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Pacific Environment Information Network [PEIN] Digest

PEIN Digest: A digest of Pacific environment news and developments

The PEIN Digest is a monthly digest of pacific environment news and developments gathered from global news sources and a regional network of Pacific environment officers.

[*The PEIN project is coordinated by the SPREP Information Resource Centre. Opinions and content reproduced in the PEIN Digest do not necessarily refllect the viewpoints of SPREP or its partners ]

September 2010
August 2010
July 2010

PEIN Events -a diary of upcoming regional and international Conferences, Workshops and Meetings of particular relevance to the Pacific environment community

Articles of note - a selection of recent academic literature

see also PEIN Digest archive

September 2010

New Regional Plan to Conserve Pacific Wetlands
SPREP - 2 September 2010
A new draft three-year action plan has been developed outlining activities, responsibilities and targets that seek to promote and strengthen the wise use and conservation of wetlands in the region. The new Regional Wetlands Action Plan for the Pacific Islands follows on from the original Regional Wetlands Action Plan endorsed by members of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in 1999. The new action plan covers the period 2011-2013 and is expected to be finalised this month. The three-year action plan was developed during a regional workshop which was held in August in Noumea, New Caledonia to review the implementation of the 1999 Regional Wetlands Action Plan. It preceded a series of training sessions on implementation processes of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands for contracting parties and accession procedures for non-contracting parties...more

PNG MINING MINISTER BACKS RAMU WASTE PLAN: ‘We must appreciate the financial risk’
Pacific Islands Report - 2 September 2010
The government has maintained the disposal of mine tailings from the Ramu nickel mine is done in an "environmentally safe and socially responsible manner." Mining Minister John Pundari, commenting on the outcome of a week-long stakeholders meeting in Madang on the deep-sea tailings placement system (DSTP), said it (the system) was the right approach...more

Supporters of American Samoa plastic bag ban celebrate it becoming law
RNZI - 2 September 2010
Supporters of the bill to ban the distribution of plastic shopping bags in American Samoa are celebrating now it has become law. Governor Togiola Tulafono has signed into law the bill which bans businesses from using plastic shopping bags in sales, saying it is a step in the right direction towards protecting American Samoa’s environment...more

Kiribati President says relief from climate change erosion dependent on international help
RNZI - 1 September 2010
The President of Kiribati, Anote Tong, has conceded that his Government lacks the funds to repair damage to homes in coastal areas because of erosion. Mr Tong says he believes climate change has caused erosion damage amounting to millions of dollars. He says he’s told Parliament that recent requests for Government help have to be turned down. “To say quite honestly to the people complaining that homes are being eroded, say that we don’t have the resources to fix your homes, to protect homes, until we can generate the resources from the international community, I am afraid that the answer has to be that you have to move back.”

Fruit bats, megapodes thrive in Northern Islands [CNMI]
Marianas Variety - 1 September 2010
THE terrestrial survey on Northern Islands has been completed, and it shows that fruit bats and megapodes thrive there, according to residents who assisted the scientists. Northern Islands Mayor Tobias DLC. Aldan, in an interview on Monday, said the field work of the survey that started in April was completed late July. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, he said, is still working on the report which will be out this December. The CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources and the USFW surveyed the Northern Islands to identify the resources there and come up with a catalog of terrestrial species and their habitat. The survey is part of the preparation for the military buildup in the Marianas...more

NEW ZEALAND TO DOUBLE AID TO STRUGGLING KIRIBATI: Population growth, water and sanitation among problems
Pacific Islands Report - 1 September 2010
The New Zealand Foreign Minister has reaffirmed Wellington’s commitment to help Kiribati ease its population problems. Murray McCully met the Kiribati President, Anote Tong, in Tarawa today and says the water and sanitation problems in the capital are the most challenging he has seen. McCully says New Zealand’s aid to Kiribati is set to double in a bid to address what Mr. Tong describes as an urgent problem already existing for quite some time. Mr. Tong says it has weakened traditional practices and chiefly powers that also underpin the country’s political stability.The problem is compounded by population growth and erosion that’s due to climate change causing damage of a magnitude that Kiribati can no longer afford to repair without international help."

CHINESE OIL TANKER GROUNDED ON PNG REEF: Precarious situation with full cargo
Pacific Islands Report - 1 September 2010
A fully loaded 90 meter oil tanker, M.T. Hai Soon, is sitting dangerously on the western reef off Bipi Island in Manus Province. Paul Werei, public relations officer to the Manus Provincial Administrator, has confirmed that the oil tanker is fully loaded and stuck on the reef, awaiting rescue operations from a local salvaging company...more

New body to provide advice on national seabed minerals policy in Cook Islands
Islands Business - 1 September 2010
A Seabed Minerals Policy Taskforce has been set up by the Cook Islands government to provide advice on the national seabed minerals policy and guidelines on the set up of the Seabed Minerals Authority. The taskforce, headed by Marine Resources Secretary Ben Ponia, was appointed about two months ago with the approval of cabinet under minister of natural minerals resources Robert Wigmore...more

Disaster Meeting Addresses Regional concerns
islands Business - 1 September 2010
Disaster Managers from countries and territories around the Pacific region met in Suva recently for their 16th annual meeting as part of the 2010 Pacific Platform for Disaster Risk Management workshop over a three-day period... more

August 2010

Australian delegation to visit Kiribati over climate change
PINA - 31 August 2010
The Edmund Rice Centre (ERC) will take a delegation of Australian community leaders to Kiribati, led by one of the most senior indigenous leaders, Patrick Dodson, and ERC director Phil Glendenning. “It is a powerful irony that the call from the people of the Pacific for support for their efforts in combating the impact of climate change has been heard by senior indigenous leaders, like Patrick Dodson.” Mr Glendenning said...more

UN-backed climate body says independent review will strengthen its work
Green.pina - 31 August 2010
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the head of the United Nations-backed panel tasked with preparing scientific reports on the impact of climate change today welcomed the findings of an independent review which called for major changes in management and procedures to enable the group to strengthen the quality of its assessments. In March Mr Ban and Rajendra Pachauri, the chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), requested the review amid intense public debate about the science of climate change, as well as questions over the accuracy of the panel’s reports...more

