The Pacific island region covers an area of more than 27 million km2 and is dominated by ocean. The 22 Pacific island countries and territories are mostly small island states with significant geological, biological, and social diversity. Unsurprisingly, Pacific island people have a high dependence on their ocean resources for food security, livelihoods, and economic revenue, as well as cultural connections
to marine environments and animals.
The 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which sets targets for eliminating by 2010 the production and consumption of a range of ozone depleting substances (ODS), principally the chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs), has contributed to reversing the damage done to the ozone layer. Although challenges remain, the Montreal Protocol has been recognized as a global success, demonstrated by the massive reductions in ODS use worldwide since it came into force.
Cleaner Pacific 2025: Pacific Regional Waste and Pollution Management Strategy 2016–2025 is a comprehensive long-term strategy for integrated sustainable was te management and pollution prevention and control in the Pacific islands region until 2025. It provide s a strategic management framework to address waste, chemicals and pollutants that will reduce associated thr eats to sustainable development of the region.
This report was financed by the European Communities from a grant of the European Development Fund and is presented by Sinclair Knight Merz for consideration of the Government of Papua New Guinea. It does not necessarily reflect either the opinion of the latter or the European Commission.
During the 1st Japan-Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM), convened in 1997, the importance of providing assistance by Japan to the Solid Waste Management sector in the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) was determined. In successive PALM meetings, which are held very three years, initiatives were taken to translate this decision into actions.
This research covers two PNG cities, Port Moresby (POM) and Lae. POM has a population of 650,000+ and Lae has 200,000+. Both cities expect rapid population growth (due to urban drift) and economic boom (due to gas, oil and
mineral projects), and therefore the level of waste generation and management is becoming a real concern.
Reliable data is not available on the amount and composition of municipal solid waste (MSW) in PNG. However, going by the average for all Pacifi c island countries, it may be inferred that PNG’s per capita household MSW generation rate could be about 0.45 kilograms (kg) per person per day. It varies in diff erent parts of the country based on GDP, urbanization rate, and other factors. In Port Moresby, Lae, and other cities, MSW generation rates are likely higher, and probably considerably lower in rural areas.
The Papua New Guinea (PNG) tuna fishery is made up of both the purse-seine and longline sectors with a small handline sector. The longline and handline vessels fish exclusively in PNG waters. The purse-seine sector is a mix of both domestic and foreign access vessels. The domestic sector comprises the PNG flag vessels and PNG chartered vessels (locally-based foreign) which support processing facilities onshore in PNG.
On 1 April 2017, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) nationwide moratorium on sea cucumber fishing and the beche-de-mer trade was lifted seven-and-a-half years after it was introduced. The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) had revised the National Bêche-de-mer Fishery Management Plan (the Plan) prior to the fishery opening and allocated provincial total allowable catch (TAC) quotas based on estimated fishable stocks of sea cucumber in each maritime province.
The 22 Pacific Island member countries and territories of the Pacific Community (SPC) are home to approximately 11 million people. Fourteen of these members are small island developing states (SIDS).
Trade is an important component of growth and development in the Pacific Islands. Export revenue not only contributes to the balance of trade but also to each nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). Food security is also impacted by the level of imports of food products.
Shipping routes in the ocean are analogous to terrestrial roads, in that they are regularly used thoroughfares that concentrate the movement of vessels between multiple locations. We applied a terrestrial road ecology framework to examine the ecological impacts of increased global shipping on “marine giants” (ie great whales, basking sharks [Cetorhinus maximus], and whale sharks [Rhincodon typus]). This framework aided in identifying where such “marine roads” and marine giants are likely to interact and the consequences of those interactions.