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Pacific Environment Information Network [PEIN] Digest Archive

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 with funding assistance from the European Union.]

January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007

Articles of note - a selection of recent academic literature

January

Statement from David Sheppard, Director of SPREP [World Wetlands Day]
SPREP - 31 January 2010
World Wetlands Day, on the second day of February each year, marks the day the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands was signed in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971. This annual event provides us with an opportunity to raise and strengthen awareness of the importance of wetlands throughout the world and in our region. Furthermore, with the International Year of Biodiversity kicking off across the world, including here in our Pacific islands, we are reminded yet again of the wondrous natural systems that combine to make life on our planet possible...This year’s theme for World Wetlands Day is “Caring for Wetlands – An answer to climate change”. For the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), this could not be more appropriate. Protecting and conserving the diversity of life, including conserving our valuable wetlands and adapting to and building resilience to climate change impacts are inextricably interlinked. SPREP recognises that we cannot realistically address one without the other and, more importantly, that human activity is as much to blame as climate change for the continuing destruction of our natural ecosystems... more

“Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust International Training Centre, Island Species-Led Action (ISLA) course 2010”
PILN Soundbites - 31 January 2010
."Following the success of ISLA 2008 in Guam and ISLA 2009 in Fiji the International Training Centre is pleased to announce that we have funding for one more iteration of this popular course in the Pacific region. ISLA is a 10-day course for conservation practitioners & educators, focusing on proven & practical approaches to managing endangered species and habitats that can be realised with minimal resource implications. The course is designed for island species and habitat conservation managers from the public & private/charity sectors & academic staff from island universities/colleges. The secured funding will cover local costs and provide a small number of scholarships for participants from other countries. We are now looking for a location and a partner to host the 2010 course, in the latter half of the year. If you are interested please get in touch with jill.key@durrell.org"

Conservation NGO Management and Leadership 2010
PILN Soundbites - 31 January 2010
Unitec NZ is offering a management and leadership training programme for Managers and Leaders of conservation NGOs in the Pacific. A Flyer is avalable upon request from the PILN Coordinator. For further information please contact Fraser McDonald at fmcdonald@unitec.ac.nz

Island Invasives: Eradication and Management Conference
PILN Soundbites - 31 January 2010
Further details about the Island Invasives: Eradication and Management Conference are now posted on the conference website: http://www.cbb.org.nz/conferences.asp . Of particular note is the draft programme as a downloadable pdf file. This includes authors and titles of 96 oral presentations and 46 poster papers. Please also note that the cutoff date for discounted early registration is the end of November. At this time nearly half of the 300 places are taken.

FSM has new policy on climate change
PacNews - 29 January 2010
With the approval of the new Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) nationwide climate change policy, President Manny Mori is now calling on all department, office and agency heads to revisit and update the existing sectoral plans and develop new ones for sectors that have no plans, incorporating climate change measures where necessary. The new policy establishes the climate change vision and goals of the FSM and the process to attain these goals. While the main solutions to remedy climate change by reducing and/or eliminating the emission of greenhouse gasses requires adequate international agreements, this policy details FSM’s part in both mitigating greenhouse gases and adapting to climate change. The new policy calls for the implementation of climate change in the FSM by mainstreaming and integrating climate change into other policies, strategies and action plans... more ...read the policy - http://www.fsmpio.fm/Nationwide_Climate_Change_policy.pdf

PNG Governments has failed to protect landowners from carbon traders, says Greenpeace
PacNews - 29 January 2010
A Greenpeace forest campaigner in Papua New Guinea says the government has failed to stop unscrupulous carbon traders from buying up rights to forests from indigenous landowners. Dorothy Tekwie’s comment comes amid media reports of various carbon traders, mainly Australian, forcing PNG landowners into questionable deals, often with the assistance of local officials... more

SMUGGLED IGUANAS GAIN FOOTHOLD IN FIJI
Pacific Islands Report - 29 January 2010
A reptile that has stirred alarm on Taveuni and Qamea is scared of humans, according to the Department of Agriculture. The creature has been identified as the Green Iguana of the Iguana Iguana species, which is a new species in Fiji... more

AMERICAN SAMOA GETS $49 MILLION FOR CLEANUP
Pacific Islands Report - 29 January 2010
Debris removal is the priority for the 26 projects to be funded with the more than US$49 million American Samoa received from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for road infrastructure damaged by the Sept. 29 earthquake, tsunami and flooding... more

PNG LANDOWNER GROUPS TALK ABOUT CARBON TRADING
Pacific Islands Report - 28 January 2010
More than 30,000 people from the 16 integrated landowner groups (ILGs) in the Kofena Valley of Daulo district, Eastern Highlands province are in serious talks to launch a carbon trading business. In a show of their seriousness, the ILGs have flown in three scientists from the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) for boundary survey, social mapping and biodiversity survey in the Marafuga Rain Forest area. Kofena ILG chairman Andrew Warige said that the Marafuga Rain Forest had an estimated 50,000 ha of rain forest potential for carbon trading... more

