The Policy Goal of the Ministry is "to Act as the Focal Point for all International, Sub-regional Conventions, Treaties and Protocols relating to Environment, Conservation, Global Warming, Climate Change, and others in addressing Environment, Conservation and Meteorology issues, to integrate national issues, in a holistic way so as to adapt to climate change, halt deterioration of ecosystems, restore damaged eco-systems and ensure their survival in the long term".
Available online|1 copy
Call Number: [EL],338.9 MIN
BRENDAN MAC KEY and SONG LI discuss two vital ingredients often overlooked in efforts to find solutions to global warming. Our generation must begin to care sufficiently about future generations, people in other countries, and the greater community of life, and demand our governments show international leadership in negotiating a new legally binding, equitable
international climate agreement. Without this agreement, based on a world ethic of universal responsibility, our efforts will fail to solve global warming. Governments are wavering when
The World's oceans play a crucial role for life on the planet.
Healthy seas and the services they provide are key to the future
development of mankind. Our seas are highly dynamic, structured and complex systems. The seafloor consists of vast shelves
and plains with huge mountains, canyons and trenches which
dwarf similar structures on land. Ocean currents transport water
masses many times larger than all rivers on Earth combined.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
ISBN/ISSN: 978-82-7701-048-9
GOOS is being implemented in the Pacific islands region by PacificGOOS, which was formed in Suva in 1998. In August 2000, in Apia, Samoa, PacificGOOS held a regional workshop on the development of a coastal Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) for the Pacific region. This workshop aimed to raise the level of awareness about PacificGOOS and its value for sustainable
The GOOS Capacity Building Workshop for the Pacific was identified in the GOOS 1998 Plan and it was approved by the IOC Assembly in 1997 and the SOPAC Annual Session in 1997. The IOC and SOPAC were co-sponsors of the workshop and its preparation was co-ordinated by Jan Stel (Chair), William Erb (IOC) and Alf Simpson, Russell Howorth and Andrew Butcher of SOPAC.
Pacific islands are extremely vulnerable to climate change. Pacific island culture, traditions, economy and environment will be affected by the effects of climate change, marking an urgent
call for partnerships and collaboration to increase the resilience of communities to adapt to these changes.
Available online
Call Number: VF 6900 [EL]
Physical Description: 10 Pages
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is the single financial mechanism of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to fund global projects that serve the objectives of the CBD1.
The GEF Secretariat has developed the Resource Allocation Framework (RAF) which is a nested set of formulas that determine the maximum potential allocation for each country to
By 2020, the Pacific Island Countries and Territories are enjoying improved livelihoods, greater food security and increased environmental protection, resulting from enhanced collaboration and coordination within and between them in the conservation, management and sustainable utilisation of forest genetic resources, while maintaining their unique Pacific cultures
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 23 p.
This report identifies the present status of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Fiji Islands and barriers to the more effective implementation of IWRM. Because water performs so many important functions for society, the responsibility for water is always spread among different organisations, public and private, and is located among several government ministries. IWRM is both a set of mechanisms and a process.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 35 p.
Small island nations in the Pacific face water supply and sanitation problems amongst the most critical in the world. This is especially so in the Republic of Kiribati where shallow, fresh groundwater is the major source of water. It is extremely vulnerable to natural and human- induced changes. Storm surges, droughts and over-extraction cause seawater intrusion. Settlements and agricultural activities can extremely rapidly pollute the shallow groundwater. The incidence of illnesses and deaths from water-borne diseases, especially amongst children, are unacceptably large.
Water resources are finite and fragile, and yet they are under increasing pressure from population growth, urbanisation, economic development and other forces. This is especially true even in the small islands of the Pacific. Different uses of water are interlinked and interdependent. It is important therefore to take a holistic approach to the management of water resources. These are the underlying principles of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).
Available online|Draft version 3.0
Call Number: [EL]
Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) offers a systematic approach to address the sustainable development, allocation and monitoring of water resources for Pacific island Countries (PICs). The key concept of IWRM is that it provides a framework to integrate societal, economic and environmental considerations in water resource management. It recognises that all water use is interdependent and therefore should be managed in an integrated manner.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 45 p.
Small Pacific Island countries (PIC) rely heavily on the freshwater resources. However, due to the small land masses of many PICs, most of the freshwater sources are under pressure from overuse and/or pollution leading to deteriorating water quality due to urbanisation, economic development, and population growth. The pollution of freshwater resources also lend a hand to the pollution of marine ecosystems, which many Pacific Islanders rely on heavily for sustenance. Urbanisation and population increases weigh heavily on wastewater disposal,
Water is essential for human, faunal and floral physiology. Water sustains life and is essential for climatic equilibrium, the maintenance of ecosystems, agriculture, industrial processing and hydropower. In many countries, increasing population, natural resource extraction, food production,
The economic and social wellbeing of Pacific Island Countries are dependent upon the quality and quantity of their freshwater. Constrained by their relative small size, natural vulnerability,
and limited human and financial resource base, Pacific Small Island Developing States face specific challenges to effectively manage their water resources.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 105 p.
The Solomon Islands is characterised by scattered islands that vary considerably in size, physical and hydrologic characteristics. The types of islands range from high volcanic to tiny low coral atolls. The higher islands have river systems whilst the low coral atolls have no natural surface water systems and are completely dependent upon rainwater catchments and groundwater.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 86 p.
The structure of this diagnostic report follows the outline of the Pacific Regional Action Plan on sustainable Water Management (Pacific RAP) arranged over six thematic areas of water
resources management, island vulnerability, awareness, technology, institutional arrangements and financing, preceded by a general chapter on relevant background information on Tonga.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 73 p.
Tuvalu is a Pacific Island country of 9 low-lying coral atolls, humid tropical climate and high rainfall, with limited land area, high mean population densities, and an Environmental Vulnerability Index of 3.6. Tuvalu has a GDP per capita of US$1,681. 30% of GDP is attributable to government wages, with 40% from public enterprises. The private sector contributes approximately 30% of GDP of which half is from external remittances.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 57 p.
The Government of Niue (GoN) is restructuring its Public Service which is a timely opportunity to integrate water management functions adopting the IWRM approach and principles in lieu of the current sectoral approach adopted over the last 3-4 decades. This will be an opportunity to integrate NGOs, civil society and all stakeholders in the process of water and wastewater
These goals are a big challenge to small Pacific Islands Countries with their small land masses, remote locations and small but rapidly growing populations making them vulnerable. Vanuatu shares these and other challenges to sustainable development. In Vanuatu real GDP per capita is still lower than in the 1980s, infrastructure is poorly developed, the population is rapidly growing at 2.6% per year, water resources are declining and in many places contaminated, and household