New web resource of interest: Pacificinfo database
UNDP - 31 August 2010
The PacificInfo database provides MDG data on 15 Pacific Island Countries. It is a customized adaptation of the DevInfo database system endorsed by the United Nations for monitoring and tracking progress on human development data related to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other national priorities. PacificInfo measures the eight goals of the MDGs through a wide range of indicators. It provides data on the progress of 5 Pacific LDCs ? Samoa, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Kiribati. MDG Goal 7 = Environmental sustainability... go to http://www.pacificinfo.org

New web resource of interest: Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE)
Cakex - 31 August 2010
Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE) is a joint project of Island Press and EcoAdapt. It is aimed at building a shared knowledge base for managing natural systems in the face of rapid climate change. Includes access to a virtual library, case studies and discussion forum...go to http://www.cakex.org/

Pacific Islander to vacate seat on World Biodiversity Bureau, in October
Green.pina - 30 August 2010
Come the end of October, the second Pacific nation to hold a seat on the Bureau for the Convention for Biological Diversity, passes this privilege on. Tania Temata from the Cook Islands together with Cambodia represents the Asia Pacific Group on this bureau. It is a first for the Cook Islands to be represented on any bureau for the many global multilateral-environmental agreements...more

New Zealand open to ideas on tuna conservation: Greenpeace wants total shutdown in Pacific
Pacific Islands Report - 30 August 2010
The head of New Zealand’s delegation to the regional Tuna Commission meeting later this year says this country has an open mind about the best way to halt the decline in Pacific tuna stocks. Greenpeace is calling for the New Zealand government to support plans to close all four areas of international waters in the Pacific to all fishing...more

Massive land loss [Fiji]
Fiji Times - 27 August 2010
A RECENT study has revealed that for the past 15 years, 70,000 hectares of land have been lost to unsustainable agriculture and logging, clearing, burning and improper land use. That is why a major initiative was launched last week by the Ministry of Primary Industries and Nature Fiji-MareqetiViti to encourage landowners to use their forests wisely. The new Fiji Forest Policy (2007) has been translated into Fijian and will be distributed to landowners in the country. Plans are also underway to introduce an awareness campaign...more

Funding opportunity - coral reef conservation
NOAA - 27 August 2010
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program (Grant Program) opportunity for Micronesia and Southwest Pacific...find out more

American Samoa eyes garbage-energy plant: Studies under way to gauge waste volume
Pacific Islands Report - 27 August 2010
The American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) is forging ahead with renewable energy projects, especially the Waste to Energy (WTE) project, with the goal to lessen dependency on fossil fuel and provide a clean air environment...more

Navy extends deadline for action on Guam study: Key environmental impact report gets more consideration
Pacific Islands Report - 27 August 2010
The Joint Guam Program Office on Wednesday announced the Department of Navy will take no action on the Record of Decision for the Guam/CNMI Military Relocation until after Sept. 3. The notice of availability on the final EIS was published in the Federal Register on July 28, and the Department of Defense originally had planned to issue the Record of Decision shortly after a 30-day waiting period had passed. But now, comments received on the final EIS will be reviewed and considered as the Record of Decision is developed, according to a statement from JGPO...more

Japan to assist Fiji with waste disposal : 14 other Pacific nations also to get training
Pacific Islands Report - 26 August 2010
An agreement between Fiji and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will see a new project of solid waste management. The project will also be implemented in 14 other Pacific Island countries. Speaking at the agreement signing, JICA adviser on Solid Waste Management, Shiro Amano said for the new project, they were expecting Fiji’s counterparts to play a leading role. "Waste management is our endless mission in order to forward a clean and safe environment to our next generations," he said...more

PNG court upholds injunction against mine dumping: China’s Ramu NiCo renews threat to quit
Pacific Islands Report - 26 August 2010
A Chinese developer of the proposed Ramu nickel mine in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is considering laying off workers and stopping construction work indefinitely following a new court ruling. Landowners in PNG's Madang province have successfully stopped the owner and developer China's Ramu Nico from constructing a deep sea tailings disposal system to dump waste from the mine into Madang's Basamuk Bay...more

Fiji ‘must move to low-carbon economy’
Islands Business - 25 August 2010
It is essential for Fiji to move towards a low-carbon economy with the transport sector being a key focus area for reducing green house gas emissions since it accounts for 40 percent of the country’s total fuel import bill says permanent secretary for Works and Transport, Cama Tuiloma. Mr Tuiloma told a renewable energy workshop in Suva today that Fiji’s energy consumption had tripled in the four-year period from 2004 to 2008, rising from $400 million to a little over $1.2 billion... more

Guam saddled with mountain of rubber tires: Not easy disposing of 20,000 tires
Pacific Islands Report - 25 August 2010
The Department of Public Works has removed about 800 tires from a massive pile behind its compound in Tamuning in the last two weeks, but about 20,000 tires remain. According to a status report filed in the District Court of Guam yesterday, Public Works, the Guam Environmental Protection Agency and a contractor have been working together closely to chip away at the tire pile. Public Works employees are working weekends, the report states...more

New web resource: Green.pina.com.fj/
New 'Green' website from the Pacific Islands News Association - highlighting environment news, videos and photos... go to http://green.pina.com.fj/

Thoughts on COP15 and the most recent negotiations on climate change
Contributed by Ben Namakin - 25 August 2010
“We feel vulnerable seeing our climate change concerns being brushed aside by the more developed nations. It is only when our voices are heard and issues are discussed by these developed nations that it feels like we’re escaping from drowning”. An important factor that needs to be reflected in any global agreement to address climate change is the need to keep temperature increases “well below 1.5 degree Celsius” above pre-industrial levels. The push by the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) of ‘1.5 to stay alive’, sadly was not reflected in the Accord. The current pledges under the Accord would lead to a world warmed up to 3.5 degree Celsius which would have serious devastating impacts on Pacific Islands. As a proud citizen of a low lying atoll of Kiribati, one of the frontline states that is witnessing first-hand the negative effects of climate change on food security, water resources, and livelihood, these pledges dashes any hope of survival for my children and my grandchildren ... more

IUCN welcomes Tonga as new State Member
IUCN - 24 August 2010
The Government of the Kingdom of Tonga has officially announced its decision to join IUCN by endorsing the Union’s Statutes, becoming the 84th State Member of the world’s largest and oldest environmental network. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change has been designated by the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga as its liaison with the IUCN Secretariat...more