NOAA Award to Support Community Efforts to Protect Pacific Coral Reefs
NOAA - 27 January 2010
NOAA awarded the University of Hawaii at Manoa Kewalo Marine Laboratory a $199,996 grant to address the effects of land-based sources of pollution on coral reefs in the Pacific. The money will fund the first year of a five-year, $1 million dollar project. With this grant, researchers will help resource managers, policy makers and community leaders develop and implement strategies to prevent or reverse coral reef degradation on the Pacific Island nations of Palau, Pohnpei, Guam and Yap. The grant will facilitate information exchange among indigenous fishers, resource managers, researchers and students in an effort to learn from previous work and to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge into management decisions... more

Coconut invasion signals lost paradise for many island species
National Geographic - 27 January 2010
It's not only giant alien snakes or feral cats that can threaten entire ecosystems. Now scientists have confirmed that exotic coconut palm trees can also devastate native birds and other species. The large-scale introduction of the Cocos nucifera palm has been a slow-occurring invasion that has disrupted nutrient cycles and caused a cascading effect on birds, other trees, and plant-eaters throughout the Pacific...more

VANUATU ENVIRONMENT MINISTER REASSURING ABOUT FISH PLANT
Pacific Islands Report - 26 January 2010
In Vanuatu, the Blacksands Fishing plant will not operate until the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) is completed and approved by the Environment Minister. This was revealed by principal consultant Ernest Bani in the 1st public consultation on the Blacksands Fishing plant at the Chief’s nakamal [meeting place/kava bar], Friday. The consultation which was purely an open dialogue to collect opinions and not the draft report presentation occurred after presentations from the EIA Consultants Ernest Bani and Albert William, the Environment unit, Michael Taurokoto from RAPT and Fisheries Director Robert Jimmy. The lively discussion saw a consensus with Mr. Kalpokor Kalsakau (the family who own the land on which the Fishing plant is situated) who likened the whole situation as putting the cart before the horse because the EIA was supposed to be done before the establishment of the Blacksands plant...more

300 groups sign on for carbon trade in PNG
PacNews - 26 January 2010
More than 300 incorporated land groups (ILG), representing over 40,000 people in East Pangia, Southern Highlands have given the go-ahead for a carbon trading project to start in their area. In moving ceremonies that started in Port Moresby and ended in Apanda village on the weekend, chairmen of more 300 ILGs signed the documents required to create a carbon trading project to save the beautiful rainforests of Pangia District...more

Queensland Uni course comes to Raro
Cook Islands News - 23 January 2010
two-week University of Queensland environmental management course is being held in Rarotonga from Monday until February 5. About 30 people from the region are here to take the annual course which looks at integrating contemporary and traditional coastal ecosystem management in the Pacific. This is the first time the course has been held in the Pacific instead of in Australia. The Takitumu lagoon management plan will be used as a case study by the coastal resource managers and non-government organisation members and consultants who are tasked with planning in small island states...more

Coral Triangle stakeholders vow to patronize only legal operations
PacNews - 22 January 2010
Fishing operators and buyers who attended the first-ever business summit to address overexploitation and overfishing in the Coral Triangle have promised not to source their products from illegal, unregulated and unreported operations. They are also committed to implement catch and trade documentation by using third party certification schemes to ensure that products are not sourced illegally. The Coral Triangle covering Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste, covers just 1 percent of the earth´s surface but includes 30 per cent of the world´s coral reefs, 76 percent of its reef building coral species as well as vital spawning grounds for tuna...more

UN admits Copenhagen 'failed to deliver'
PacNews - 22 January 2010
The United Nations has for the first time admitted that the Copenhagen talks last month failed to deliver what's needed to address the urgency of climate change. The UN's chief negotiator Yvo de Boer said countries have until the end of January to declare their hand on the new agreement known as the Copenhagen accord. Australia, the United States, China and South Africa are signatories to the deal, but it fails to deliver binding targets to cut the planet's emissions. Mr de Boer says while the accord was signed by more than 25 countries, it didn't deliver what's needed to avoid the worst of climate change...more

Ban on Fiji sea turtle harvesting extended
PacNews - 21 January 2010
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says a moratorium on the harvesting of turtles in Fiji has been extended until 2018. The moratorium was initially introduced in 2004 to run until August last year, and bans the harvesting of sea turtles, and the commercialisation of sea turtle meat and derivatives. Mere Laveti, the Marine Species Officer from the WWF South Pacific program in Fiji, has told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program the interim government has informed them its decision to extend it for another nine years...more

COP15 Outreach summary
Stakeholder Forum - 21 January 2010F
Final post COP-15 edition of the multi-stakeholder newsletter Outreach, which contains the views and opinions of a range of different groups and stakeholders in relation to the outcomes of the negotiations. You can find the issue at http://tinyurl.com/OutreachWrapUp

Fishing firms draw up commitments to ensure Coral Triangle sustainability
Business World -21 January 2010
REPRESENTATIVES of fishing firms operating in the Coral Triangle yesterday outlined measures to reduce the impact of their businesses on the world’s most important marine region. More than 160 delegates -- mainly representing governments, as well as the seafood, travel and tourism industries -- gathered in Manila for the two-day Coral Triangle Business Summit that started last Tuesday to kick-start dialogues on how their industries could contribute to the protection of the Coral Triangle, a press statement yesterday said. Participants included leaders from tuna and live reef fish businesses, airlines and resort owners, as well as government ministers and officials, and leaders of non-government organizations. "The signing of the public-private partnership is a symbol of our common desire to protect the Coral Triangle," Acting Environment Secretary Eleazar P. Quinto said in his closing remarks. "I hope this would provide more partnerships in the future." "The private sector has shown it is willing to take greater responsibility for the millions of livelihood that depend on the health of the marine environment in this part of the world," Lida Pet-Soede, head of World Wildlife Fund’s Coral Triangle Program, said in the same statement. The Coral Triangle harbors about 600 species of reef-building coral, or 75% of all known coral species, and over 3,000 species of reef fish. It holds nearly 75% of the world’s mangrove species. The 2.3-million square mile area covers the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Sabah in Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands...more

