There are not perfect data which describe the distribution and abundance of every marine habitat and species in the Pacific. And certainly not at a scale that is useful for national planning in the ocean. Bioregionalisation, or the classification of the marine environment into spatial units that host similar biota, can serve to provide spatially explicit surrogates of biodiversity for marine conservation and management. Existing marine bioregionalisations however, are at a scale that is too broad for national governments in the Pacific to use.
The Tonga Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) was conducted in 2019 by the Tonga Statistics Department in collaboration with Ministry of Health with technical support of Ministry of Internal Affairs – Women’s Affairs and Gender Equality Division (WAGED) and other key Government Ministries UNICEF, UNFPA, the Pacific Community (SPC) and other partners. The survey provides statistically sound and internationally comparable data essential for developing evidence-based policies and programs, and for monitoring progress toward national goals and global commitments.
Work is part of the SOPAC Regional assitance to the countries on wind advisory.
Emergency division tabletop exercise in Kosrae- October 25-27, 2023
The objectives of Census changed over time shifting from earlier years where they were essentially household registrations and counts, to now where a national population census stands supreme as the most valuable single source of statistical data for the Fiji.
Census data is now widely used to evaluate:
- The availability of basic household needs in key sectors, to identify disadvantaged areas and help set priorities for action
plans;
- Benefits of development programmes in particular areas, such as literacy, employment and family planning;