Environment

Pacific islands join forces on environment
Better integration needed for Pacific ecosystems

From left - National environment service director Vaitoti Tupa, professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, director of the Global Change Institute, University of Queensland, Queen’s Representative Sir Frederick Goodwin, prime minister Jim Marurai, professor Meg Caldwell, executive director of the Centre for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University and Geoff Mavromatis the head of the Cook Islands Marine Resources Institutional Strengthening Project at the opening of the environmental management course and forum on Monday. 10012601

Pacific island nations are facing critical environmental issues – pollution, habitat destruction, declining fisheries and climate change – which threaten their costal ecosystems impacting food security and wellbeing.

Environmental leaders and managers are in Rarotonga to meet and discuss an innovative approach to the management of coastal ecosystems, known as ecosystem-based management, as part of a forum and training course.

The two parallel events, which run for two weeks, were jointly opened on Monday by prime minister Jim Marurai.

Ecosystem-based management is an integrated management approach which addresses the ecological aspects of resource management within the social, economic and political context. It seeks solutions in which human and natural components are part of one sustainable system. The challenge is to manage coastal and marine lands and waters with a whole-of-government approach, rather than a sectoral approach, and incorporate traditional management structures and practices.

“We are seeking to combine the collective wisdom of leaders, managers and experts from across the Pacific so we can better manage and preserve the precious coastal resources that underpin the economies and societies of Pacific Island nations,” said professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, director of the Global Change, University of Queensland.

“Given the rapid degradation of these important resources, this is a particularly critical issue.”

The Pacific leadership forum will focus on policy and planning for ecosystem-based management including national environmental priorities of the countries taking part and the implications of climate change and the way forward for the region.

The forum is led by the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland, the Center for Ocean Solutions at Stanford University, and the Australian National Centre for Ocean Research and Security (ANCORS).

The training course will equip those taking part with tools and information to implement effective ecosystem-based management in their home countries. It will integrate contemporary and traditional management practices in managing coastal environments in the Pacific. Participants will learn from a range of case studies, in particular what has been done to improve the health of the Takitumu lagoon.

Countries taking part include the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Yap, Tonga, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, American Samoa, New Zealand, Australia and the USA.

• Press Release/HG

Ministry of infrastructure and planning’s Ata Herman (left) discusses water supply at the Takuvaine water intake with some of the members of the forum from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and American Samoa. 10012915

Technical experts representing eight Pacific island countries last week endorsed an innovative approach to managing the environment which addresses natural resource management in the social, economic and political context.

The forum held at the AOG Hall in Takuvaine considered the application of ecosystem-based management to address critical environmental issues which threaten delicate coastal and marine environments in the region.

Several issues for Pacific island countries were identified including sea level rise and coastal engineering, availability of resources and data, population and socioeconomic change, greenhouse gases and climate change, land-based pollution, livelihood of people – food and land security, invasive species, sustaining fish stocks, outdated and conflicting policies and regulations, and enforcement.

The forum was led by the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland, and the Centre for Ocean Solutions at Stanford University, the Australian National Centre for Ocean Research and Security (ANCORS) and the United Nations Environment Programme. Countries participating included Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Federated States of Micronesia (Yap), Vanuatu, Samoa and American Samoa. A two week environmental management training course for about 30 resource managers from the Pacific also began this week which has also been made possible by these organisations in conjunction with Cook Islands government departments.

Ecosystem-based (environmental) management is an integrated management approach which designs solutions to ecological issues with regard to social, economic and political drivers. It requires a whole-of-government approach, rather than a sectoral approach, and incorporates traditional management structures and practices.

The forum of technical experts endorsed several guiding principles for ecosystem-based management including to create incentives for stewardship and collaboration, and to apply lessons from management successes and failures and from monitoring ecosystems.

The group will seek wider endorsement of the ecosystem-based management concept over coming months which will promote its application across the Pacific.

The capacity to carry out these agreed measures will be strengthened by the training course. The course will equip participants with the tools and information to carry out effective ecosystem-based management in their home countries.

• Press Release/HG