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This BIORAP (Biological Rapid Assessment Program) survey was undertaken as part of the process to facilitate improved management of the forests and biodiversity of Upland Savai’i. More specifically, the survey was conducted to fill key gaps in the knowledge of this globally important put poorly studied region of montane and cloud forests. This information will be used to make better informed decisions on the conservation management of the biodiversity in the area in conjunction with Savai’i land-owning communities, relevant government departments and other partners.

Nous formons un groupe diversifié dans la région du Pacifique, qui s’étend sur environ un tiers de la surface de la Terre et englobe près de la moitié des mers de la planète

Available online

Call Number: 632.90995 SEC,[EL]

Physical Description: 28 p

Invasive alien plants and animals are known for their disruption of ecosystems and threat to biodiversity. This book highlights their major impact on human health. This includes not only direct effects through contact with the species via bites, wounds and disease, but also indirect effects caused by changes induced in ecosystems by invasive species, such as more water hyacinth increasing mosquito levels and thereby the potential for malaria.

Global biodiversity loss is disproportionately rapid on islands, where invasive species are a major driver of extinctions. To inform conservation planning aimed at preventing extinctions, we identify the distribution and biogeographic patterns of highly threatened terrestrial vertebrates (classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature) and invasive vertebrates on ~465,000 islands worldwide by conducting a comprehensive literature review and interviews with more than 500 experts.

A report prepared by the Invasive Partnership for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, Palau July 2014 as requested by the Micronesian Chief Executives in Resolution 19-01

Online only

Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 16p. ; 29cm.

Powerpoint on GBIF and the 19th Annual Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation, by Kyle Cobas

Online only

Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 18p. : ill. (col.)

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 Islands region that is served by SPREP covers 32 million km2 and is in
the middle of the largest continuous marine habitat on the planet, the Pacific Ocean.
This region is home to a diverse range of large marine animals, including cetaceans,
sirenians and marine turtles. Over half of the world’s known species of cetaceans are
found in the region. The area also supports the world’s largest remaining populations
of dugongs, and green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles.

Available online

The Oceania region is very prone to natural disasters having experienced two Category 5 cyclones in as many years; Tropical Cyclone (TC)Pam struck Vanuatu on 13 March 2015 and TC Winston struck Fiji on 20 February 2016.

Available online

Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 92 p

Who are we? UN Environment’s specialist biodiversity assessment centre, based in Cambridge, UK

Available online|Powerpoint presentation

Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 16 p

To formally launch the second phase of the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA) programme, a regional inception workshop for the Pacific was held at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel, Apia, Samoa from 11th to 15th June 2018. The aim of the inception workshop was to ensure that all 15 countries in the Pacific ACP Group of States were engaged for the second phase of BIOPAMA. The working title of the workshop was ‘Regional Workshop on Improving Information and Capacity for More Effective Protected Area Management and Governance in the Pacific’.

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.

Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 6 p.

Simplifying coral reef ecosystems to a single number for a country, or for a region, runs counter to our knowledge of the complexity and variability that characterise healthy reefs in a healthy ocean scape.

Fishing is a complex topic with many species and ecosystem components as well as social, cultural, political, and economic components. Here, we focus on the defined indicator regarding tuna, considering the biomass of these pelagic fish as well as the ecosystems that support these fish. For information about coastal and nearshore fisheries, please see Regional Indicator: Coastal fish biomass.

Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 4 p.

Inshore fish populations are complex, exist in variable
and rapidly changing ecosystems, and are harvested
and impacted by a broad range of users, making their
management complex.

Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 4 p.

The Pacific region has benefited from a number of regional and national programmes to both assess the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and develop programmes to adapt to climate change. Such programmes are critical considering that the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 1/ states that the Pacific region has already experienced temperature increases of as much as 1°C since 1910.

The combined pressures of climate change and development will not only aggravate existing challenges to the conservation of biodiversity in the Pacific, but also introduce new difficulties. There are a wide range of historical, current and planned studies that examine specific aspects of the relationship between climate change, conservation and development in the Pacific.

Scientists have advocated for local interventions, such as creating marine protected areas and implementing fishery restrictions, as ways to mitigate local stressors to limit the effects of climate change on reef-building corals

Available online.

Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 30 p

Climate change is expected to cause extinctions when native plants and animals are prevented from migrating out of their hotter or drier habitats to more suitable climates. But for many species a more

Island conservation programs have been spectacularly successful over the past five decades, yet they generally do not account for impacts of climate change. Here, we argue that the full spectrum of climate change, especially Island conservation programs have been spectacularly successful over the past five decades, yet they generally do not account for impacts of climate change. Here, we argue that the full spectrum of climate change, especially sea-level rise and loss of suitable climatic conditions, should be rapidly integrated into island biodiversity research and management.