Protecting the Coral Triangle a top priority
Business World - 19 January 2010
PROTECTING the biodiver-sity-rich Coral Triangle needs the combined efforts of the government and private sector, and should be a top priority if the region wants to sustain the area’s vast fishery resource, experts yesterday said. The First Coral Triangle Business Summit kicked off at the Makati Shangri-La with speakers highlighting the need to protect the area, which is home to over a third of all the world’s coral reefs. We want to add our organized businessmen’s voices to the growing clamor for nations, particularly the developed countries, to take more responsibility for the damage they have wrought on our environment all these past years," President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said in her opening remarks...more

Coral Triangle summit marred by protest from local fishers
Business Mirror - 19 January 2010
THE two-day Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Business Summit formally kicked off on Tuesday, with over 170 delegates from six Asian countries, including the Philippines, taking part to tackle business opportunities in the sustainable development of marine ecosystems in the region.
President Arroyo, who delivered the keynote speech, led a host of key government officials including Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap and Environment Secretary Eleazar Quinto in welcoming the delegates from the other five countries within the Coral Triangle region, the CT-6, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. The opening day of the summit was marred with protest by militant fisher groups denouncing the summit’s organizers for allegedly ignoring the coastal communities in designing the CTI Project, as well as the CTI Business Summit, which officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources blatantly denied...more

GIANT AFRICAN SNAIL GETS FOOTHOLD IN SOLOMONS
Pacific Islands Report - 19 January 2010
In the Solomon Islands, prompt response by Agriculture specialists to initial reports of the presence of the African giant snail in the country in 2007 and follow, there were hopes the dodgy snail had gone. But the discovery of a cluster near the Varamatta Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church at Vara Creek proves the crop-killer is multiplying...more

CLAN LEADERS WORRIED ABOUT PNG NICKEL MINE
Pacific Islands Report - 19 January 2010
In Papua New Guinea, clan leaders at Basamuk in Madang Province are worried about the underwater blasting operation that the developers of the Ramu nickel mine are proposing. Spokesman of the Tong and Ongeg clans of Basamuk, Lois Medaing Gorongo said the sea is the peoples’ source or livelihood and he feared this would be affected if the operation was allowed to continue. Mr. Gorongo said for years, the people had been living off the reefs in the area and refuted claims by the company that the reefs they proposed to blast were dead. "...There are no dead reefs in the area, our reefs are alive and healthy and have been dwelling places for fish and other sea creatures, which we have and continue to depend on it for our livelihood," he said...more

Tuvalu prepares to adapt to climate change through PACC Project
SPREP - 18 January 2010
In upraising the profile of the PACC Project in Tuvalu, a one day inception meeting was held last week at the Government Conference Room to introduce and launch the project. It was attended by government agencies, representatives from Non-Governmental Organisations, different representatives from the eight different Island communities of Tuvalu and youth groups. The meeting was given recognition by the government and was officially opened by the Secretary for Works, Water and Energy. In his presentation, Mr. Paulson Panapa, recognised the important objectives of the project in trying to build the adaptation capacity of the people in adapting to impact of climate change and also recognises the assistance that the project can offer to the people of Tuvalu in terms of demonstrating the adaptive measure suitable for their need...more

A Pacific Island Challenge to European Air Pollution
New York Times - 18 January 2010
A Pacific island nation has challenged plans by the Czech Republic to refit a coal-fired power station, in an appeal that environmental advocates on Monday described as the first of its kind. The case focuses on efforts by a Czech utility, the CEZ Group, to prolong the life of the power plant in Prunerov, close to the German border. The Federated States of Micronesia maintains that doing so would result in continued emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, which it says threaten its existence. “Climate change is real and it is happening on our shores,” Andrew Yatilman, the director of Micronesia’s office of environment and emergency management, told Reuters. “It’s a matter of survival for us. If you look at the map of the Pacific, we’re just dots in the middle of the ocean.” Micronesia submitted its arguments to the Czech Ministry of Environment on Jan. 4. ...more

MILITARY TRAINING ON TINIAN WILL INTRODUCE HAZARDOUS WASTE
Pacific Islands Report - 16 January 2010
In the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the proposed live firing and other training ranges slated for implementation and use on Tinian would result in the transport and transfer of more hazardous materials, according to the draft environmental impact statement. "It is expected that the largest increases of hazardous materials would occur from the use of petroleum, oil and lubricants, including gasoline, diesel, oil, grease, kerosene and other related products," the draft report said, noting that approximately 32,000 lbs. of hazardous materials resulting from Marine activities on Okinawa are annually disposed of by Defense Reuse and Marketing Office...more

