August 2007 SPREP Monthly Highlights

SPREP work recognised by US Coral Reef Task Force

SPREP has been honoured with an award for ‘Outstanding Policy Coordination’ from the US Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF). Director Asterio Takesy received the award on behalf of SPREP during the USCRTF biannual conference in American Samoa, 20 – 23rd of August.

The US Coral Reef Task Force was established in 1998 to lead, coordinate and strengthen US Government actions to better preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems.

SPREP is working on the ground to support the conservation efforts of Pacific island countries and territories on invasive species control, marine species monitoring and conservation, coral reef management and adaptation strategies to name a few.

The Micronesia Challenge, to conserve at least 30% of near-shore marine resources and at least 20% of terrestrial resources across Micronesia by 2020, is one initiative that SPREP has provided.

“The award gives us further encouragement, the value of the role that SPREP is playing is indeed worthwhile,” said Takesy. “We must resolve to continue the good work with our members and partners, especially the US Coral Reef Task Force to achieve a sustainable future for the Pacific region.”

For more details information contact SPREP’s Coastal Management Adviser, Dominique Benzaken

Read the full SPREP article here.

SPREP Director, Asterio Takesy receives award on behalf of SPREP

Media Information Morning at SPREP

SPREP held a ‘Media Information Morning’ on the 16th of August. Acknowledging the role of the media in bringing about an informed society, SPREP has been working hand in hand with all media to assist with environmental reporting.

Director, Asterio Takesy welcomed those who attended which included Tala Fou from SBC, Radio Polynesia News, TV3 News, Samoa Observer, Newsline reporters and journalism students from the National University of Samoa.

The topics covered at the Media Information Morning were the logistics of the coming SPREP Meeting, the ‘Play it clean and green’ campaign and the 8th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas. Guest speakers were Corporate Services Manager Taito John Roache, Action Strategy Adviser Kate Brown Vitolio, Education and Social Communications Officer Tamara Logan and Solid Waste Officer Mark Ricketts.

Takesy closed the event by honouring the media as ‘Green Champions’ because of their cooperation in helping bring about the awareness of a better environment.

The results from the Media Information Morning were evident with the onslaught of SPREP events broadcast and printed throughout Samoa through the various media organizations. SPREP is appreciative of the willingness of Samoa’s media to help spread awareness for a more sustainable environment for the Pacific.

Action Strategy Adviser Kate Brown-Vitolio faces media attention

Update: The 8th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas, Alotau, PNG, 22 – 26 October

The Federated States of Micronesia’s (FSM) Willy Kostka is the keynote speaker for the 8th Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas. The Conference theme ‘Conservation serving communities, in a rapidly changing world’ highlights the inextricable link between Pacific islanders and the natural environment, and the importance of strengthening networks in a climate of global change.

Keynote Speaker Willy Kostka is a recipient of the Pew Fellowship and is the first Executive Director of the Micronesian Conservation Trust (MCT). He joined MCT after seven years as founder and Executive Director of the Conservation Society of Pohnpei. The MCT is committed to developing long-term, sustainable funding for biodiversity conservation in Micronesia. Chartered in the FSM, MCT attracts seed money for core trust funding, as well as pass-through grant money from organisations such as the Packard Foundation and the Global Environment Facility. The conference agenda is expected to be finalised this month and the calendar of available side events will be accessible on the Roundtable website. For more, visit the Roundtable website .

Willie Kostka

The Pacific Environment Information Network casts its net wider

The Republic of Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) are the two newest members of the Pacific Environment Information Network (PEIN). They came on board in August when Peter Murgatroyd, PEIN Coordinator visited the countries to install library management software and establish operational library databases. They are available in the RMI Office of Environmental Planning and Policy Coordination and the FSM Department of Economic Affairs, Environment and Sustainable Development Unit.

A particularly exciting new development for PEIN is the introduction of a new PEIN initiative enabling a full text search of documents and web resources across 45 partner organisations in the PEIN network including those recently established in the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.

In addition to the installation work at the PEIN focal points, Murgatroyd also met with a number of organisations to develop information sharing linkages that would strengthen access to critical environment information in FSM. A significant number of new national documents and resources were also added to the PEIN Country Profiles Directory and the PEIN Regional Frameworks and Strategies Directory as a result of the visit.