Preparing the “One Pacific” for international biodiversity negotiations in October
Islands Business - 23 August 2010
A three day meeting has brought the Pacific region closer together as the 14 island countries prepare to face the world at the 10th Conference of the Parties for the Convention on Biological Diversity in October. The international agreement was formed to help conserve the world’s biodiversity and establish targets to halt the current rate of biodiversity loss. “To my mind this has been one of the most effective support meetings,” said Mr. Stuart Chape, the Island Ecosystems Programme Manager for the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)... more

If a Country Sinks Beneath the Sea, Is It Still a Country?
New York Times - 23 August 2010
Rising ocean levels brought about by climate change have created a flood of unprecedented legal questions for small island nations and their neighbors. Among them: If a country disappears, is it still a country? Does it keep its seat at the United Nations? Who controls its offshore mineral rights? Its shipping lanes? Its fish? And if entire populations are forced to relocate -- as could be the case with citizens of the Maldives, Tuvalu, Kiribati and other small island states facing extinction -- what citizenship, if any, can those displaced people claim? ...more

Marshalls seek access to promised climate funds: Little of $45 billion pledged has reached the Pacific nation
islands Business - 23 August 2010
Authorities in the Marshall Islands are pushing a United Nations initiative to streamline funding and create an action plan to access funding to combat climate change. The country’s UN Ambassador is worried that billions of dollars pledged by donors to combat climate change and sea level rise may not reach the countries that need it. Phillip Muller says a team of staff members from the UN mission have been meeting with leaders of government and Non-government organizations (NGO) in Majuro to produce a roadmap to help the country begin accessing the funding...more

Undersea mining called threat to PNG marine life: Madang activist warns of reef damage, unknown risks
Pacific Islands Report - 20 August 2010
Papua New Guinea’s coral reefs are in danger of being destroyed if the deep sea mining by Nautilus goes ahead, a NGO leader says. This concern was raised by the chairman of the Bismarck Solomon Sea Indigenous Peoples Council (BSSIPC) John Simoi. Mr. Simoi, from Bagbag Island, off the coast of Rai Coast in Madang Province and a conservation campaigner against ocean floor mining and dumping of mine wastes into oceans, said the Bismarck Sea, known as the "Cradle of Marine Biodiversity" would be affected greatly if the proposed deep sea mining by Nautilus goes ahead between New Ireland and East New Britain provinces...more

UN grants Solomons $5 million for climate projects: First in Pacific to win support
Pacific Islands Report - 20 August 2010
The Solomon Islands recently became the first country in the Pacific region, and one of four countries in the world, to be invited to secure resources for adaptation to climate change through the recently established United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s Adaptation Fund. The Adaptation Fund (AF) was established to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing country Parties to the Kyoto Protocol that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. The new project is titled "Enhancing resilience of communities in Solomon Islands to the adverse effects of climate change in agriculture and food security". The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Meteorology (MECM) is the Designated National Authority for the AF..
more

New resources of interest:

- SPREP Annual Report 2009
"While our region will rightly look back on 2009 as a year of turmoil, it was also a year of quiet
accomplishments. We made progress in our endeavour to better protect and manage our
environment for sustainable development, while ensuring that the Pacific way of life is
maintained."
Download the 2009 SPREP Annual Report:
English version - http://www.sprep.org/att/publication/000865_SPREP_ANNUAL_REPORT_2009.pdf
French version - http://www.sprep.org/att/publication/000868_SPREP_ANNUAL_REPORT_2009_FRENCH_WEB_A.pdf

- Quantifying the dominance of the little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata) and its effect on crops in the Solomon Islands / John Fasi [thesis]

- Strengthening coastal and marine resource management in the Coral Triangle of the Pacific - phase 1 [Asian Development Bank]

- Review of marine turtle legislation in Samoa [SPREP]

- Persistence of Atoll islands under recent and projected sea-­-level rise [Climate Analytics]

- draft Framework for a Pacific Oceanscape [CROP Marine Working Group]

- Principles and practice of ecosystem-based management: a guide for conservation practitioners in the tropical Western Pacific [Wildlife Conservation Society]

Bionesian Pacific biodiversity blog [SPREP]
"keep up with the latest news and views about Pacific biodiversity issues leading up to the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity"

Creating an Oceanscape for the Pacific
PIMRISportal.org - 19 August 2010
Earlier this month on the island of Vanuatu, leaders from 15 island nations gathered for a meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum. From countries as wide-ranging as Australia and the tiny island of Niue (population 1,354), these representatives share a common bond: deep environmental, economic and cultural ties to the sea surrounding their homelands. Across the globe, the world's ocean is in crisis, threatened by massive overfishing, climate change and a myriad of other forces. Although the Pacific Islands Forum counts some of the world's smallest countries as its members, the group has just made one of the boldest agreements for collaborative, integrated and adaptive ocean management yet: the launch of the Pacific Oceanscape...more

Vanuatu leads way with climate impact funding: $2.5 million earmarked for road, drainage projects
Pacific Islands Report - 19 August 2010
In Vanuatu, the Minister for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Serge Vohor, announced early last month funding assistance of 260 million vatu [US$2.5 million] to help reduce the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure. The funds are being provided to the Government from Australia’s International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative (ICCAI). The program will be managed by the Public Works Department (PWD) as part of the Vanuatu Transport Sector Support Program (VTSSP). The Government’s National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) highlights infrastructure as a priority area for the country, especially in the smaller outer islands where the threat of climate change is most evident...more

Rising sea worries French Polynesia mayors : Low-lying Tuamotos of particular concern
Pacific Islands Report - 19 August 2010
The 22nd Congress of French Polynesian municipalities recently took place in Tahiti's west coast commune of Punaauia. Among the different topics discussed this year, mayors expressed concern about climate change. French Polynesia is made of 118 islands, including many low-lying islands in the Tuamotu Archipelago. Mayors from the Tuamotu Archipelago are increasingly worried by the effects of global warming. This could cause eventually their islands to disappear in a matter of only a few years...more

PNG government tries to placate Ramu opponents: Landowners sued to stop China-owned mine dumping
Pacific Islands Report - 19 August 2010
In Papua New Guinea (PNG), a team of government scientists will be in Madang next week to meet with landowners living along the Ramu nickel mine project. The scientists will conduct awareness of the deep sea tailings placement (DSTP) and its impact to ensure landowners understand the DSTP programme to be used by Ramu NiCo at its Basamuk refinery plant...more