POLITICS: CLIMATE CONFERENCE FAILS VULNERABLE NATIONS
Islands Business - January 2010
Christina Ora from Solomon Islands carried the voice of young people to the United Nations Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen. Chosen to address a plenary session of the climate change conference, 17-year-old Christina said: “I was born in 1992. You have been negotiating all my life. You cannot tell us that you need more time.” But her voice, like many others from the Pacific, was not heeded. After two weeks of chaotic activity in Denmark’s capital, the Copenhagen climate conference ended in failure, without a legally binding treaty to promote long-term action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Pacific governments and community organisations have been calling for urgent action on climate change, ever since the creation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the 1992 Rio conference on Environment and Development, and the UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol in 1997. There were high hopes that the 15th UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP15) in Copenhagen would develop new agreements on climate change, based on two tracks of negotiations: strengthening and extending commitments by developed countries that have signed on to the existing Kyoto Protocol and also long-term co-operative action by all countries, including major powers like the United States that have not ratified Kyoto. But obtaining stronger action in Copenhagen was always going to be difficult. In the lead-up to the conference, major developed countries like the United States indicated that they would not accept a legally binding treaty without verifiable commitments from China and India.
In turn, Beijing and other developing nations called for developed nations to address their historic responsibility for existing emissions. Even though the 2006 climate conference in Bali set out a roadmap of action and negotiations have continued for two years, there were still many unresolved issues as delegates arrived in Denmark...more

POLITICS: COPENHAGEN FALLOUT TO BEGIN THE YEAR
Islands Business - January 2010
It’s January, and like the mythical Janus who looked at the past and future with his two faces, and after whom the month is named, it is time to look at how the events of last year will shape this year in our corner of the planet. As the year begins, the Copenhagen fallout will be discussed threadbare as Pacific Islands nations debate the document brought back home by their representatives at the summit. A deep feeling of despondency is running through the leadership, particularly of the most affected islands nations—Tuvalu and Kiribati. As the rest of the world prepares for the next summit in Mexico sometime later this year in a bid to build on the less than modest achievements at Copenhagen, their problems would have gotten a little worse and their morale lower. It is time they band together with other similarly affected nations and help from committed, global NGOs to form an alliance to coherently and effectively push the all important agenda of their survival, irrespective of scientific rhetoric and economic polemics before Mexico...more

FIJI SUGAR MILL BLAMED FOR RIVER POLLUTION
Pacific Islands Report - 7 January 2010
DEAD fish, discolored mussels and a foul smell emanating from a traditional fishing ground have prompted health officials to send a team to investigate claims of chemical pollution in the Ba River in Fiji. Heavily reliant on the qoliqoli [fishing grounds] for their livelihood, villagers of Votua and Yalalevu claim the stench has plagued them in recent months. And while women of the villages have had no choice but to continue diving for fresh water mussels in water believed to be polluted with poisonous chemicals, the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) Ba mill manager Bhan Singh did not respond to questions over the matter yesterday...more

PNG OKS SEABED MINING
Pacific Islands Report - 8 January 2010
The Papua New Guinea government has issued an environmental permit, allowing for the world’s first commercial seafloor mining project to begin. The PNG government has granted a 25-year environmental permit to Nautilus Minerals to mine gold and copper at its Solwara One site, 1.7 kilometers below the Bismark Sea. Nautilus CEO Steve Rogers says the decision is a significant milestone. He says it took three years of research in conjunction with 14 of the worlds leading marine institutions to put together the environmental impact statement. "All of the scientific bodies have been independent from the company. These bodies have been free to publish the findings from their scientific research with no control or monitoring from ourselves," he said. Mr Rogers says Nautilus hopes to begin mining in 2012.

PNG VILLAGERS CONCERNED ABOUT GOLD MINE IMPACTS
Pacific Islands Report - 5 January 2010
In Papua New Guinea, the people of Labu-Buttu village near Lae have called on the Government to order an environmental impact study into the effects of the Hidden Valley gold mine on their lives. At a New Year’s Day meeting, they expressed concern that their lives were seriously threatened by the mine and nothing was done by the national and Morobe provincial governments. The villagers reported at the meeting that prawns, eels and cat fish, which used to be caught in abundance from the lower part of the Markham River, had completely disappeared during the past two years...more

FIJI CHIEF WANTS CONTROLS ON SEA SLUG HARVEST
Pacific Islands Report 4 January 2010
In Fiji, a paramount chief in the north has expressed concern with the uncontrolled harvesting of sea slugs in Macuata waters.The Tui Macuata, Ratu Aisea Katonivere, says that while it may bring financial rewards to his people, he fears the impact this will have on the reefs and its consequences. One of the consequences, he says, will be high waves and this will impact villages on the coast...more

NAVY WHARF PROJECT ON GUAM THREATENS MARINE LIFE
Pacific Islands Report - 4 January 2010
In Guam, aircraft carriers will inject new income into the local economy thanks to the coming military buildup, but the wildlife in local waters must pay a heavy price for growth. The construction of a new aircraft carrier wharf in Inner Apra Harbor will allow the biggest ships in the Navy to quadruple the amount of time they've spent on Guam in recent years. During each visit, thousands of sailors will come ashore and spend money that would otherwise go elsewhere, according to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), a massive document that explains what will happen when the buildup arrives...more ... read the Draft Environmental Impact Statement - http://www.guambuildupeis.us/documents

