January 2007 SPREP Monthly Highlights

SPREP Highlights is the monthly electronic brief of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. Through SPREP Highlights we aim to keep you in the loop on events that the Samoa-based Secretariat was involved in a given month, and flag upcoming events of interest.

Draft Conservation Strategy for Pacific now complete

The draft 2008-2012 Regional Action Strategy for Nature Conservation is now available for comment. The strategy contains a ‘Pacific Nature Conservation Code of Conduct’ as well as a set of ‘Guidelines for implementation of Pacific community conservation programmes.’

The strategy was an outcome of the 8th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas held in Alotau, Papua New Guinea in October last year. Over 400 stakeholders of Pacific biodiversity met to contribute to a revised regional action strategy for Nature Conservation.

In January the drafting committee met in Suva to finalise the conference outcome documents and prepare a final draft version. SPREP led the coordination of the Conference in Alotau and helped contribute towards the 2008-2012 Regional Action Strategy for Nature Conservation.

The draft action strategy is now available for comment from the SPREP website at www.sprep.org. To be considered, all comments must be emailed to theresaf@sprep.org by 22nd February 2008. From there the comments will be collated and resubmitted to the drafting group who will determine how to reflect changes, suggestions and comments in the draft.

It is expected that the final document will be completed by the end of March, followed by an approval and endorsement process. Implementation will be ongoing.

For more information please contact SPREP’s Action Strategy Adviser Kate Brown-Vitolio at E: kateb@sprep.org T: (685) 21929 F: (682) 20231 W: www.sprep.org

Island Life Image Competition entries available on the web

Some of the images received by SPREP for the Island Life Image Competition that was launched in celebration of the 8th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas are now available for viewing on the following link http://www.sprep.org/roundtable/art.asp

Some of the 400+ participants at the 8th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation & Protected Areas

Pacific Climate Change Film Festival ends phase one

In January SPREP facilitated a weeklong workshop on climate change and documentary making for participants from five Pacific countries. Participants in the weeklong workshop heard from SPREP Programme Officers that work in the climate change, renewable energy, biodiversity and waste areas.

Phase two of the project is now underway, and involves the production of a Pacific climate change documentary by the participants. The project will culminate with presentation of these films at the Pacific Climate Change film festival, to be held in August 2008.

The Pacific Climate Change Film Project is an innovative partnership between SPREP and the British High Commission aimed to voice community stories about how climate change is affecting the Pacific islands. The participants will also be seeking support and financial assistance from other partners to help them complete their film project.

The British High Commission funded participants from Tonga, Kiribati, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Fiji. Phase one of the workshop also included participants from the Cook Islands and Samoa, who provided their own funding to attend the training at SPREP, and will be sourcing their own funds to complete the documentary

The Festival will be open to entries that focus on the effects of climate change on the Pacific. The closing date for films to reach the Secretariat is 14 July 2008. More information is available at the SPREP website at http://www.sprep.org/climate_change/documents/ccfilmproject.pdf

For more details please contact SPREP’s Education and Social Communications Officer Tamara Logan T: (685) 21929 F: (685) 20231 E: tamaral@sprep.org W: www.sprep.org

Participants carrying out production training during the weeklong workshop	SPREP’s Climate Change Adviser Espen Ronneberg addressing the participants

Pacific Year of the Reef launches school competitions

SPREP and partners have launched competitions for primary and secondary school students as part of the Pacific Year of the Reef celebrations. The Coral Reef Initiatives for the Pacific programme, the International Coral Reef Action Network, and the United Nations Foundation have made these possible. Both competitions are designed to encourage people to connect and cooperate with others for reef conservation and protection.

‘Legends of the Reefs’ is a primary school competition that aims to capture stories that demonstrate the importance of reefs to Pacific island life. Entrants are required to write a composition of a legend or story about a reef in their area and draw a poster depicting the story. Entries for this competition should reach SPREP by 30 March 2008 and will be displayed at all SPREP meetings and events.

The three-phased ‘challengecoralreef’ competition requires groups of secondary school students to develop action plans of activities to protect a reef in their area by 25 March 2008. School groups with the five best actions plans will progress to the later phases of the competition during which funding will be provided to implement key components of their plans. The overall champion will be invited to present their work at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Florida, USA.

