reserve Act. The reserve is a fringing reef comprising a total area of 137.5 hectares located at the northeast of Apia harbor. The proximity of the reserve to Apia town has attracted many tourists as well as local people to the reserve for recreational activities such as snorkeling, scuba diving as well as for researching
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Physical Description: 10 p.
The Territory of American Samoa lies roughly 14 degrees south of the equator between longitude 169 and 173 west and about 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. The principal islands are Tutuila, Aunu'u, and the Manu'a islands (a cluster of three islands, Ta'u, Ofu and Olosega, located about 65 miles east of Tutuila). Swains Island, a small island with a population of less than 25 and Rose Atoll, an uninhabited atoll about 120 miles east of Tutuila make up the remainder of the territory.
The Africa Environment Information Network (AEIN) is a multi-stakeholder capacity building process that aims to harness and enhance access to information and knowledge to support the management of Africas environmental resources as assets for sustainable development. The goal is to strengthen the capacity of African countries to use good quality information on environmental assets to make informed investment choices at subnational and national levels, and manage these assets on a sustainable basis.
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Call Number: [EL]
This report provides the finding of the Environmental Impact Assessment conducted by Pacific Environment Consultants Ltd on behalf of Samoa Ports Authority for the proposed Aleipata Wharf Extension and Slipway. The EIA was conducted over the period of January to April 2008.
Available online
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Physical Description: 61 p.
Coral reefs are one of the Earths most complex and diverse ecosystems. Coral reefs have evolved over long periods of geological time in response to certain natural phenomena including tectonic movements, changes in climate and associated changes in sea level. The oldest known coral reef appeared more than 450 million years ago and by 150 million years before present, corals had diversified and spread globally throughout tropical shorelines
Availble online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 59 p.