December

NEW IRELAND MINE SHUT OVER POLLUTION CONCERNS [Papua New Guinea]
Pacific Islands Report - 30 December 2009
NEW Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan wants the Simberi gold mine to stay shut until it has conformed to ecological requirements. He said a reputable international organization should assess the environment in and around the mine area instead of the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC). "My people have been treated with contempt and the provincial government will not take this any longer," he said. Sir Julius took a swipe at DEC over its inaction to look into the mine’s environmental concerns...more

EFFORT AFOOT TO SAVE PACIFIC’S ENDANGERED BIRDS
Pacific Islands Report - 24 December 2009
The Pacific is home to a quarter of the world's critically endangered birds - and has the dubious distinction of being the region with the highest number of species on the brink of extinction. There are 42 critically endangered species in the Pacific, including colourful lorikeets, doves, honeyeaters and more. Don Stewart, Pacific director of non-government organisation, Birdlife International, told Pacific Beat: "We are aiming, through our partners, to save the six most critically endangered species in the Pacific. Critically endangered means if direct conservation action isn't taken they will disappear." The six most endangered, Mr Stewart said, are the Fiji petrel, the Tahiti monarch, the Polynesian ground dove, Fa Tahiti monarch, Tuamotu kingfisher and Vanuatu's crow honeyeater...more

FSM CONSERVATION AGENCY TO MONITOR GUAM BUILDUP
Pacific Islands Report - 23 December 2009
The Micronesia Conservation Trust Board of Trustees hosted a breakfast yesterday to discuss the trust’s work in Micronesia and inform key stakeholders about environmental mitigation proposals to help protect and restore Guam’s natural resources from impacts associated with the military buildup...more

MARSHALLS TO GET $5.9 MILLION SOLAR POWER
Pacific Islands Report - 23 December 2009
Japan will provide $5.9 million for the first-ever grid-connected solar system in the Marshall Islands’ capital of Majuro. Agreements were reached Friday in Majuro by acting Foreign Minister Amenta Matthew and Japanese Embassy Charge d’Affaires Kazuyuki Ohdaira for the project which is expected to begin development in 2011. Part of Japan’s climate change response program known as "Cool Earth Partnership." The aim of the solar grant is to reduce Majuro’s dependence on diesel-powered electricity, said Ohdaira...more

PROPOSED ANCHORAGE RAISES CONCERN IN PALAU
Pacific Islands Report - 22 December 2009
In Palau, the Environmental Quality Protection Board (EQPB) said that the proposed ship lay-up facility in the Rock Islands "may have very significant adverse environmental impacts." In the EQPB notice of determination, the agency asked Palau Shipping Company (Palship), which is proposing ship lay-up services to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The notice said that preliminary information exists to identify "many potential adverse environmental impacts of the project."...more

KIRIBATI LEADER CALLS COPENHAGEN CHARADE
Pacific Islands Report - 22 December 2009
The President of Kiribati says the failure of the Copenhagen climate change conference to come up with a strong legally binding agreement raises questions about the negotiation process. Anote Tong says the accord proposed by the United States and other major emitters seems to accommodate countries which were concerned about the emissions cuts that would be required.The President says the lack of targets on cutting emissions suggests some countries came to the conference not wanting to reach an agreement. "That’s very disappointing, I think it raises a lot of questions, credibility, about the international system. Does it serve any purpose at all, what purpose is it for us to participate in an arrangement where we continue to be thinking in nationalistic terms regardless of the price that other countries have to pay?" Anote Tong says Kiribati is working on plans to cope with climate change which includes relocation as a last resort.

Traditional Knowledge Action Plan Launched
Voxy - 21 December 2009
The Traditional Knowledge Action Plan for Forum Island Countries (FICs) has been launched marking a milestone development for the region. The Action Plan was launched at a Traditional Knowledge workshop convened by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and World Intellectual Property Rights Organisation (WIPO) last week in Nadi. The meeting was attended by Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights experts and senior government officials from across the region. "Traditional Knowledge remains an integral part of the Pacific and our work in progressing the Pacific Plan's aspirations for protection of cultural values, identities and Traditional Knowledge," says the Secretary General of the Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade. "The Action Plan actively seeks to protect Pacific Traditional Knowledge from misuse and misappropriation without any compensation to the owners of Traditional Knowledge," explains Mr Slade. "We are very pleased to be heading an inter-agency collaboration in this area involving the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and WIPO." ...more ... read the action plan

1.5 degrees rejected, Pacific condemned as 25 leaders deliver Copehagen Accord
SPREP - 19 December 2009
Officials from a growing list of countries at the UN Climate Change Talks are aligning themselves to a deal offered after a 24 hour marathon session that started on Friday and stretched out into Saturday. The deal was officially noted by the COP on Saturday morning some 12 hours after the United States announced the set up of a agreement on climate change. The Copenhagen Accord was nowhere near what Pacific countries were looking for, with even the deal’s strongest backers admitting that it is a flawed document but the best available, given the situation. In fact the Accord, if it is taken as the COP15 outcome condemns some low lying Pacific Island countries to the worst effects of climate change especially rising sea levels. But for some members of the Alliance of Small Islands States, which Pacific countries are members of, it was the only way forward after two solid weeks of negotiations failed to reach a compromise on saving the planet. After hours of drama on the plenary floor AOSIS’s president accepted the proposed deal despite the rejection of the accord by some of its members including Tuvalu.

