The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas, updated on a monthly basis, and is one of the key global biodiversity data sets being widely used by scientists, businesses, governments, International secretariats and others to inform planning, policy decisions and management. The WDPA is a joint project between UN Environment and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Territorial Sea Baseline of Cook Islands was derived from two high resolution satellite imageries called Geo-eye and WorldView -2 in 2011 and 2012. These imageries are referenced to the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 1984) datum. The baselines were defined and completed by Cook Islands technical team in collaboration with SPC in 2005.
The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation completed field research for one of the largest coral reef studies in history: the Global Reef Expedition. The Expedition travelled around the globe surveying some of the most remote reefs on the planet, conducting research to assess coral reef ecosystem health and resiliency.
The Global Reef Expedition visited many countries in the Pacific Ocean to assess the health and resiliency of their coral reef ecosystems. See links below for more information, reports and maps.
This list of indicators was developed through the Inform project at SPREP for use by Pacific Islands countries (PICs) to meet their national and international reporting obligations. The indicators are typically adopted by PICs for their State of Environment reports and are intended to be re-used for a range of MEA and SDG reporting targets. The indicators have been designed to be measurable and repeatable so that countries can track key aspect of environmental health over time.
This publication ‘Strategic Environmental Assessment – Guidelines for Pacific Island Countries and
Territories’ has been prepared to provide guidance on the application of SEA as a tool to support
environmental planning, policy and informed decision making. It provides background on the use and
benefits of SEA as well as providing tips and guiding steps on the process, including case studies, toolkits
and checklists for conducting an SEA in the Appendices.
UNEP Regional Seas Ports and Studies No. 136.
SPREP Reports and Studies No. 49.
UNEP 1991
This paper focuses on the environmental challenges of sustainable development issues with particular attention to natural resource management, environment and climate change in the food and agriculture sector (including crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry).
COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT SEA CUCUMBERS OF THE WORLD
Fact Sheet - Pacific tourism depends on healthy marine ecosystems for aesthetic appeal and for the ecosystem services that support human occupation. This fact sheet links it to SDGs and brief background info on how the Pacific island countries face challenges in planning for sustainable development of infrastructure as well as sea and land uses related to tourism
This study first presents the general knowledge on shark exploitation and vulnerability. Then, the status of coastal shark fisheries in the Pacific Islands is addressed from the angle of the data available for this region and on the basis of information collected through a questionnaire that was sent to the fisheries department of the Pacific countries. In the last part, prospects for management and regulation are discussed.
This document represents a synthesis of the expertise, knowledge and views of leading experts in marine protected area (MPA) network design and implementation. It is intended to be useful to countries and their various organizations in helping them build effective networks of MPAs. Not only does it provide a wealth of real-life examples from around the globe, it outlines the steps necessary to turn political ambitions into reality.
This paper provides information on degradable plastics and is intended to provide guidance on potential mechanisms for achieving reductions in plastic bag consumption. It is anticipated that this paper can be used in the Pacific region as a source of information, when trying to devise a strategy for dealing with plastic bags.
A series of publication on the status of coral reefs of the world
The Science of Marine Reserves Project is an international collaboration to study, synthesize, and share the scientific information about marine reserves and other types of marine protected areas around the world.
This study seek to address the following 5 main questions:
The Marine Zones (Declaration) Act 2011 repeals the Marine Zones (Declaration) Act 1983. It states that the territorial sea of Kiribati comprises those waters having, as their inner limits, the baseline of Kiribati and, as their outer limits, a line measured seaward from that baseline, every point of which is at a distance of twelve (12) nautical miles from the nearest point of the baseline.
The Marine Zones (Declaration) Act 2011 states that "Baseline" means the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf is measured. It contains the geographic coordinates that defines the baseline for the Line Group. The points are defined by geographic coordinates are determined by reference
to the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84).
The Marine Zones (Declaration) Act 2011 repeals the Marine Zones (Declaration) Act 1983. It states that the "Contiguous Zone" means waters beyond the territorial sea within a distance of twenty-four (24) nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
Part 2 of the Tuvalu Maritime Zones Act 2012 states that the contiguous zone comprises those areas of the sea that are beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea, having as their outer limits a line measured seaward from the baseline every point of which is distant 24 nautical miles from the nearest point of that baseline.
Where an archipelagic baseline is declared, the outer limits of the contiguous zone are a line measured seaward from that archipelagic baseline, every point of which is distant 24 nautical miles from the nearest point of that archipelagic baseline.
Part 1 of the Tuvalu Maritime Zones Act 2012 states that the territorial sea comprises those areas of the sea having
(a) as their inner limits, the baseline, which is measured from the low-water line of the seaward side of the reef fringing the coast of any part of Tuvalu or bounding any lagoon waters adjacent to any part of that coast, or where a reef is not present, the low-water line of the coast itself and
(b) as their outer limits, a line measured seaward from that baseline, every point of which is distant 12 nautical miles from the nearest point of that baseline.