Guidelines and a workbook can be obtained by entrants from the Pacific Year of the Reef page of the SPREP website at www.sprep.org/pyor. Digital submission of entries is encouraged and all participants in both competitions will receive participation packs.

Prizes will be awarded to the winner of the ‘Legends of the Reef’ competition and to all groups that reach the second phase of the ‘challengecoralreef’ competition.

For more information please contact SPREP’s Pacific Year of the Reef Campaign Coordinator Sereima Savu. E: sereimas@sprep.org T: (685) 21929 F: (685) 20321 W: www.sprep.org

JOVC training with SPREP

The importance of tying environmental issues, including waste management, to individual and collective values was a key theme during a one-day workshop facilitated by SPREP at the Secretariat on Tuesday 29 January 2008. The workshop was part of the Japanese Overseas Volunteers Agency (JOCV) Regional Training Course on Public Awareness and Environmental Education, attended by representatives from Samoa, the Marshall Islands, Fiji and FSM.

The facilitation of the one-day workshop was part of an ongoing partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to strengthen solid waste management in the Pacific islands, which includes a strong focus on skills transfer and capacity building. Both JICA and SPREP have identified community education and participation as a critical factor in improving the waste and environmental management in the Pacific.

Participants at the workshop highlighted the challenges and opportunities that existed within their work, and through interactive exercises, showcased a range of education and communication skills applied to their work in country. A key exercise was the development of a community-based campaign centred on a single waste issue, which promoted the importance of planning and strategy when developing waste minimisation activities.

he workshop also provided an opportunity to share the range of materials available to SPREP members to support waste minimisation activities (available at www.sprep.org).

For more details please contact SPREP’s Education and Social Communications Adviser Tamara Logan, E: tamaral@sprep.org, T: (685) 21929 F: (685) 20321

Group activities during the training session with SPREP	SPREP’s Education and Social Communications Advisor making a presentation

Turtle Monitoring Programmes grow in the Pacific

In December, Tonga was the third of three countries to put in place new Turtle Monitoring Programmes under the SPREP Marine Species Programme. SPREP's Marine Species Officer Lui Bell visited Kiribati, Tuvalu and Tonga over a span of four months. In each country Bell held workshops with the wide range of agencies, departments, organisations and community representatives that are going to be involved with maintaining and carrying out the turtle monitoring programme.

The turtle monitoring programme will help improve the available information on turtles in the region and is a priority action highlighted in the SPREP regional Marine Turtle Action Plan.

In Kiribati the turtle monitoring takes place in two villages in North Tarawa. Following the establishment of the monitoring programme an officer from Kiritimiti Island was also trained for 2 weeks in Australia on Turtle Monitoring. He will soon establish a monitoring programme on Kiritimiti Island. In Tuvalu the turtle monitoring programme occurs in the Funafuti area and in Tonga it occurs in Central Ha'apai.

Bell is pleased with the response and the work put in by the people of Tuvalu, Kiribati and Tonga.

For more information please contact SPREP's Marine Species Officer Lui Bell. E: lub@sprep.org T: 685 21929 F: 685 20321 W:www.sprep.org

Nesting green turtle at Marenamuka, Kiribati

Captive turtle tagged in Samoa, located in Vanuatu

This is a report from a turtle that was tagged on its flippers using titanium flipper tags. The turtle was a subadult hawksbill turtle held in captivity that was released last year by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Government of Samoa. Having been released from Samoa in 2006, the turtle was last observed at Wasaga village, Vanua Lava village, Vanuatu and reported by Councilor Benjah Paul.

The below table shows its movement there are two tags that are placed on a flipper turtle, the primary tag is the one that is recorded for tracking. The ‘Country latitude longitude’ column outlines its location, allowing you to track its movements on a map. The flipper tag system used to track turtle movement is more economical than of the satellite tracking system, but it is also slower and relies upon the cooperation of people.

If you happen to come across a turtle that has a flipper tag on it, please record its location of sighting and contact SPREP’s Associate Turtle Database Officer Anne Patricia Trevor on E: annet@sprep.org T: (685) 21929 F: (685) 20231 W: www.sprep.org

TAG RECOVERY REPORT

Primary Tag: R16707 (LFF)       Species: Hawksbill Turtle        Sex: Indeterminate

The Pacific stamp on the UNFCCC 13th Conference of the Parties in Bali

There was vocal Pacific islands representation at the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP) meeting in Bali last year. The large number of Pacific delegates active during the negotiations brought clear Pacific perspectives to the negotiating table and by explained to other countries what certain issues meant for the Pacific.

