As an outcome of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the 1994 Barbados Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States not only recognized common environmental challenges facing SIDS, but also highlighted the meteorological, hydrological and oceanographic issues in many of these countries. The Barbados Programme of Action (BPoA), the principal output of the Conference, identified 14 issues and/or focal areas as urgent priorities.
More is known about birds response to climate change to date than for any other animal group, mostly as a result of many species- and location-specific analyses. Yet of the global or international-scale analyses of biodiversity and climate change, very few concentrate on birds in particular. This review seeks to provide a global survey of the climate threat to birds by compiling hundreds of individual studies to resolve the larger picture of impacts
A report to: World Wildlife Fund for Nature
Call Number: [EL]
This report presents the integrated case study for Fiji carried out under an OECD project on Development and Climate Change. The report is structured around a three-tier framework. First, recent climate trends and climate change scenarios for Fiji are assessed, and key sectoral impacts are identified and ranked along multiple indicators to establish priorities for adaptation. Second, donor portfolios are analyzed to examine the proportion of donor activities affected by climate risks.
Tongatapu coastal zone vulnerability assessment study was conducted to examine the degree of current and future risks of projected climate change and sea level rise on the coastal zone of the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga-Tongatapu. Inundation, and flooding hazards generated by tropical cyclone storm surges are the common threats to Tongatapu coastal towns and villages because of their low-lying settings.
Sea turtles are tagged to achieve the recognition of individuals or cohorts for research purposes. Tagging is most often conducted to obtain information on reproductive biology, movements, strandings, residency and growth rates. This chapter will cover the use of external and internal tags, exclusive of remote sensing techniques (sonic and radio transmitters; see S. Eckert, this volume), naturally occurring genetic markers (see FitzSimmons et al., this volume), data logging devices that require the electronic down-loading of stored information (see S.
The management of waste materials is a world wide problem. In the small island developing states of the Pacific (Pacific SIDS), waste management is becoming an acute problem as urban population increases, the economies of these countries develop, and the quantities of waste materials requiring management increases. The problems are particularly evident on small atoll islands where there is little land available for landfill waste disposal and such activities are impacting on potable groundwater resources.
Kept in vertical file collection|Electronic copy available
This report presents the results of a twelve day survey expedition (5 to 16 December, 2004) and represents the first ever systematic effort to document the marine biodiversity of the Great Sea Reef (GSR), locally known as Cakaulevu, to the north of Vanua Levu in the Fiji Archipelago. 23 sites were surveyed over 6 major habitat types: outer barrier reefs, back barrier reefs, channels, mangrove island fringing reefs, rocky island fringing reef and submerged patch reefs.
Kept in vertical file collection|Also available electronically
Call Number: VF 6834 [EL]
The Pacific islands are uniquely vulnerable to a variety of unpredictable events - natural disasters, including potential climate change impact, as well as health emergencies. The region is made up of mainly very small countries with poor socio-economic development. These and other contextual factors result in unique challenges in building systems, skills and experience necessary to maintain and promote a well functioning national society.
The Pacific islands region faces increasing environmental and socioeconomic pressures exacerbated by global climate change and climate variability.1 Adaptation to climate change and variability (CCV) is ultimately an issue of sustainable development. Even without climate change, Pacific island countries are already severely affected by climate variability and extremes, and they remain extremely vulnerable to future changes in the regional climate that could increase the risks.
The Pacific Islands region faces increasing environmental and socioeconomic pressures exacerbated by global climate change and climate variability.1 Adaptation to climate change and variability (CCV) is ultimately an issue of sustainable development. Even without climate change, Pacific island countries are already severely affected by climate variability and extremes, and they remain extremely vulnerable to future changes in the regional climate that could increase the risks.
Between 4 February and 8 March 2005, the Cook Islands experienced five damaging cyclones within a period of five weeks, four of which were assigned a severity rating of Category 51 and caused damage to homes and essential public infrastructure. The Government and its agencies provided early warning information dissemination, evacuation and emergency relief to the affected population with the support of international and regional relief agencies.
Some underwater photographs of live sea cucumbers are reproduced with kind permission from the French Institute of Research for Development (IRD) and the WorldFish Center. Photographs of dried beche-de-mer are by Eric Aubry and Jipé LeBars, Noumea, New Caledonia.
Avaialable electronically|2 copies kept at vertical file collection
Call Number: VF 7005 [EL]
Physical Description: 52 p. 25 cm
The natural environment of Pacific Island countries has supported, maintained and improved the social and economic wellbeing of its people and cultures since the arrival of the first inhabitants. The importance of the regions biodiversity cannot be understated; it is present in every facet of the island way of life. Natural resources provide food, shelter, medicine and are used extensively in traditions. In the past, utilization of these resources was allowed under traditional and community management.
The Cook Islands, a self-governing country in the central South Pacific consists of fifteen islands, all islands between 8°S and 23°S and 156°W and 167°W. It is geographically divided into two groups a Northern Group comprising Penrhyn, Rakahanga, Manihiki,Suwarrow, Nassau and Pukapuka. All are atolls except Nassau. The Southern Group comprises Palmerston, Rarotonga,Mangaia, Mauke and Atiu as high islands; Aitutaki a part atoll with a volcanic peak and a large lagoon: Mitiaro an elevated coral island and Manuae and Palmerston atolls. Tukutea is a small island near Atiu.
The human drama of climate change will largely be played out in Asia, where over 60 per cent of the world's population, around four billion people, live. Over half of those live near the coast, making them directly vulnerable to sea-level rise. Disruption to the region's water cycle caused by climate change also threatens the security and productivity of the food systems upon which they depend. In acknowledgement, both of the key meetings in 2007 and 2008 to secure a global climate agreement will be in Asia.
Available electronically
Research shows that marine reserves are one tool that can help to prevent, slow, or reverse negative changes in the ocean. Marine reserves are places in the ocean that are completely and permanently protected from uses that remove animals and plants or alter their habitats. Increasingly, the public, governmental agencies, commercial groups, and scientists are discussing the idea of establishing more marine reserves to complement existing ocean management. The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of the latest scientific information about marine reserves.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in co-operation with the Government of New Zealand is formulating the Pacific Regional Environmental Strategy. This will review major environmental challenges in the region and put forward strategic objectives
and activities for ADB assistance.
Available electronically
Call Number: [EL]
Physical Description: 109 p. ; 29 cm
E.O. Wilson once said about ants "we need them to survive, but they don't need us at all." The same, in fact, could be said about countless other insects, bacteria, fungi, plankton, plants, and other organisms. This central truth, however, is
largely lost to most of us. Rather, we act as if we were totally independent of Nature, as if it were an infinite source ofproducts and services for our use alone, and an infinite sink for our wastes.
Available electronically|A project of the Center for Health and the Global Environment Harvard Medical School
The self-governing territory of the Cook Islands consists of 15 islands and atolls that are spread over 2 million square kilometres of the South Pacific Ocean.
The islands are geographically divided into two groups, commonly referred to as the Northern and Southern Group islands. The two groups of islands making up the country exhibit marked differences in their social, cultural and economic activities. The Northern Group islands remain relatively isolated from
the Southern Group islands.
This document presents a national plan for the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in the Republic of the Fiji Islands. Fiji was the second country in the
world to ratify the Stockholm Convention, having done so on 20 June 2001. The Convention entered into force on 17 May, 2004.
Available online
Call Number: 363.7287 NAT [EL]
Physical Description: v, 61 p. ; 29 cm