Status of coral reefs in the Polynesia Mana node is predominantly healthy. There are 6733 km2 of reefs scattered over 347 islands. Most (90%) are healthy, 5% have been destroyed or are at a critical stage and 5% are under threat;Reefs have been degraded around populated areas of Rarotonga (Cook Islands), Tahiti and Moorea (French Polynesia) and South Tarawa (Kiribati);Coral reefs support the livelihoods of Polynesian populations through subsistence fishing in all countries and through tourism and black pearl industries in French
Several urban areas and popular tourist destinations have suffered from pollution from the land, significant fishing pressure, recreational overuse, and alien species. Despite these pressures, many coral reefs in Hawai'i remain in fair to good condition, especially remote reefs; Most MPAs have proven to be highly effective in conserving biodiversity and fisheries
resources. MPA size, habitat quality, and level of protection are the most important success factors, but several MPAs are too small to have significant effects outside their boundaries;
In this report we present the results of a study carried out between May 2004 and May 2005 as a contribution to the Tropical Rivers Inventory and Assessment Project (TRIAP) of Australia's Tropical Rivers Program. The aim was to provide a framework for the analysis of the ecosystem services provided by the wetland and riverine ecosystems of northern Australia. The analyses drew heavily on the conceptual framework provided by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) where ecosystem services were defined as 'the benefits people obtain from ecosystems'.
In 1981, the Isabel provincial government first recognized the importance of the Arnavon Islands as a nesting ground for Hawksbill turtles, and designated the islands as a Wildlife
Sanctuary. At that time, however, the government did not adequately recognize the local communities' rights and the project failed. In 1989, the South Pacific Regional Environment
Programme (SPREP) collaborated with the Solomon Islands government and the Ministry of Natural Resources (now the Ministry of Forestry, Environment and Conservation or MFEC) to
As noted in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, climate change is one of the most important drivers of biodiversity loss" and is projected to further adversely affect the role of
biodiversity as a source of goods and services. The impacts of climate change on biodiversity have been of major concern to the Convention on Biological Diversity since 2002 when, following a request from the Conference of the Parties and the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), an Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group was established to carry
While acknowledging their diversity, the IPCC Third
Assessment Report (TAR) also noted that small island states
share many similarities (e.g., physical size, proneness to natural disasters and climate extremes, extreme openness of their economies, low adaptive capacity) that enhance their vulnerability and reduce their resilience to climate variability and change.
Available online|(* NB these materials are also available on the workshop CDROM deposited with the IRC NBSAP workshop Nadi, Feb 2009)
Call Number: [EL]
This Pacific Remote Island Areas Fisheiy Ecosystem Plan (FEP) was developed by the Western Pacific Regional Fisheiy Management Council and represents the first step in an incremental and
collaborative approach to implement ecosystem approaches to fisheiy management in the Pacific Remote Island Areas (PRIA) of Baker Island, Johnston Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll,
Kingman Reef, Wake Island and Palmyra Atoll.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 232 p.
In April 2003, he National Marine Fisheries Service(NMFS,also known as NOAA Fisheries) transferred the responsibility for man aging the marine resources infederal waters surrounding the US Pacific Islands from NOAA Fisheries' Southwest Region based in california to the newly defined pacific islands region based in Hawaii.The Pacific Islands Region was established with the explicit intent of employing regional expertise to provide improved customer service and stewardship of living marine resources within the expansive geographic region of the western pacific.
To seek agreement regarding the need for and priorities of a learning network to support effective marine protected areas throughout the Pacific Islands a network that functions as a learning community, committed to constructive dialogue, strategic action, respect for relationships and culturally competent ways of working.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 51 p.
The vast majority of the coasts throughout the Republic of the Marshall Islands are in pristine natural condition. However, as foreign aid has centralized the economy and rapidly increasing populations in several urban centers with little environmental oversight, the urban coasts and environment have become severely degraded, increasing population vulnerability, decreasing economic potential for sustainable development and increasing human health hazards.
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 requires Federal agencies to examine the environmental effects of their proposed actions. On behalf of the Department of Defense Representative Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of Palau (DoD REP) the Navy is preparing this EIS/OEIS to assess the potential environmental effects associated with continuing and proposed military activities within the MIRC Study Area. The Navy is the
The Department of the Navy (DoN) is committed to demonstrating environmental stewardship while executing its national defense mission. The United States (U.S.) Navy (Navy) is responsible for
This paper is concerned with integrating adaptation to climate change with local development in the context of a climate change mitigation project for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. It is argued that integration will enhance locally appropriate and sustainable outcomes necessary for effective forest conservation in the context of rural Vanuatu.
Report No. 1 presents preliminary results from fieldwork conducted with the Mangaliliu Lelepa Island community in mid 2008. This case study forms one of three assessments of community-based vulnerability and resilience to climate stress in rural Vanuatu undertaken as part of a PhD in Geography.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 28 p.
The plan is designed to guide work in Pacific islands countries and territories over the next five years. In developing this plan, the experts representing the Pacific countries and territories sought to ensure that the plan would reflect the special circumstances which impact on implementation of the World Heritage Convention in region and in their respective countries.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 26 p.
Effective conservation of regional biotas requires accurate information on the distribution, endemicity, local richness, and taxonomic composition of species assemblages across multiple geographic scales. This is especially true in the Melanesian region, which contains ten percent of the world's biota on its numerous islands scattered across thousands of kilometers between Fiji and the Moluccas. Although certain important biotic components within this region, such as birds, have been reasonably surveyed, many others, particularly freshwater organisms, remain poorly understood.
Marine turtles are easy to love but difficult to manage. Their
The Guidelines for the Assessment of Wastes or Other Matter that May be Considered for Dumping, referred to in short as the "Generic Guidelines'; as well as the Specific Guidelines for
Assessment of Bulky items primarily comprising steel, etc., addressed in this document are intended for use by national authorities responsible for regulating dumping of wastes and
embody a mechanism to guide national authorities in evaluating applications for dumping of wastes in a manner consistent with the provisions of the London Convention 1972 or the 1996
Disposal by incineration instead has some major disadvantages. The air pollution risks are usually not as high (as they are on continents), thanks to the large expanses of surrounding
ocean. Yet the high costs and challenging technological safety demands of incineration tend to make it an inappropriate disposal solution. Improvements in gasification systems and
energy recovery could alter this balance over the next few decades. However, the prospect of turning the mountains of plastic residues into an energy source are likely to remain a fantasy in the foreseeable future.
For one of the species potentially at some risk of poisoning under the proposed rat eradication regime, the Friendly Ground Dove, Nuutele and Nuulua hold populations that are nationally significant. The complete loss of these populations would threaten the survival of the taxon in Samoa. Some authors consider the Samoan doves to be a separate race (Gallicolumba s. stairi) from those in Fiji and Tonga (Watling, 2001). Outside Samoa, the race is only found on the small island of Ofu,