SPREP Director Asterio Takesy led a team of several climate change experts at the conference who worked with the Pacific delegations in providing them with support and advice: SPREP’s Climate Change Adviser Espen Ronneberg and Climate Change Adaptation Officer Taito Nakalevu. Two staff members from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community – German Development Agency (SPC-GTZ) Forestry Programme also attended in support.

The Pacific delegations helped with setting the stage that led to the Bali roadmap, the next step now is to continue being committed to the process, by attending future meetings, keeping up to date with the negotiations, the different countries and how these may change over time. The Pacific will need to maintain their approach they demonstrated during the COP13 in Bali over the next two years to ensure that future agreement post-Kyoto results in greater and more measurable reductions in Greenhouse gases as well as provide sufficient finance for Pacific Islands Countries to cope with impacts from climate change.

For more information on any of the following stories please contact SPREP’s Climate Change Adviser Espen Ronneberg E espenr@sprep.org or SPREP’s Climate Change Adaptation Officer E taiton@sprep.org both contact details are T (685) 21929 F (685) 20231 W www.sprep.org

SPREP Commends Australia for ratifying the Kyoto Protocol

SPREP member Australia ratified the Kyoto Protocol during the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP13) meeting in Bali on the third of December last year.

This announcement was met with a standing ovation and many statements of appreciation from the Pacific delegation, including the SPREP Director Asterio Takesy.

“On behalf of the Pacific Islands Country members of SPREP I welcome the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by Australia. This is a significant step forward for climate change cooperation both globally and regionally. Australia will now be able to participate in the numerous innovative mechanisms that were established under the Kyoto Protocol, and will be in a better position to more actively engage with the major greenhouse gas emitters on the future of commitments in this climate change regime. This augurs well for the Bali roadmap.”

The Pacific islands are keen to see how the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol will be addressed in Australia’s new policies.

Pacific reduces fossil fuel emissions with renewable energy
The Pacific region announced at COP 13 that it is working towards reducing regional fossil fuel emissions by 33% by 2015. The GEF through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Samoa Multi-Country Office funds the Pacific Islands Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Renewable Energy (PIGGAREP) Project. SPREP is its implementing agency.

“I think when the Pacific stood up and said ‘while our contribution to the problem is very small, we are now going to start up a project now that is going to reduce our fossil fuel emissions’, that was a very strong political statement to make because it shows we’re doing our part and that others should do the same, ” said SPREP’s Climate Change Adviser Espen Ronneberg.

The Pacific region is faces a vast number of challenges when it comes to working on climate change issues. Capacity restraints, hindrances in finance and lack of information sharing often make it difficult to keep on top of all the climate change negotiations taking place as well as work on the practical matters in country. Despite all this the Pacific region is committed to the use of renewable energy, working towards reducing greenhouse gases even though there are low emissions in the Pacific.

Adaptation Fund

Launched during the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP13) in Bali, the Adaptation Fund (AF) will be available to finance adaptation to climate change projects in the most vulnerable countries that are parties to the Kyoto Protocol.

AFB has limited membership, but two seats are to be set aside for the small island developing States. Some Pacific islands countries have already expressed an interest in serving on the AFB.

Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Project has two new Pacific countries

Palau and the Marshall Islands are now part of the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Project (PACC), having been invited by the Global Environment Facility CEO Madame Monique Barbut at COP13.

Coordinated by the SPREP, the PACC will work with key partners to integrate adaptation to climate change priorities into national policies and programmes. PACC is also working to build the capacity of Pacific communities and institutions to adapt to climate change across three sectors; water resource management, food production and food security and coastal management.

PACC is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Both Palau and the Marshall islands have chosen food security and food production as their focus area and will be working on attaching a PACC project to ongoing programs. This now means that after several years of carrying out assessment work, the countries can begin to work in adaptation implementation projects in earnest.

In January SPREP's Climate Change Adaptation Officer Taito Nakalevu visited Palau for two weeks to develop Palau's PACC project. The process involved assessment of on-going activities at the national level followed by a three-day workshop for stakeholders.

