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.
Available online
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
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 15 p.
Available online
Call Number: 333.7 UNI [EL]
Physical Description: 56 p.
Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change have committed themselves to considering the special needs and concerns of developing countries resulting from the adverse effects of climate change in the area of insurance. The needs of small island states have been are highlighted for attention, due to their unique geographic features and exposure, and thus unique vulnerability.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 49 p.
STRATEGIC CONSERVATION PRIORITIES IN MICRONESIA: Identify the top strategic conservation priorities in Micronesia through locally appropriate and participatory in-country and regional assessments of biodiversity, threats, opportunities and local and regional capacity. Monitor and regularly update these assessments to enable us to adapt our implementation strategies.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: ?
The Vanuatu Government, through the Vanuatu Environment Unit in collaboration with relevant departments, has implemented this UNEP/GEF funded project on National Capacity Self Assessment (NCSA) Project, which started in Vanuatu in December 2004. The main objective of the NCSA project is to enhance the capacity of Vanuatu in addressing global environment management issues, particular in the thematic areas of Biodiversity, Climate Change and Land Degradation, each being addressed within its respective international convention.
Available online
This report provides an overview of priority environmental concerns (PEC) in the 3 IWP focal areas of sustainable coastal fisheries and marine protected areas, protection of freshwater resources and community based waste reduction.
In a unique move Tokelau requested all regional and international organizations that it is affiliated to either through full membership, associate or by accessing through regional international projects, to visit and consult Tokelau as a "body corporate" or all at once. The intention is to assist a small tiny country in managing all the possible assistance available from these organizations so that the actual assistance itself could be much more effective in their delivery and avoid duplication.
Available online
Call Number: [EL]
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 governancein the power of the poor to access resources of value and build functional enterprisesis required.
Available online
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
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
"The CARICOM Environment in Figures 2004 has been prepared the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Statistics Sub-programme based on data submitted
by Member States and Associate Members., from the United Nations Statistics Division
(UNSD) and from other regional and National Organisations. This is the second report in
this area of Statistics that has been produced. The first report contained data up to the
period 2002. The work on Environmental Statistics in the CARICOM Region was
This remote chain of 13 islands (9 inhabited) and two atolls is located 140 south of the equator near the International Date Line. It is divided into two political entities, the US Territory of American Samoa and the neighboring independent country of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa. The land area of (western) Samoa is approximately 15 times larger than the land area of American Samoa
2 copies and also available electronically
Call Number: 508.099613 CRA [EL]
Physical Description: 130 p. ; 28 cm
New Zealand's geographic isolation and long period without human habitation allowed a unique natural environment to flourish. Our
environment is known for the richness of its biodiversity, with more than 80,000 native animal, plant, and fungus species. As a result of New Zealand's isolation, much of our flora and fauna are not found anywhere else on earth.
Also available online
Call Number: 333.7 ENV [EL]
ISBN/ISSN: 978-0-478-30194-6
Physical Description: 74 p. ; 29 cm
The Pacific Invasives Initiative (PII) is a sister partnership based at Auckland University which shares 6 partners with PILN. The goal of the PII is to contribute to conserving island biodiversity and enhancing the sustainability of island livelihoods by minimizing the spread and impacts of invasive species in the Pacific region. This is achieved by increasing support and developing capacity in the region for managing the impacts of these species.
The need for a Pacific Biodiversity Information Forum to provide a venue and support for biodiversity information needs in the Pacific Basin was established during the GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) meeting on Maui in May of 2002. Interested parties met again during the October 2003 GBIF meeting in Tsukuba, Japan and reaffirmed the need and began to draw up a governing structure for PBIF and identify specific biodiversity needs in the Pacific Basin that can be addressed through projects.
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
With these decisions in mind, the Pacific Plan identifies initiatives within an implementation framework that extends to 10 years. Some of this work is already underway. The Plan provides a framework for effective and enhanced engagement
between Forum countries and Pacific territories and with their non-state actors and development partners. It does not limit the sovereign right of Forum Member countries to determine their own national goals and priorities. It may also guide but does not restrict bilateral development programmes and activities.
1 copy
"The impacts of the 1997-1998 El Nino are
fresh in our minds, and the latest reports from
the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) confirm tvhat all of you
already know changes in climate matter to
individuals, communities, businesses and
governments who call islands home. Your
valuable natural resources, traditional ways of
life, critical economic sectors, community support
infrastructure, atid, to a great extent, your
future, depend on developing an effective