Palau Green fee hit the 1 million mark in less than a year
SPREP - 19 August 2010
Tourists holidaying in Palau since November last year have helped raise over a million dollars for the protected areas of the territory. Palau now has 1.3 million USD from a Green fee tax that began on 1 November 2009, all of which will help conservation efforts in Palau. There are 23 conservation sites to preserve the marine and land based environment of Palau under their protected areas network, which encompass the catchphrase for the Pacific territories’ tourism catchphrase – “Experience the Wonders.” It’s a fitting slogan as the visitors and tourists to Palau now play a role in helping the preservation of the pristine environment. The Green Fee is part of the 35 USD departure tax for non-Palauan passport holders to pay when leaving the territory. Of this amount 15 USD is the Green Fee that is paid into a national account managed by the Protected Area Network Fund (PANF) board of directors. Community conservation groups are now submitting applications for the 1.3 million USD which has been raised in a nine month period...more

Giant turtle graveyard found
Science Alert - 19 August 2010
Remains of giant horned turtles found at an even older human cemetery in Vanuatu have revealed that the first settlers shared a Pacific island with the turtles for at least two centuries. Researchers have also discovered that subsequent settlers killed, butchered and ate the turtles and dumped their bones on top of their predecessors’ graves, according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences...more

Rare double quake caused deadly Samoa tsunami: scientists
Islands Business - 18 August 2010
The devastating tsunami which killed nearly 200 people in Samoa and Tonga last September was the result of a rare double earthquake and not one as previously believed, scientists said Wednesday. Simultaneous earthquakes, with one hiding the other, are unusual “and almost certainly increased the size of the tsunami and its destructiveness on some Tongan islands,” New Zealand's GNS Science said in a statement. Global earthquake readings initially indicated a single large “normal faulting” quake of magnitude 8.0 had occurred, producing an extensional motion while the tsunami waves indicated a “thrust” event with compressional movement. The scientists said they were unable to reconcile the conflicting data until six weeks after the event when measurements from a small Tongan island showed there must have been two large earthquakes. Their findings appear this week as the cover story in the prestigious science publication “Nature”..more

Statue aimed at awareness of Palau dugong: Better protection needed for endangered creature
Pacific Islands Report - 18 August 2010
Illegal poaching and lack of enforcement to protect dugongs need to be addressed according to Mandy Etpison, Managing Director of the Etpison Museum and coordinator of the Dugong Awareness program. Etpison said that finding ways to improve local enforcement against dugong poaching will be part of the program and this is through coordination with the state and national government in coming up with regulations to enforce the law...more

Aussie mining firm seeks to dump waste in PNG bay: Chinese mine stopped from similar plan in same bay
Pacific Islands Report - 18 August 2010
The Australian based-Marengo Mining company says it plans to dump waste from its proposed Yandera Gold and Copper mine into Basamuk Bay in Papua New Guinea's (PNG) Madang province. Marengo has been drilling for gold and copper at its Yandera mine site in Madang province and says it has found enough deposits to last for 20 years. Marengo's managing director, Les Emery says it is conducting a feasibility study on a deep sea tailings waste disposal system to be completed by the end of this year..more

Solomon Islands gets access to Adaptation Fund to combat climate change
Islands Business - 17 August 2010
Solomon Islands recently became the first country in the Pacific region, and one of four countries in the world, to be invited to secure resources for adaptation to climate change through the recently established United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s Adaptation Fund. The Adaptation Fund (AF) was established to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing country Parties to the Kyoto Protocol that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. The new project is titled “Enhancing resilience of communities in Solomon Islands to the adverse effects of climate change in agriculture and food security”. The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Meteorology (MECM) is the Designated National Authority for the AF. MECM is together with Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) and Solomon Islands Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, with technical assistance from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), leading the way to secure the available financing ... more

Crocodile death prompts call for ban change in Solomon Islands
Islands Business - 17 August 2010
The family of a young Solomon Islands man taken by a crocodile have called on the government to revoke the ban on killing the dangerous reptiles.. more

Pacific region unites for International Biodiversity conference
Islands Business - 17 August 2010
A Pacific meeting to prepare their cohesive voice to share at the international biodiversity stage, opened in Nadi this week. The Pacific Regional Convention for the Biological Diversity 10th Conference of the Parties Preparatory Meeting has brought together over 30 people from Pacific island governments, partners and conservation workers. They are getting ready to strengthen the approach from the Pacific for when the World meets in October to address international concerns at the Convention for the Convention for the Biological Diversity 10th Conference of the Parties (CBD COP10) in Nagoya, Japan. For the Pacific, our natural surroundings play a particularly important role. Pacific biodiversity is our livelihood, it clothes, feeds and has been the foundation of Pacific culture. Hence the campaign to “Value Island Biodiversity – It’s Our Life.” So it’s vital the region comes together now, to strategise how the Pacific can best raise their concerns at the international level, so the global community will listen ... more

Fiji government empowers turtle cops: Citizen police can apprehend illegal poachers
Pacific Islands Report - 17 August 2010
Sixteen of 25 turtle monitors in the provinces of Bua and Macuata were issued with fish warden licences after a two-day workshop last week. Fisheries officer Northern Katangateman Tokabwebwe said that would provide those individuals with added authority to inspect fishing boats...more

Fiji to study migration of humpback whales: Country maintains vast whale sanctuary
Pacific Islands Report - 17 August 2010
A three-year survey on the migration patterns of humpback whales in Fiji waters is set to get underway, after the project was approved for funding by the Australian Marine Mammal Centre. Sightings of the whales will be recorded, and photographs and sound recordings collected in an effort to help establish migration patterns, breeding grounds, and the population structure...more

Palau Bill would put hatchery clams back in sea: Half of output would go to protecting species
Pacific Islands Report - 16 August 2010
In Palau, Sen. Regis Akitaya introduced a bill requiring the Bureau of Marine Resources to return to its natural habitat 50 percent of all clam species reared in the hatcheries. Senate Bill 1-143 recognizes that clam species are important asset of the country as these provide food and income. Clams are also great tourist attraction here...more

An ocean under threat – visioning the way forward - stakeholder workshop
IUCN Regional Newsletter [July]
The largest ocean on the planet, is faced with major threats of “pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing and harvesting and climate change” according to the recently published Pacific Ocean Synthesis report . In light of this the Centre for Oceans Solutions and the International Union for Conservation of Nature launched the Pacific Ocean 2020 Challenge and recently convened its first stakeholder visioning workshop held in Suva, Fiji on the 1st and 2nd of July , to seek ocean-wide collaboration, gauge linkages, share experiences as well as pave a way forward to address the pressing threats on the Pacific Ocean and to shape and move forward the Pacific Ocean 2020 Challenge.