The PEIN Country Profiles Directory, Regional Frameworks and Strategies Directory and the new PEIN 'Virtual library' search facility can be accessed from the PEIN website.

Community leaders discuss community based conservation issues

From the 8 - 13th of August, traditional leaders and Mayors from eight atolls discussed the key issues of concern in their communities: the decline in fishery resources, coastal erosion, pollution and clearing of mangroves at a time of rapid change.

One of the highlights of the workshop was the reaffirmation by the community leaders of the importance of reactivating their traditional conservation sites and practices. They all agreed the protected areas are important for food security, employment opportunities and future generations.

For more information contact SPREP’s Associate RAMSAR Officer Vainuupo Jungblut.

Participants with SPREP Associate RAMSAR Officer, Vainuupo Jungblut at Protected Area Management Workshop in the Republic of the Marshall Islands

Playing it clean and green in Apia, Samoa

Hundreds of athletes, spectators, and locals alike each left a green legacy during the South Pacific Games recently held in Apia, Samoa. To raise awareness of climate change issues and responses in the Pacific, SPREP with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) and the United Nations in the Pacific coordinated a treeplanting initiative in the Fuluasou Reserve next to the Faleata Sports Complex where many of the Games were held over the two-week period. The treeplanting presented an opportunity for people to compensate for the greenhouse gases created by travelling to Samoa, and also promoted replanting as a way to protect the Pacific islands against the effects of climate change.

The replanting was part of the 'Play it Clean and Green' campaign, a joint initiative to reduce the impact of the Games on the Samoan environment. As well as the treeplanting, MNRE worked with local businesses to provide recycling bins at many Games venues, athletes were encouraged to reuse water bottles as much as possible, and spectators asked to "bin it to win it".

The campaign also supported the Millennium Development Goal 7: Environmental Sustainability, part of a broader campaign by the United Nations in the Pacific.

Miss South Pacific, Krystina Kauvai, with staff from SPREP, MNRE & Conservation International, planting trees on Day 1 of the Games at the Fuluasou Reserve.

Renewable Energy in the South Pacific to help reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions

The Pacific Islands Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Renewable Energy Project (PIGGAREP) aims to help reduce the growth of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use. The project involves removing the barriers to widespread and cost effective use of feasible renewable energy technologies. SPREP with its member countries and territories is working to remove barriers to the introduction of renewable energy technologies in the Pacific. Renewable energy and energy efficiency are key factors in reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions. Solomone Fifita, the PIGGAREP Project Manager has had a busy month of August having attended two regional conferences in the Marshall Islands and New Zealand. Fifita also spent time with the different Ministries of Energy in Vanuatu, Tonga and the Cook Islands.

The four-month inception period for the PIGGAREP ends in November. It is planned that a regional workshop will be held for Pacific heads of Energy departments to devise a plan forward for the project and how it can be of assistance within each island nation. The details of this workshop are yet to be finalized and the results of the country visits held in August all lead to being firmed up at this regional workshop.

For more information contact Solomone Fifita, the Project Manager of PIGGAREP.

Pacific Islands Learning Network

PILN was officially launched in May 2006 in Palau with six founding teams. This project has now grown to include 12 countries. Coordinator Jill Key was given the mandate to help with capacity building in three main areas, social awareness, strategic action plans and work on marine invasive species. In March this year the first workshop on Marine Invasive Species was held and simple strategic action plans have been developed with assistance from Jill in four participating countries.

For the coming PILN Meeting in Moorea from the 3 – 7th of September, there will be approximately 80 participants attending the conference, the main theme of which is how to turn words into action. Participants will look at how to move ahead with their priority projects, such as tackling marine invasive species, continue with Strategic Action Plans and a revision of the Regional Invasive Species Strategy originally drafted by SPREP, along with other major issues for invasive species in the Pacific. The countries and states currently members of PILN are America Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Palau, and Samoa, with Niue and Fiji in the process of joining.

For more details contact Jill Key or you can take a look at the PILN website here.

Cook Islands receive assistance in disposing of asbestos

The Cook Islands received help with environmentally safe disposal of their asbestos stocks. SPREP’s pollution prevention and waste management adviser, Dr Frank Griffin was in the Cook Islands from the 4 - 9th of August to provide technical assistance to the National Environment Service (NES).