"It looks like we’ve been offered 30 pieces of silver to betray our people," said Tuvalu’s rep Ian Fry. ...more

SUMMARY OF THE COPENHAGEN CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE: 7-19 DECEMBER 2009
Earth Negotiations Bulletin Vol 12. no.459 - 19 December 2009
The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark took place from 7-19 December 2009. It included the fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the fifth Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP 5). COP 15 and COP/MOP 5 were held in conjunction with the thirty-first sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 31) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 31), the tenth session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP 10) and the eighth session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the UNFCCC (AWG-LCA 8).

The Copenhagen Conference marked the culmination of a two-year negotiating process to enhance international climate change cooperation under the Bali Roadmap, launched by COP 13 in December 2007. Close to 115 world leaders attended the joint COP and COP/MOP high-level segment from 16-18 December, marking one of the largest gatherings of world leaders outside of New York. The conference was subject to unprecedented public and media attention, and more than 40,000 people, representing governments, nongovernmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, faith-based organizations, media and UN agencies applied for accreditation at the conference.

Many hoped that the Copenhagen Climate Conference would be able to “seal the deal” and result in a fair, ambitious and equitable agreement, setting the world towards a path to avoid dangerous climate change. To this end, what many characterized as “intense negotiations” took place over the two weeks at the level of experts, Ministers and Heads of State. But it was not without controversy. Questions concerning transparency and process played out during the meeting. Differences emerged, inter alia, on whether work should be carried out in a smaller “friends of the chair” format as well as on a proposal by the Danish COP Presidency to table two texts reflecting the work done by the AWGs. Many parties rejected this idea, urging that only texts developed in the AWGs by parties should be used.

During the high-level segment, informal negotiations took place in a group consisting of major economies and representatives of regional groups. Late on Friday evening, these talks resulted in political agreement entitled the “Copenhagen Accord,” which was not based on the texts developed by either of the AWGs. Details of the agreement were widely reported by the media before the COP closing plenary. While most reports highlighted that Heads of State had been able to “seal the deal,” almost everyone participating in the negotiations openly admitted that it was “far from a perfect agreement.”

During the closing COP plenary, which lasted nearly 13 hours, long and what many characterized as “acrimonious” discussions ensued on the transparency of the process that had led to the conclusion of the Copenhagen Accord and on whether the COP should adopt it. Most negotiating groups supported its adoption as a COP decision in order to operationalize it as a step towards “a better” future agreement. Some developing countries, however, opposed the Accord reached during what they characterized as an “untransparent” and “undemocratic” negotiating process. During informal negotiations facilitated by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon during the night and early morning, parties agreed to adopt a COP decision whereby the COP “takes note” of the Copenhagen Accord, which was attached to the decision as an unofficial document. Parties also agreed to establish a procedure whereby countries supporting the Copenhagen Accord can accede to it.

Many recognized the historical significance of the Copenhagen Conference, highlighting its unprecedented success in bringing together the majority of the world’s leaders to consider climate change and listing mitigation actions pledged by developed and developing countries, as well as provisions on finance and technology. Most delegates, however, left Copenhagen disappointed at what they saw as a “weak agreement,” and questioning its practical implications given that the Copenhagen Accord had not been formally adopted as the outcome of the negotiations... Read the complete summary - http://www.iisd.ca/download/pdf/enb12459e.pdf

See also Decisions adoped by COP15 and CM5

See also Copenhagen Accord

U.S. COMMITS TO $100 BILLION CLIMATE MITIGATION
Pacific Islands Report - 18 December 2009
The United States says it will join other rich countries to raise US$110 billion annually to help poorer countries finance climate change issues by 2020. The announcement was made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Copenhagen talks on global warming. Hillary Clinton arrived in the Danish capital with money available. But the US Secretary of State said that any deal on financing for the developing world would have to include a system for ensuring pledges to cut carbon emissions are fulfilled...more

COP15 Copenhagen Pacific Team Blog
United Nations Climate Change Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark 7 Dec - 18 Dec 2009
Articles by the COP15 Pacific news team. Read all about COP15 here.

SAIPAN RESIDENTS WARY OF SHIP RECYCLING PLAN
Pacific Islands Report - 18 December 2009
In the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), a RECYCLING company wants to turn around the sluggish local economy through a ship disposal program at the Saipan seaport, dealing with the disposal of decommissioned vessels of the U.S. National Defense Reserve Fleet. Worldwide Salvage (WWS) Saipan, LLC told the Commonwealth Ports Authority in October that it plans to invest US$16 million to build a permanent dock for the project which will be turned over to the CNMI government in the future. But some residents said Saipan may be exposed to environmental hazards from the ships that will be brought in...more

Climate change to hit trade sectors of small and vulnerable states hardest, says study
Islands Business - 17 December 2009
Small and vulnerable developing countries will see their trade sectors badly hit by the effects of climate change, a new study says. The study; Trade, Climate Change and Sustainable Development: Key Issues for Small States, Least Developed Countries and Vulnerable Economies, was conducted by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD). It notes that these countries are most vulnerable to the impact of climate change, and this will adversely affect their key trade sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, forestry and tourism...more