Pacific Disaster Risk Management Partnership Network Discusses Climate Change Adaptation
Climate-L.org - 13 August 2010
The fifth Annual Meeting of the Pacific Disaster Risk Management Partnership Network was organized around the theme "Enhancing the Implementation of the Pacific Disaster Risk Reduction and Disaster Management Framework for Action through a Multi-stakeholder Approach." The meeting, which took place from 9-13 August 2010, in Suva, Fiji, aimed to: review the outcomes of regional and global meetings that are of key relevance to disaster risk management (DRM) in the Pacific; provide updates on the work of the Partnership Groups operating under the Partnership Network; broaden the membership of the Pacific DRM Partnership Network to embrace additional interest groups keen to support DRM capacity building in the region; consult partners on the Mid-term Reviews of the Pacific Islands Framework for Action on Climate Change and the Pacific Disaster Management and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Framework for Action and the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), and share preliminary findings of the regional progress review in implementing the Regional Framework for Action (RFA); and strengthen South-South Cooperation with the Caribbean community by providing a platform for exchange among Pacific Island Countries, Pacific Territories and the Caribbean to share experiences of collaboration with various stakeholders on DRM...more

American Samoa drinking water contaminated: U.S. inspectors say quality is lowest in U.S.
Pacific Islands Report - 12 August 2010
Some villages in American Samoa are drinking water that has been rated as the most contaminated throughout the mainland and the US territories. A team from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) say village water in Onenoa, Afono, Vatia, Fagalii and Fagamalo is the most unhealthy they have found in their research. The group’s in the territory to conduct sanitary surveys of village water and water provided by the American Samoa Power Authority...more

$2.3 million EU grant to upgrade Fiji garbage dump: Lami dump just outside Suva
Pacific Islands Report - 12 August 2010
The European Union Development Fund’s program has injected FJ$4.5 million [US$2.3 million] to the rehabilitation works that will take place at the Lami rubbish dump site [1/2 mile from Suva City] outside Suva. The new facelift which will be headed by the Fiji Solid Waste Management Programme has been supported by Government and BW Holdings Limited who signed an agreement yesterday. The rehabilitation works will last 12 months, which includes leveling of waste, slope protection using soil-filled geo-cells and armor rocks and a cover up of the site with soil to ensure vegetation growth...more

Trash! what should be, what has been, what shouldn’t be done with it [FSM]
Contributed by Esther Richards - 12 August 2010
A permanent sign installed over the road arriving air passengers must take from the Pohnpei International Airport says, “Welcome to Pohnpei the garden island of Micronesia!” It’s a warm and friendly greeting and though the sentiment is authentic a first time visitor to Pohnpei might find it disingenuous when, after they have traveled a few hundred meters south they are confronted with the warm, sticky sweet smell of decaying garbage as they pass the official solid waste landfill in Pohnpei on the Dekehtik causeway. Plans have been on Pohnpei’s books since 1994 to relocate the dumpsite... more

World Bank and GEF Fund Adaptation Efforts in Kiribati
Climate-L.org - 12 August 2010
The World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) are supporting the Government of Kiribati in adapting to climate change through planning efforts to reduce the country's vulnerability to climate change, climate variability and sea level rise. Within the Kiribati Adaptation Program, Kiribati's main road is being protected. Shoreline Protection Guidelines were developed for use in Kiribati to design and implement improved coastal protection measures, including traditional sandbag walls, new seawall designs and ‘soft’ options such as beach replenishment or mangrove planting...more

Toxic Tuvalu.. Nowhere to go for mountain of rubbish
Islands Business - 10 August 2010 ...Staring out into the lagoon ringed by the islands that make up the small Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu, at the postcard-perfect scene you could be forgiven for thinking you were in paradise. But behind you is a stark reminder that all is not well. On an island fighting for its future, the most visible reminder of the perils facing such an isolated and small nation is its rubbish....more

ENVIRONMENT: Climate change: implications of Bonn : Looking ahead to Cancun
Islands Business - 10 August 2010
Climate change is a fundamental challenge for the Pacific Islands Countries and our communities.
No longer an abstract concept, climate change impacts on coasts, forest ecosystems, our oceans, freshwater supplies, and indeed all aspects of life on Pacific islands are very real. Particularly to the communities of our small low-lying countries where the effects of sea level rise and changing weather patterns are already creating social and economic disruption. All these impacts will affect the very fabric of island livelihoods. The issue has been on the political agenda for the region for the past two decades, and Leaders have mandated a strong Pacific voice in the international negotiations on climate change. The region has managed through concerted efforts over the years to get their message heard at the international level, but is this message being listened to? ...more

BUSINESS: Outcry against new environment legislation : Law protects resource companies from legal action
Islands Business - August 2010
The issue that aroused most popular antagonism to Papua New Guinea’s government of Sir Michael Somare—helping push supporters into the opposition—has been its legislation protecting resource companies from legal action. The scrambled and controversial adjournment of parliament until November may have protected the government from immediate defeat, but the outcry against the legislation is likely to continue, eroding Somare’s support. The legislation shelters resource projects from all litigation over the destruction of the environment, labour abuse, or landowner exploitation. This is the controversial effect of the amendments to the Environment Act approved in June by 73 votes to 10 in parliament...more

Church project opposed in American Samoa forest: U.S. EPA says proposal threatens species, aquifer
Pacific Islands Report - 9 August 2010
The American Samoa Congregational Christian Church is facing further opposition to its proposal to clear rainforest for development. The American Samoa Environment Protection Agency is recommending that the Project Notification Review System Board deny the church’s application for a land use permit. The church wants to clear more than 2 hectares of a property that it purchased for a health, mission centre and residential buildings...more

Critics see REDD over PNG carbon schemes
PacNews - 8 August 2010
Two carbon trade projects proposed for Papua New Guinea have been hammered by critics who list a litany of inconsistencies, dubious science, legal issues and concerns landowners will be ripped off. PNG's pilot Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation' (REDD) schemes, which are part of the United Nation's framework for tackling climate change, are in the Kamula Doso forest, Western Province and April Salumei, East Sepik Province. But documents obtained by AAP show the PNG government does not support the REDD projects and there is a scathing reaction to the Project Development Documents (PDD) that were submitted in July for verification and approval from the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) regulator...more

