November 2007 SPREP Monthly Highlights

SPREP Deputy Director wins Award

Vitolio Lui, the Deputy Director of the SPREP was awarded the Samoa Environment Award this year. Launched in 2000 this annual award is presented during the National Environment Week by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) on behalf of the Government of Samoa. It commemorates the hard work that is undertaken by ‘environmental champions’ for Samoa and there are 2 categories for the environmental honour.

This year the group award went to EDS Yasaki Samoa Ltd. for their involvement in various community and school environment activities. The individual prize was awarded to Vitolio Lui.

According to Faumuina Pati Liu of the Department of Conservation in MNRE, the individual award was presented to Mr Lui for both his contribution to the improvement of the regional and national environment over the last 20 years.

“His tenure with SPREP for the last 6 years has clearly indicated his love and commitment for achieving sustainable development and maintaining environmental integrity for Samoa and the Pacific region.”

The Deputy Director of SPREP plans to retire next year and for him, this award is a special one that culminates a long relationship with improving our environment.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” said Mr Lui. “When I was told, the first thing I thought was maybe I don’t quite deserve it, there are many other Samoan women and men who are also deserving of such an award. I am therefore very honoured and humbled by this recognition from the Government of Samoa.”

SPREP Deputy Director Vitolio Lui at the
Launch of the Play it clean and green campaign this year

Financial Assistance from the Government of the Peoples Republic of China

A voluntary contribution of $80,000 USD was presented to SPREP. The Government of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) has gifted the funds to help with SPREP’s ongoing work in the Pacific region. Last year PRC also donated the same amount to the organisation.

“I am very grateful and pleased by this generous contribution, and I hope the cooperation between SPREP and the Government of the Peoples Republic of China will be a continuous one.” Said SPREP Director Asterio Takesy.

SPREP Director Asterio Takesy shakes hands
with His Excellency, Chinese Ambassador Shi Longhuang

Web Forums with SPREP

SPREP has taken a bigger step into the world of Information Technology with the introduction of online SPREP Forums. These are a new avenue for discussion on the SPREP website www.sprep.org under the heading SPREP Forums. The forums are an opportunity for people to post messages of information that they would like to share or discuss a variety of different environmental topics that are encompassed by SPREP.

In order to be able to contribute to online discussions in the SPREP web forums you need access to the internet along with being a registered member. You can register after having filled the required registration form online and once you have registered you can then post a message or join online discussions in any of the Islands Ecosystems, Pacific Futures or General Discussion topics.

Registered users can create new topics, pre-assigned moderators will ensure discussions are relevant and properly managed, all of which is explained on the SPREP website. For further information please contact SPREP IT otherwise, we’ll meet you online!

Senior Waste Managers Meet at SPREP

Landfilling, financing waste management and getting public and political support for improving the waste situation are the 3 main priorities for waste management in the Pacific. This was one of the outcomes of a Senior Waste Managers in the Pacific Meeting and will be the main issues for the region over the next 2 years.

It was the second such meeting to be held by SPREP in collaboration with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The first was held 2-years ago that led to the first Action Plan of the Pacific Regional Solid Waste Management Strategy

November set the scene for numerous waste workshops at SPREP. This was the first, followed by 2 parallel workshops on strategic approaches to chemical management and health care waste management.

The Senior Waste Managers meeting recognised the benefits of having the public and politicians as strong supporters of better waste management, as they will make sure adequate funding is designated to waste management if the general public believes it is important.

“The issue of landfilling continues to challenge the Pacific,” said SPREP’s Solid Waste Officer, Mark Ricketts, “small islands and atolls have no space. Even the bigger islands have traditional ownership issues which make locating landfills very difficult.”

SPREP is currently producing a Waste Education Kit for schools to assist teachers and community workers to change the behaviour of the public.

For more information contact SPREP’s Solid Waste Officer Mark Ricketts.

Participants at the Senior Waste Managers Meeting

Pacific becomes more aware of the SAICM process

Proper disposal of chemical waste can save our environment and help improve human health - this was one of the focuses for the Waste Division of SPREP in November.

In early November, SPREP, in collaboration with the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) Secretariat, helped coordinate a 2-day chemical waste workshop for Pacific nations to provide them with more information about the role and nature of SAICM. It was also to explain how the secretariat could work with the Pacific islands nations in managing their chemical products and wastes better.