PIMRIS Newsletter (2009, Vol. 21, no. 3-4 July-December)
Contents of the issue include: · Samoan Tsunami: September 29, 2009. By Edward Lovell ; · 14th PIMRIS Steering Committee Meeting. By Maria Kalenchits ; · ODIN-PIMRIS E-Repository Training ; ·IODE Training Course on Digital Asset Management. By Eddie Marahare ; IODE Training Course on Website Development through the eyes of participant ; · ASFA – Aquatic Science and Fisheries Abstracts ; · News from the Region ; · New Publications ; · Conference Notices ... download

EUR 10 million for climate change project
SPC - 15 December 2009
The German Government will commit another 10 million euros to climate change programmes in Pacific countries, it was announced in Copenhagen, Denmark. This is in addition to the current 4.2 million euro programme being implemented under the SPC/GTZ Pacific-German Regional Programme on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region. The project is currently operating in three countries – Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu. While the finer details are still being worked out, the commitment is to intensify existing efforts and enable the implementation of national policy programmes through such mechanisms as forestry inventories, consultation and capacity building programmes. The announcement was made at a meeting between officials from the Governments of Fiji and Vanuatu and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) together with officials from the German Technical Cooperation agency (GTZ). It was initially conveyed by the German Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development to Pacific leaders in Berlin a few days ago. Present at the Berlin meeting were the Presidents of Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands, the Prime Ministers of Samoa, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, and the Deputy Prime Minister of Tonga.

Carterets story on DVD [Papua New Guinea]
The National -15 December 2009
A VIDEO documentary on the plight of the first world’s climate change and environment refugees of the Carteret Islands in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville will be shown in Copenhagen, Denmark, by the Papua New Guinea delegation to the climate talks. The 30-minute DVD documentary, showing the impact of global warming and sea-level rise that had displaced about 2,000 islanders, will be shown at the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change this week. The documentary produced by Kundu 2 television services of the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), features flooding of sea waters into the villages, eroding of sea walls and sinking of smaller atolls due to sea-levels rising and global warming...more

Carbon trade project ready to kick off [Papua New Guinea]
The National - 14 December 2009
THE Piasigit Ozone Carbon and Environmental Sustainability project in Morobe province, one of the Government’s pilot carbon trade project, has completed an official submission for registration in the carbon trade. The project is a comprehensive rural development initiative that centres on environmental sustainability and would be facilitated under the Reducing Emissions through Deforestation and Degradation programme (REDD) set by the United Nations. The project was initiated in by the Yandu clan of Lalang village, Hube in Finschhafen, which owns 300,000ha of forests in the Cromwell Range. Last Friday, Morobe Governor Luther Wenge signed an endorsement letter to complete one of the final components of the project submission at Crane Street and Cassowary Road....more

Pacific Islands proposals on sharks and swordfish adopted at WCPFC
Islands Business - 14 December 2009
Proposals from Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) members on sharks and swordfish were adopted at the 6th Regular Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting last week. Pacific Island countries are the custodians of the last remaining healthy tuna stocks in the world and manage a marine area of 30 million square kilometres, supported with technical advice and services from the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA). FFA members participate at the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission along with other fishing nations (such as Asian nations, EU and US) to set rules for fishing in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. FFA members finalised a process first begun in 2006 to put in place limits to the catch on swordfish...more

EPA releases 2008 Guam Toxics Release Inventory numbers
EPA - 12 December 2009
Eight facilities in Guam reported an eight percent increase in toxic chemicals released into the air, land and water in 2008 when compared to 2007, according to new data released today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Overall at 53, Guam ranks among one of the lowest of 56 states and territories in total releases. While the island's water and land releases have increased since 2007, underground injection, off-site transfers, and air releases have decreased. The largest increase was of on-site land releases of 1,048 pounds, largely due to increased releases reported by Andersen Air Force Base in Yigo...more

New report of interest: “Rapid Appraisal of the Bioenergy-Food Security Nexus in Pacific Island Countries”
FAO - 11 December 2009
During the first quarter of 2009, FAO commissioned a scoping exercise on opportunities and constraints for bioenergy development in the 14 Pacific Island Countries. The study did not only look at cassava and coconut-based biofuels, which are the two main target crops for biofuel production in the Region, but also evaluate other alternative bioenergy sources. With regards the potential impact of biofuel development on food security, the question is to identify effects on both farmers' income and on rural poor food security...read the report - http://www.faopacific.ws/Portals/167/publications/Reports/Report for SAP RL ED Final.pdf

JAPAN TO PROVIDE SOLAR ENERGY IN FSM
Pacific Islands Report - 11 December 2009
A signing ceremony was held at the Federated States of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Kosrae, and Pohnpei) Department of Foreign Affairs by the FSM Government and Japan Government in respect to the Clean Energy by Solar Photovoltaic Project from the Government of Japan that was pledged under the Cool Earth Partnership during the Palm 5 Summit in May of 2009. This project is also a joint effort for the two governments' commitment to the reduction of greenhouse gases under climate change initiatives...more

PNG takes stance to protect forest [Papua New Guinea]
Post Courier - 10 December 2009
The Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare will lead a large delegation of PNG officials to present the position paper on PNG’s stand on REDD at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen next week. While PNG is expected to continue making substantive political contributions to the negotiations on Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), sectors of the PNG community are doubtful that these contributions are in the interest of landowners. As co-chair of the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN), PNG has been lobbying for inclusion of REDD in the second commitment period for the Kyoto climate agreement. PNG is pushing for a REDD implementation based on a national approach favouring financing from carbon markets. At this stage, the chance of achieving effective agreements on emissions reductions at Copenhagen is looking unlikely...more