Kiribati listed on World Heritage Sites
PacNews - 8 August 2010
Kiribati has been included in the world heritage list. This makes it the ninth Pacific island country to be listed in the world heritage list. To mark this achievement, there was a celebration at the Kiribati High Commission in Suva last night where the President, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, was chief guest. The President of Kiribati, Anote Tong, and members of the Kiribati community in Fiji, joined in the celebration. The Phoenix Islands marine protected area is now on the list of Natural World Heritage Sites following recommendations from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature...more

Give Pacific Islanders climate visas, say Australian Greens
PacNews - 6 August 2010
The Australian Greens are calling for a new visa category for climate-change refugees from affected nations in the Pacific region. The party has released a policy on the Pacific for the Australian general election, saying Australia needs to do more for its neighbours. The Australian Greens are calling for a new visa category for climate change refugees from the Pacific...more

Forty-first Pacific Islands Forum Communique [focus on climate change]
Pacific Islands Report - 6 August 2010
.... CLIMATE CHANGE

5. Climate change remains the greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific. The degree of urgency for real commitments to emissions reduction must be commensurate with the science and associated impacts of Climate Change on the most vulnerable communities. It cannot be viewed in the short term impacts to traditional industrial growth or political tenure, but in the longer term sustainability of economies, societies and peoples the world over. A meaningful legally binding agreement on emissions reduction must be reached urgently and without delay. .. see more on climate change

PACIFIC ENVIRONMENT COMMUNITY FUND

19. Leaders acknowledged with appreciation the 6.8 billion yen (USD66 million) Pacific Environment Community Fund (PEC Fund) provided to the Forum Island Countries by the Government of Japan, pursuant to the PALM 5 Islanders Hokkaido Declaration of May 2009, for solar power generation and sea water desalination projects. Leaders also noted that Japan and the Secretariat have adopted guidelines and procedures for the use of the PEC Fund which is now available for submissions of projects by FICs. ... read full text of COMMUNIQUÉ ... see also UNFCCC summary of Forum outcomes

Plague of rats a threat to islands' heritage status: UN tells Britain that rodents put endangered birds at risk on remote island outposts
The Independent - 6 August 2010
Britain has been warned by the United Nations that it is at risk of losing two of its five listings for natural World Heritage sites unless it urgently provides funding to eradicate rodents which are threatening critically-endangered bird species found only on two remote islands. Rats and mice introduced by humans on to the British-administered Henderson Island – part of the Pitcairn Islands in the South Pacific – and Gough Island in the South Atlantic are destroying unique bird populations, including breeds of petrel and albatross, by eating vast numbers of eggs laid by the seabirds which have no natural defence against rodents...more

EU supports single mechanism on climate change funding but prefers direct budgetary support
PacNews - 5 August 2010
The European Union will support a single regional mechanism to co-ordinate funding for climate change adaptation in the Pacific region . But at the same time, it will focus its aid through direct budgetary support to deal with impacts of climate change and measures to adapt to these changes. It has set aside 25 million Euros for 2009-2010 from its Global Coalition Against Climate Change fund and an additional 11.5 million Euros for vulnerable states from the new fast track funding under the Copenhagen Accord. “We are discussing with the Pacific Islands Forum a joint climate change initiative, to support a region-owned initiative that will give more visibility to the Pacific in terms of attracting international climate change funds to the region, said Mr Leffler...more

Palau wins support for shark sanctuary: Initial approval by Micronesian leaders
Pacific Islands Report - 4 August 2010
Palau has the support of other leaders in Micronesia to protect species of sharks deemed to be under threat, by creating a shark sanctuary. A spokesperson for Palau’s President, Risong Tarkong, says whale sharks are one species in need of urgent protection in Micronesian waters. She says Palau’s President, Johnson Toribiong, called for regional cooperation on the sanctuary at a Micronesian leaders summit at the weekend...more

The Framework for the Pacific Oceanscape adopted today at the Forum Leader's retreat
Contributed by Sue Taei - 5 August 2010
"PACIFIC OCEANSCAPE"

68. "Leaders reiterated the critical importance of ensuring the sustainable development, management and conservation of our ocean. Leaders endorsed the draft Framework for a Pacific Oceanscape and acknowledged with thanks the efforts of the Marine Sector Working Group and partners in developing this framework. Leaders strongly encouraged continued Forum leadership and regional cooperation and tasked CROP agencies to implement the Framework in partnership with other relevant organisations." ... download the draft framework - http://www.sprep.org/att/irc/ecopies/pacific_region/615.pdf

Pacific Isles seek unity on climate change: Island nations prepare for new talks in Cancun
Pacific Islands Report - 4 August 2010
Pacific Small Island States are preparing their position as a bloc for this year’s UN climate change summit in Cancun in Mexico. The 19th SIS meeting preceded this weeks Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ summit in Port Vila in Vanuatu. Opening the meeting, the Forum Secretary General, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, said Pacific countries shouldn’t allow their disappointment over last year’s climate summit in Copenhagen to distract them from the goal of binding targets to cut carbon emissions...more

Hawaii, Kiribati, Marshalls claim heritage honors: Three Pacific sites added to UN’s World Heritage list
Pacific Islands Report - 3 August 2010
Three Pacific sites have been awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO. They are Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, Kiribati’s Phoenix Islands and Hawaii’s Papahanaumokuakea. Bikini was the site of US nuclear bomb testing in the 1940s and 1950s. UNESCO says the tests dramatically altered the geology and environment of the atoll and symbolised the dawn of the nuclear age. The Phoenix Islands conserve one of the world’s largest intact oceanic coral archipelago ecosystems. This incorporates 14 known underwater sea mounts thought to be extinct volcanoes and a staggering variety of marine species. The Papahanaumokuakea chain of tiny islands and atolls, stretches nearly two thousand kilometres north-west of the main Hawaiian Islands. It was declared both a natural and cultural heritage site. This is because it’s one of the world’s largest marine protected areas, and where, in Hawaiian culture, life orginated... see also National Geographic feature on Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

PEIN Events -a diary of upcoming regional and international Conferences, Workshops and Meetings of particular relevance to the Pacific environment community

Workshop to review implementation of the Regional Wetlands Action Plan for the Pacific islands. Noumea, new Caledonia. 2 - 6 August. For more details Contact Ramsar Officer, Oceania - Vainuupo Jungblut

Pacific CBD Pre-COP10 Meeting, 16-th -18th August, 2010, Tanoa International Hotel, Nadi Fiji. Contact Easter Gulavao for further information