The SAICM process works towards providing countries with the tools to enable safe and proper management and disposal of chemical waste. It is a framework for global action on the sound management of chemicals and addresses chemicals management throughout their life cycle.

“It is very important in the sense that many island countries are only beginning to realise the dangers that these chemicals actually have on the environment,” said Dr Frank Griffin SPREP’s Pollution Prevention and Waste Management Adviser. “Even though the quantities of chemicals in our region is relatively small, they can have an adverse effect on the environment if not managed properly.”

For more information contact Dr Frank Griffin.

Training on health waste disposal at SPREP

Health care waste has the potential to cause serious harm if not managed properly. In the Pacific region, this serious issue needs immediate attention and action. The region faces the challenges of lack of appropriate resources, financial, technological and personnel, to deal with this category of waste in a proper, safe and environmentally sound manner

In an effort to help countries with this, SPREP and the World Health Organisation (WHO) conducted a 2-day Health Care Management Training workshop in November.

“The idea of this particular workshop was to give the participants some tools they could take back to their countries to improve the way they manage their health care waste, especially in the development of plans and the financing of them” said Dr. Frank Griffin, SPREP’s Pollution Prevention and Waste Management Adviser.

Participants, mainly those who work in health care facilities and planning departments, finished the training equipped with the ability to develop, implement and maintain a national integrated health care waste management system, as well as have the financial and budgeting techniques to maintain the system.

For further details contact Dr Frank Griffin.

Renewable Energy to light up the Pacific

11 countries in the Pacific region will be working towards reducing their emissions of greenhouse gasses with a project that encourages the widespread and productive utilisation of feasible renewable energy technologies. The Pacific Islands Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Renewable Energy Project (PIGGAREP) had a successful weeklong inception workshop this month.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Samoa Multi-Country Office funds the project and the SPREP is its implementing agency.

The workshop discussions saw all 11 countries involved in updating the PIGGAREP Project Document with their country-specific work plans and budgets, project plan matrices/log frames as well as annual targets and monitoring plans. The workshop also identified potential risks to the project implementation and agreed to its implementation and management arrangements.

With the completion of the workshop, the project itself will now start implementing country-specific activities to remove the barriers and to productively utilise feasible renewable energy technologies to support the sustainable development effort of the participating Pacific islands countries.

For more details contact Solomone Fifita, Project Manager - PIGGAREP.

Participants of the PIGGAREP Workshop

Pacific Environment Information Network attachments with SPREP

SPREP held a 2-week Pacific Environment Information Network (PEIN) attachment for 5 of the Pacific nations: Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Tonga and Vanuatu. The course taught them the basics of library management.

Part of the training also addressed the main Information Technology (IT) issues such as ‘backing up’ your information, how to protect your database from viruses, the organisation of e-files and the use of the internet for data and information.

Peter Murgatroyd, SPREP’s Information Resource Centre (IRC) Manager facilitated the training that will equip the participants with the skills to access, store and share information.

“I think they’ll have skills to go back and improve access and the management of information. Hopefully they will link it to a wide community of users, both in government and the community”

The course is funded by the European Union and is the first of 2 to take place. The second will be held next year and will involve the remainder of the participants in the PEIN project.

For more information contact SPREP’s Information Resource Center Manager Peter Murgatroyd.

Participants of the PEIN attachment at SPREP

Better sharing of Environment Information discussed at meeting

The Pacific Environment Information Network (PEIN) funded by the European Union looks to strengthen links with the Pacific Islands Marine Resources Information System (PIMRIS). PEIN Coordinator and SPREP Information Resource Centre Manager Peter Murgatroyd, recently returned from a meeting of the PIMRIS Steering Committee held in Suva from 15-16 November.

In addition to the PIMRIS Steering Committee a meeting of Council of the Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) Library managers was also convened to examine ways in which they could improve cooperation and integration of their regional capacity building activities.

Common to both meetings was the identified need for CROP agencies and regional information projects such as PEIN and PIMRIS to look at establishing a sustainable regional framework strategy for capacity building in library and information management in the region.

A significant outcome of the meetings is the establishment of a CROP Library Managers working group, listserv and website and a timetable for drafting an options paper to be presented to the Forum Secretariat on capacity building in library and information management.

At the conclusion of the meetings a 1-day workshop on marine information management was held. Topics included software options for regional fisheries libraries, digitisation, managing special libraries, and information literacy. A further collaborative training workshop is planned for 2008.

