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The nine Pacific Island countries (PICs)1 covered in this regional strategy face similar development challenges today despite notable differences in history, culture, and endowments.
The lack of economic growth in the face of growing populations has contributed to rising unemployment and hardship in the region. Even those countries that have seen positive growth in

This Strategic Plan for the Land Resources Division (LRD) of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) sets out the direction of the division over the next four years (2005 to 2008). It follows and supersedes the 2001–2004 Strategic Plan of the Agriculture Programme and the 2001–2005 Strategic Plan of the Forestry Programme. It recognises the achievement of several objectives contained in these earlier documents, as well as current and emerging regional priorities in the agriculture and forestry sectors.

In general, leatherback turtles face serious threats at all life stages, both on the beaches where they nest and hatch and in the water where they spend most of their life time. Sea turtle eggs are collected for food, while in some areas juveniles and adults are hunted for their meat and oil. Habitats that are keys to their survival are rapidly being degraded due to coastal development. They are also killed in great numbers as incidental catch, or by catch, in fisheries.

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".

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Call Number: [EL],338.9 MIN

The high seas lie beyond the 200 nautical mile limits that define the extent of national sovereignty by countries of the world. They cover 64% of the area of the oceans, and nearly half the surface of the planet. They are a global commons, under the stewardship of the United Nations Law of the Sea for the benefit of all nations. But human pressures on the high seas are increasing fast, and urgent action is needed to protect them from harm. Recent research shows that industrial fishing has

In June 2007 a group of engineers, public health practitioners, local and international NGO staff, academics and government
representatives gathered to discuss water and sanitation in South East Asia and the Pacific at the Let's Come Clean Conference in Melbourne, Australia. At the conference, consensus emerged on the need for greater regional exchange of experience in sanitation. It was agreed that more could be done to document and disseminate practical lessons learned from water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives throughout the region.

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Forests and other wooded land together cover about
one-third of the Asia and the Pacific region.
Excluding the Russian Federation, forest area in 2005
was estimated at 734 million hectares, accounting for
about 19 percent of global forest area. The region as a
whole experienced a net increase in forest area of about
633 000 ha annually during 2000-2005. This
is an important breakthrough, since the region had
experienced a net loss of forest cover during the 1990s. The improvement was largely the result of an increase of more

This document outlines the analytical framework for an OECD project on Development and Climate Change. A three-tier framework is also described for the project case studies that will provide a country-level overview of principal climate change impacts and vulnerabilities, followed by an in-depth analysis at a sectoral or regional/local level on how climate responses could be mainstreamed into particular development policies and projects.

Today, May 10th, in addition to being SIDS Day, coincides with the release, in Nairobi, Kenya, of the third
edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3). This major new assessment of the current state of
biodiversity and the implications of its continued loss for human well-being was produced by the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the broadest international treaty for the conservation and
sustainable use of biodiversity and the equitable sharing of the benefits from the utilization of genetic

Offshore Environment Tuna, Sharks and other targeted species Cook Islands

Forest resources country reports for Cook Islands

Draft 3 (13/6/8) Independent State of Papua New Guinea 2008 A bill for the "Papua New Guinea Institute of Biodiversity Act 2008"

Research papers on rural development and poverty in PNG as part of the Asia-Pacific Viewpoint Journal Volume 46.

At its sixth meeting the Conference of the Parties, in decision VI/7 A endorsed the draft guidelines for incorporating biodiversity-related issues into environmental impact assessment legislation and/or processes and in strategic environmental assessment.

Climate change is real and Asia is already experiencing its adverse impacts. Projections from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggest that such impacts will become even more intense in the future. While the contribution of developing countries in Asia to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is increasing rapidly, per capita emissions are still low and developmental challenges remain significant.

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Call Number: [EL]

Physical Description: 15 p.

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Call Number: 333.7 UNI [EL]

Physical Description: 56 p.

Fisheries in the Solomon Islands comprise two distinct sectors: the industrial sector which is predominantly off-shore and depends on the abundant tuna resources found in the country's

In World Resources 2005 we showed that ecosystems can become the focus of a powerful model for nature-based enterprise that delivers continuing economic and social benefits to die poor, even as it improves the natural resource base. Evidence shows that poor rural families empowered with secure resource rights can significantly increase their income stream from nature with prudent ecosystem management. To make this possible, a funda-
mental shift in governance—in the power of the poor to access resources of value and build functional enterprises—is required.

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The Earth currently finds itself in the midst of what some have termed the "Anthropocene Era" - a period during which human activities have become a dominate force affecting not only the
planet's landscape, but also its atmosphere. Since the dawn of the industrial evolution of the mid-18th century, humans have contributed to substantial increases in the concentration of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide has increased by 36%, methane by 17%, and nitrous oxide by 151%. These changes in the global atmosphere are directly linked to over