Tenth Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Noumea Convention, 2nd Sept. 2010, Madang, Papua New Guinea
see Meeting Records and Working Documents

Fifth Meeting of the Waigani Convention, 3 September 2010, Madang , Papua New Guinea
see Meeting Records and Working Documents

21st SPREP Meeting of Officials, 6 - 10 September 2010 Madang , Papua New Guinea
see Meeting Records and Working Documents

Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10), 18 – 29 October 2010, Nagoya, Japan

“Future Challenges, Ancient Solutions”, 29 Nov - 3 Dec 2010, Suva, Fiji
Looking how traditional knowledge and practise is being used to address environment problems. USP Laucala Campus from 29 Nov – 3 Dec . You can access information at either of these links -
http://www.usp.ac.fj/fileadmin/files/vc/orga/conference/Second_Circular.pdf or www.usp.ac.fj/conference

Articles of note - a selection of recent academic literature

Compiled by Peter Murgatroyd . Articles marked with an * are available from the SPREP IRC or via OARE [Online Access to Research in the Environment].

- September 2010

Warming Seas in the Coral Triangle: Coral Reef Vulnerability and Management Implications / Elizabeth McLeod et al. (2010) Coastal Management, Volume 38 Issue 5 : 518 – 539*

- August 2010

The status of chondrichthyan conservation in the Indo-Australasian region / White, W. T. and P. M. Kyne (2010) Journal of fish biology 76( 9): 2090-2117*

Everyone loves birds: Using indigenous knowledge of birds to facilitate conservation in New Guinea / Thomas, W. H. (2010) S. Tidemann and A. Gosler, Eds. Ethno-ornithology : birds and indigenous people, culture and society Sterling, Va, Earthscan. pp, 265-278

Recent change in the extent of mangroves in the northern Gulf of Papua, Papua New Guinea / Shearman, P. L. (2010). Ambio 39(2): 181-9*

Editorial: Credibility of REDD and Experiences from Papua New Guinea / Melick, D. (2010) Conservation Biology 24(2): 359-361 *

Drivers of lowland rain forest community assembly, species diversity and forest structure on islands in the tropical South Pacific / Keppel, G., Y. M. Buckley and H. P. Possingham (2010) Journal of Ecology 98(1): 87-95*

Developing erosion models for integrated coastal zone management: A case study of The New Caledonia west coast / Dumas, P., Printemps, J., Mangeas, M., Luneau, G. 2010 Marine Pollution Bulletin Article in Press *

Characterizing the diversity of coral reef habitats and fish communities found in a UNESCO World Heritage Site: The strategy developed for Lagoons of New Caledonia / Andréfouët, S., Wantiez, L. 2010 Marine Pollution Bulletin Article in Press *

Integrated coastal zone management perspectives to ensure the sustainability of coral reefs in New Caledonia / David, G., Leopold, M., Dumas, P.S., Ferraris, J., Herrenschmidt, J.B., Fontenelle, G. 2010 Marine Pollution Bulletin Article in Press *

Modelling the spatial and temporal variability of the SW lagoon of New Caledonia II: Realistic 3D simulations compared with in situ data / Faure, V., Pinazo, C., Torréton, J.-P., Douillet, P. 2010 Marine Pollution Bulletin Article in Press *

Spatial and seasonal variability of sediment oxygen consumption and nutrient fluxes at the sediment water interface in a sub-tropical lagoon (New Caledonia) / Grenz, C., Denis, L., Pringault, O., Fichez, R. 2010 Marine Pollution Bulletin Article in Press *

Population and trophic dynamics of Trichodesmium thiebautii in the SE lagoon of New Caledonia. Comparison with T. erythraeum in the SW lagoon / Rodier, M., Le Borgne, R. 2010 Marine Pollution Bulletin Article in Press *

Tropical lagoon multidisciplinary investigations: An overview of the PNEC New Caledonia pilot site
/ Grenz, C., Borgne, R.L., Fichez, R., Torréton, J.-P. 2010 Marine Pollution Bulletin Article in Press *

Detection of ciguatoxin-like and paralysing toxins in Trichodesmium spp. from New Caledonia lagoon / Kerbrat, A.-S., Darius, H.T., Pauillac, S., Chinain, M., Laurent, D. 2010 Marine Pollution Bulletin Article in Press *

Influence of food on the assimilation of selected metals in tropical bivalves from the New Caledonia lagoon: Qualitative and quantitative aspects / Hédouin, L., Metian, M., Lacoue-Labarthe, T., Fichez, R., Teyssié, J.-L., Bustamante, P., Warnau, M. 2010 Marine Pollution Bulletin Article in Press *

Metal and metalloid bioconcentration capacity of two tropical bivalves for monitoring the impact of land-based mining activities in the New Caledonia lagoon / Hédouin, L., Batista, M.G., Metian, M., Buschiazzo, E., Warnau, M. 2010 Marine Pollution Bulletin Article in Press *

Hydrography and plankton temporal variabilities at different time scales in the southwest lagoon of New Caledonia: A review / Le Borgne, R., Douillet, P., Fichez, R., Torréton, J.-P. 2010 Marine Pollution Bulletin Article in Press *

Delineation of heavy metal contamination pathways (seawater, food and sediment) in tropical oysters from New Caledonia using radiotracer techniques / Hédouin, L., Metian, M., Teyssié, J.-L., Fichez, R., Warnau, M. 2010 Marine Pollution Bulletin Article in Press *

Effectiveness of village-based marine reserves on reef invertebrates in Emau, Vanuatu / DUMAS, P., JIMENEZ, H., LÉOPOLD, M., PETRO, G., JIMMY, R. 2010 Environmental Conservation , pp. 1-9
Article in Press *

Socio-economic drivers and indicators for artisanal coastal fisheries in Pacific island countries and territories and their use for fisheries management strategies / Kronen, Mecki; Vunisea, Aliti; Magron, Franck; McArdle, Brian. Marine Policy, Nov2010, Vol. 34 Issue 6, p1135-1143, 9p; DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2010.03.013 *

Aligning tourist, industry and government expectations: A case study from the swim with whales industry in Tonga / Kessler, Megan; Harcourt, Robert. Marine Policy, Nov2010, Vol. 34 Issue 6, p1350-1356, 7p; DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2010.06.008*

Biogeographical affinities of the New Caledonian biota: A puzzle with 24 pieces / Heads, M. 2010 Journal of Biogeography 37 (7), pp. 1179-1201 *