Nakalevu will be heading for the Marshall Islands for two weeks in mid February.

The PACC project will be the first to focus specifically on adaptation implementation initiatives in 13 Pacific island countries: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Pacific climate change negotiation urge attention to reefs

One of the Pacific Islands Countries contributions to the Bali Road map was the element relating to the climate change impact upon our ecosystems, in particular coral reefs. Entering the climate change negotiations, the Pacific delegations were adamant that the target for maximum increase in temperatures of two degrees as proposed by the European Union (EU) would be devastating for Pacific reefs. Negotiations by Pacific delegations saw this EU proposal eventually change. Ronneberg explained:

“As you know from the different studies on coral reefs they live in a very limited bandwidth of temperature, so two degrees for most coral reefs in the Pacific will have a major impact. With help from the Pacific and other delegations continually hammering at this point we saw a change take place. The sea level rise caused by two degrees would also cause devastating flooding particularly for atolls and low lying coastal areas. By the end of the negotiation the EU were acknowledging that we should be aiming for well below two degrees but with two degrees as the ceiling. That was a good change that we were able to press through by the negotiations and its such details that the Pacific islands countries have to be aware of because it requires involvement in all these stages in the next two years which is going to be a lot of work.”

With climate change remaining the biggest threat to sustainable development in the region, the Pacific now needs to continue to work together with other small island states to progress the Bali Road Map and ensure that we are able to finance our adaptation to Climate Change.

Developments among SPREP Staff during January

New arrivals

• Lance Laack began his three-year term at SPREP as its Editor and Publications Officer. Laack served most recently as a researcher/adviser with the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia.
• Sereima Savu is currently the 2008 Pacific Year of the Reef Campaign Coordinator, an internship with SPREP for one year. Savu was formerly working at The National Trust of Fiji as a Cultural Heritage Officer.

Lance Laack, the new Editor and Publications Officer	Sereima Savu the Campaign Coordinator for the 2008 Pacific Year of the Reef

Departures

• Nirupa Ram, Associate Ozone Depleting Substance Officer, finished her term with SPREP on the 31st of December.
• Dominique Benzaken, Coastal Management Adviser finished her term with SPREP on the 3rd of January
• Phaedra Moors the Secretary for the Programme Manager of Pacific Futures, Bruce Chapman, also left the organisation on the 11th of January.

Vacancies at SPREP

Finance Manager

Closing Date 7 March 2008

Accountabilities:

• The Finance Manager is responsible to the Director, through the Deputy Director for the professional, effective and efficient management of the Secretariat’s financial resources, and through the Corporate Services Manager for the administration of the Finance Division.
  Responsibilities:
• Manage the Secretariat’s finances to provide all necessary financial services, information, accounting and reporting systems effectively and efficiently consistent with Financial and Staff Regulations;
• Manage the staff of the Finance Division to achieve its objectives and establish and supervise individual work plans, timely performance evaluations, overall output delivery and identification of staff development needs;
• Provide relevant information, advice and assistance to the Executive, managers and staff on all aspects of SPREP’s financial services, regulations, policies and procedures and ensure these are observed and where and when appropriate reviewed and updated;
• Provide all financial reports for the Executive, Programme Managers, individual projects, donors and members in a timely manner; Initiate and advise on the development and preparation of the annual work programme and budget as well as monitor compliance with set expenditure allocations;
• Facilitate external audits and ensure all auditor’s recommendations are implemented and monitored;
• Liaise with and ensure all financial requirements for donor-funded projects and other financial issues are satisfactorily met;
• Ensure all financial records for the Secretariat’s bank accounts and financial transactions are constantly monitored for accuracy, updated and maintained;
• Maintain an investment strategy and cash-flow management system for SPREP’s overall financial resources;
• Other duties as assigned by the Executive from time to time.

For more details visit www.sprep.org or contact the Personnel Officer, Litia Brighouse on T: (685) 21929 E: litiab@sprep.org

SPREP Calendar of Events for the coming month

February

Issue No.4 of the SPREP Calendar of events can be found at the following link:
http://www.sprep.org/event/Events/2008/COE-2008.pdf

We hope you enjoyed this E-Newsletter

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

T: (685) 21929, F:(685) 20231 or mail: PO Box 240, Apia, Samoa.

Visit the SPREP website at www.sprep.org