For more information contact SPREP’s Information Resource Center Manager Peter Murgatroyd.

Memorandum of Understanding signed to conserve Dugongs

On the 31st of October 2007 the Memorandum of Understanding concerning the Conservation and Management of Dugongs and their Habitats throughout their Range under the auspices of Convention for the conservation of Migratory Species was open for signature. Out of the 37 range states, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Tanzania, Eritrea, Myanmar, Madagascar and France signed the MoU on the 31st of October. SPREP attended this meeting to provide support to its member countries.

SPREP's Associate Turtles Database Officer Anne Trevor believes the signing of the MoU is an indication of success as regional and international cooperation is key in achieving long term conservation of dugongs and their habitats

The dugong Dugong dugon occurs in 6 countries and territories of the SPREP region: Australia, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. The range of the dugong expands from the East Africa to Vanuatu. Due to their migratory nature dugongs are capable of moving across the economic exclusive zones of different countries in the Pacific Ocean.

This CMS MoU is complementary to the SPREP Dugong Action Plan that was endorsed by SPREP members in September this year for dugong conservation in the Pacific region.

For more information contact SPREP’s Marine Species Officer, Lui Bell.

FLASHBACK: Niue passes legislation to help save our Ozone layer

In September this year, Niue passed their Ozone Protection Legislation. This will arm customs officers with the tools to prevent Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) that could enter the country.

“We’re very pleased in terms of the leaders support in this type of project,” said John Talagi the Environment Education Officer of Niue. “It’s a new project and this shows that the message is being reaching our Leaders.”

The passing of this legislation by Niue is part of their agreement under the Montreal Protocol that was signed in 1987. The protocol stipulates that all substances that harm the ozone layer are to be phased out; this is to allow the ozone layer to regenerate.

SPREP has an Associate Ozone Depleting Substance Officer (AODS), Nirupa Ram, who has assisted the Pacific Islands Nations come closer towards fulfilling their obligations under the Montreal Protocol over the last 2 years.

Marshall Islands, Palau and Solomon Islands are the other 3 countries that also have passed similar laws like Niue, while others are still working towards this.

For more information contact SPREP’s Associate Ozone Depleting Substance Officer, Nirupa Ram.

SPREP’s Associate Ozone Depleting Substance Officer,
Nirupa Ram and Niue’s Environment Education Officer, John Talagi

Developments amongst staff

Seleisa Amerika a Finance Officer with SPREP has renewed her contract for another term. Seleisa is based in the Finance Division in Corporate Services.

Kenichi Kasho from Japan is currently working with SPREP under the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Programme for 2 years. He is the Audio and Visual Technician based in Media Unit of SPREP. Before Samoa, Kenichi was working in Australia for the Japan Foundation on promoting Japanese culture and teachings, for 2 years.

Galumaninoa Maselusi Tasi is on a 4-week work experience with SPREP. She is a 1st year student in the Journalism Diploma Programme at the National University of Samoa (NUS). Galumaninoa graduated from year 13 at Leifiifi College last year. She finishes her work attachment with SPREP on the 21st of December.

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Kenichi Kaso

Galumaninoa Maselusi Tasi

Vacancies at SPREP

Deputy Director
Closing Date 4 January 2008. Click here for more information or contact the Personnel Officer, Litia Brighouse on T: (685) 21929.

Calendar of Events for December 2007

3/12 – 7/12 WCPF Commission IV, Guam, F. Vitoliu Lui, Deputy Director

3/12 – 5/12 Bonin Islands Research Group annual symposium, Japan, Tsukuba and Tokyo
Alan Tye, Invasive Species Officer

5/12 – 7/12 Regional Turtle Research and Monitoring Database System Installation and Training in Tonga, Nukualofa, Tonga, Anne Trevor, Assistant Turtle Database Officer

6/12 – 7/12 CI/FLMMA Marine Managed Areas Science to Action Workshop, Fiji, Suva, Stuart Chape, Manager, Island Ecosystems Programme

10/12 – 14/12 SOPAC/SPREP/UNDP Joint CDM Capacity Building Initiative, Fiji, Nadi, Solomone Fifita, Project Manager PIGGAREP

12/12 – 18/12 Establishing Marine Turtle Monitoring for Tonga, Tonga, Nuku’alofa, Tongatapu
Lui Bell, Marine Species Officer

Fa’fetai Lava for reading this E-Newsletter

Please send your comments to Nannette Woonton or contact SPREP

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