Recent change in the extent of mangroves in the Northern Gulf of Papua, Papua New Guinea / Shearman, P.L. 2010 Ambio 39 (2), pp. 181-189 *

- July 2010

The Lagoon at Caroline/Millennium Atoll, Republic of Kiribati: Natural History of a Nearly Pristine Ecosystem / Barott KL, Caselle JE, Dinsdale EA, Friedlander AM, Maragos JE, et al. (2010) PLoS ONE 5(6): e10950. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0010950*

Research partnerships with local communities: two case studies from Papua New Guinea and Australia / Almany, G.; Hamilton, R.; Williamson, D.; Evans, R.; Jones, G.; Matawai, M.; Potuku, T.; Rhodes, K.; Russ, G.; Sawynok, B.. Coral Reefs, Sep2010, Vol. 29 Issue 3, p567-576, 10p; DOI: 10.1007/s00338-010-0624-3*

Clipperton, a possible future for atoll lagoons / Charpy, L.; Rodier, M.; Couté, A.; Perrette-Gallet, C.; Bley-Loëz, C.. Coral Reefs, Sep2010, Vol. 29 Issue 3, p771-783, 13p; DOI: 10.1007/s00338-010-0627-0*

Sustainability of hunting, population densities, intrinsic rates of increase and conservation of Papua New Guinean mammals: A quantitative review / Cuthbert, Richard. Biological Conservation, Aug2010, Vol. 143 Issue 8, p1850-1859, 10p; DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.04.005

REGIONAL AFFAIRS [envrionmental politics in the Pacific] / Koivurova, Timo. Environmental Policy & Law, 2010, Vol. 40 Issue 4, p164-171, 8p, 2 Color Photographs, 1 Illustration *

Pacific islands on the rise? / Geographical (Circle Publishing), Aug2010, Vol. 82 Issue 8, p13-13, 1/4p*

The influence of nest availability on the abundance and diversity of twig-dwelling ants in a Papua New Guinea forest / Sagata, K.; Mack, A.; Wright, D.; Lester, P.. Insectes Sociaux, Aug2010, Vol. 57 Issue 3, p333-341, 9p; DOI: 10.1007/s00040-010-0088-z *

Integrating local and scientific knowledge for environmental management / Raymond, Christopher M.; Fazey, Ioan; Reed, Mark S.; Stringer, Lindsay C.; Robinson, Guy M.; Evely, Anna C.. Journal of Environmental Management, Aug2010, Vol. 91 Issue 8, p1766-1777, 12p; DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.03.023

The Indian brown mongoose, yet another invader in Fiji / Veron, Geraldine; Patou, Marie-Lilith; Simberloff, Daniel; McLenachan, Patricia; Morley, Craig. Biological Invasions, Jul2010, Vol. 12 Issue 7, p1947-1951, 5p; DOI: 10.1007/s10530-009-9616-z

Assessment of Aboveground Carbon in Primary and Selectively Harvested Tropical Forest in Papua New Guinea / Fox, Julian C.; Yosi, Cossey K.; Nimiago, Patrick; Oavika, Forova; Pokana, Joe N.; Lavong, Kunsey; Keenan, Rodney J.. Biotropica, Jul2010, Vol. 42 Issue 4, p410-419, 10p, 4 Charts, 1 Map; DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2009.00617.x*

“Twenty years is yesterday”: Science, multinational mining, and the political ecology of trust in New Caledonia / Horowitz, Leah S.. Geoforum, Jul2010, Vol. 41 Issue 4, p617-626, 10p; DOI: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2010.02.003*

The endemic plant families and the palms of New Caledonia: a biogeographical analysis / Heads, Michael. Journal of Biogeography, Jul2010, Vol. 37 Issue 7, p1239-1250, 12p; DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02292.x*

Movements of satellite-monitored humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, from the Cook Islands / Hauser, Nan; Zerbini, Alexandre N.; Geyer, Ygor; Heide-Jørgensen, Mads-Peter; Clapham, Phil. Marine Mammal Science, Jul2010, Vol. 26 Issue 3, p679-685, 7p; DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2009.00363.x*

Habitat selection, facilitation, and biotic settlement cues affect distribution and performance of coral recruits in French Polynesia / Price, Nichole. Oecologia, Jul2010, Vol. 163 Issue 3, p747-758, 12p, 1 Diagram, 2 Charts, 3 Graphs; DOI: 10.1007/s00442-010-1578-4*

Reptiles of Ngulu Atoll, Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia / Buden, Donald W.. Pacific Science, Jul2010, Vol. 64 Issue 3, p473-480, 8p, 2 Charts, 1 Map; DOI: 10.2984/64.3.473*

‘The global warming clock is ticking so see these places while you can’: Voyeuristic tourism and model environmental citizens on Tuvalu's disappearing islands / Farbotko, Carol. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, Jul2010, Vol. 31 Issue 2, p224-238, 15p; DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9493.2010.00392.x*

Simple method for estimating groundwater recharge on tropical islands / Izuka, Scot K.; Oki, Delwyn S.; Engott, John A.. Journal of Hydrology, Jun2010, Vol. 387 Issue 1/2, p81-89, 9p; DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.03.034*

Copenhagen, Climate Science and the Emotional Geographies of Climate Change / Farbotko, Carol; McGregor, Helen V.. Australian Geographer, Jun2010, Vol. 41 Issue 2, p159-166, 8p; DOI: 10.1080/00049181003742286*

* see also Latest news from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme [SPREP]

** more PEIN Resources:

Browse the Pacific Environment Information Network [PEIN] Virtual Environment Libraries:
American Samoa , Cook Islands , Federated States of Micronesia , Fiji , French Polynesia , Guam , Kiribati , Marshall Islands , Nauru , New Caledonia , Niue , Northern Mariana Islands , Palau , Papua New Guinea , Samoa , Solomon Islands , Tokelau , Tonga , Tuvalu , Vanuatu , Wallis and Futuna

Pacific Environment Databases and Recommended Internet Resources Directory

Pacific Environment Information Network [PEIN] Country Profiles Directory

Pacific Environment Information Network [PEIN] Regional Frameworks and Strategies

DirectoryPacific Environment Information Network [PEIN]

Directory of Pacific Environment Videos on YouTube

Pacific Regional Multilateral Environmental Agreements Clearinghouse Mechanism

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Compiled by Peter Murgatroyd. Last updated 1 September 2010.

© SPREP