The stocks of disposed asbestos have increased in the Cook Islands over the past months as the Government has carried out extensive maintenance work on buildings throughout the nation, removing asbestos roofing from government buildings. In the ‘Recycle Cook Islands’ site in Turangi, there is an estimated 250 cubic metres of asbestos alone. That stockpile represents 5% of the total volume that needs to be disposed of, if placed in the Rarotonga Waste Landfill it will take up over 50% of the space.

The Cook Islands already has guidelines for disposing of asbestos in a safe way, it is now a matter of finding the best place to dispose of it.

While in the Cook Islands Dr Griffin visited several possible sites of disposal and is providing the NES with an Environmental Impact Assessment report to help them with solving the disposal issue. The Cook Islands intend to have the EIA report published for a 30-day scrutiny period and it is proposed the asbestos will be buried by November.

For more information on this, contact Dr Frank Griffin or you can read the full article here.

Note: Photo of Dr Frank Griffin in front of Asbestos piles is courtesy of the Cook Islands News.

SPREP at the South Pacific Games

Not only was SPREP a partner that organised the ‘Play it clean and green’ campaign, SPREP staff members also had other commitments and involvements at these Games, representing their nations. The Women’s softball (Samoa) and Men’s paddling (Fiji) events had SPREP staff members competing in these Games. SPREP staff members were also designated country attachés (Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea) for the XIII South Pacific Games in Samoa.

Congratulations for your contribution to the pride and morale of your home country, other SPREP staff members are uplifted by your representation.

Note: New July staff member

Tuputa Uliate is the Property Services Officer for SPREP. He began work with SPREP in July.

SPREP Calendar of events for September

3/9 – 7/9 2007 Annual Meeting of the Pacific Invasives Learning Network in Moorea, French Polynesia. Jill Key, the PILN Coordinator will be in Moorea for the event.

3/9 – 7/9 Coral Reef Initiative of the South Pacific (CRISP) Townsville Seminar in Townsville Australia. SPREP’s Coral Reef Management Officer, Caroline Vieux will be attending.

10/9 – 14/9 The Workshop to develop the French Polynesia Invasive Species Strategic Action Plan in Moorea, French Polynesia. Jill Key the PILN Coordinator will be in Moorea for the event.

11/9 – 14/9 The eighteenth SPREP Meeting of Officials in Apia, Samoa. All SPREP Staff will be at the Meeting.

20/9 – 22/9 The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) has an Expert Meeting on National Communication in Cairo, Egypt. SPREP’s Climate Change Adviser Espen Ronneberg will be at the Meeting.

24/9 – 24/9 Pacific Plan Action Committee (PPAC) Meeting in Nukualofa, Tonga. SPREP Deputy Director F.Vitolio Lui will be attending.

24/9 – 28/9 Development of a Marine Turtle Conservation Programme for Kiribati. SPREP’s Marine Species Officer, Lui Bell will be attending.

24/9 – 28/9 Action for Island Conservation and Livelihoods: Strategy for a Global Challenge in La Maddalena, Italy. PILN Coordinator Jill Key will be attending.

25/9 – 26/9 Pre-Forum FOC Meeting – Forum Officials Committee Pre-Forum and Budget and Work programme Session in Nukualofa, Tonga. SPREP Deputy Director F. Vitolio Lui will be attending

25/9 – 28/9 Marine Protected Areas, a tool for fisheries management and conservation will be in Murcia, Spain. SPREP’s Coral Reef Management Officer Caroline Vieux will be attending.

26/9 – 27/9 Fiji National Cetaceans Workshop in Suva, Fiji for which SPREP’s Marine Species Officer Lui Bell will be attending.

28/9 – 8/10 Marine Turtle Monitoring Programme Initiation and Survey for Kiribati will be held in Kiribati. SPREP’s Marine Species Officer, Lui Bell will be attending.

The SPREP Calendar of events issue No. 26 can be viewed here.

Fa’fetai Lava for reading this E-Newsletter

Please send your comments to sprep@sprep.org or contact SPREP

by phone: (685) 21929, fax: (685) 20231 or mail: PO Box 240, Apia, Samoa.

Visit the SPREP website at www.sprep.org


Nanette Woonton
Associate Media and Publications Officer
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
PO Box 240
Apia, Samoa
T: (685) 21929 x 305
F: (685) 20231
www.sprep.org

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