Protected Areas – a natural solution to climate change crisis
Islands Business - 9 December 2009
Protected areas offer a cost effective solution to the impacts of climate change, according to a report just released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The book, ‘Natural Solutions: protected areas helping to cope with climate change’ for the first time articulates clearly how protected areas contribute significantly to reducing the impacts of climate change, says Lord Nicholas Stern, who wrote the foreword of the report. In the Pacific, a number of Pacific Island countries have taken a lead role in protecting their marine resources. This work is spearheaded by the international environment conservation group, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF)...more

New book of interest: Natural Solutions: protected areas helping people cope with climate change [IUCN]
December 2009
Protected areas play a major role in reducing climate changing carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. Fifteen percent of the world’s terrestrial carbon stock - 312 Gigatonnes - are stored in protected areas around the world. In Canada, over 4 billion tons of carbon dioxide is sequestered in 39 national parks, estimated to be worth $39-87 billion in carbon credits. In the Brazilian Amazon, protected lands are expected to prevent 670,000 km² of deforestation by 2050, representing 8 billion tons of avoided carbon emissions. Protected areas also serve as natural buffers against climate impacts and other disasters, providing space for floodwaters to disperse, stabilizing soil against landslides and blocking storm surges. It has been estimated that coastal wetlands in the United States provide $23.2 billion a year in protection against flooding from hurricanes. And protected areas can keep natural resources healthy and productive so they can withstand the impacts of climate change and continue to provide the food, clean water, shelter and income communities rely upon for survival. Thirty three of the world’s 100 largest cities derive their drinking water from catchments within forest protected areas... Download the book - http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/natural_solutions.pdf

New book of interest: Partners with nature: How healthy ecosystems are helping the world’s most vulnerable adapt to climate change.[Birdlife International]
December 2009
Climate change impacts including drought, crop failure, flooding, sea-level rise,
and extreme weather events are already being felt across the world, with the
poorest people and vulnerable ecosystems hit hardest. The effects of climate
change will almost certainly persist for centuries, and depending on the level of
mitigation achieved, will be of increasing severity. Adaptation is necessary to
cope with present and future impacts.

Ever-increasing evidence suggests that healthy, bio-diverse environments play a
vital role in maintaining and increasing resilience to climate change, and in
reducing climate-related risk and vulnerability.1,5,6–9 Biodiversity, ecosystems
and the functions and services they provide, such as water, food, soil protection,
clean air, disaster risk reduction and carbon capture, underpin the Earth’s life
support system and our sustainable development. This is particularly critical to
many of the world’s 2.7 billion poor people, who depend on natural resources
most directly for their livelihood and survival.

This report includes 14 case studies from different countries around the world.
They provide compelling evidence of the roles that ecosystems play in climate
change adaptation through protecting the natural resource base, providing
alternative livelihood options, and maintaining resilience to future climate
change. BirdLife International’s experience shows that supporting the
application of local knowledge and community engagement and action can build
the resilience of natural and societal systems, delivering locally appropriate
solutions to help communities, countries and economies adapt to the challenges
of climate change. For the most vulnerable people in particular, an ecosystem
approach to adaptation will often be the first line of defence against the impacts
of climate change. Includes case studies from Samoa and Palau... download - http://www.birdlife.org/climate_change/pdfs/Ecosystemsandadaption.pdf

ENVIRONMENT: OUR CENTURY’S CHALLENGE, OUR PACIFIC RESPONSE
Islands Business - December 2009
Climate change is a serious threat to our Pacific region
It is an issue with enormous environmental, social and ethical impacts for the people of the Pacific region. Although our region contributes only 0.03% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, our countries are amongst the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
The Pacific region is taking action as responsible members of the international community. For example, we are playing our part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is currently working on a renewable energy project to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 11 Pacific islands countries by 33% by the year 2015. This project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Countries are also working on various adaptation projects to adapt to the impacts of climate change...more

VIEWPOINT: STEAMSHIPS’ APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENT
Islands Business - December 2009
We live in a dramatically changing world. For decades, scientists and environmentalists have been issuing dire warnings of disaster if we do not mend our ways and face up to the looming challenges of global warming, climate change and the reckless squandering of our natural resources, particularly energy and water. It is only in comparatively recent times that we have (rather reluctantly) begun to heed those warnings...more

Pacific Update, an e-newsletter focusing on NIWA's work around the Pacific Rim
NIWA 6 December 2009
NIWA has launched a new newsletter to highlight the work it is doing in the Pacific. Articles in the first issue include: Improving hydrological monitoring in Pacific nations ; Rescuing Pacific Island climate data ; The 29 September 2009 tsunami in Wallis & Futuna ; Kiribati - adapting to climate change ; Upgrading Fiji's climate monitoring network. Read the full newsletter at www.niwa.co.nz/pu

Pacific plea on migration ahead of climate talks
AFP - 5 December 2009
Pacific island nations at risk of being swamped by rising sea levels must have a say in the mass migration of their people, an independent think tank has warned ahead of global talks on climate change. Rising seas, coastal erosion and rapid population growth have already forced the relocation of some island communities, the Pacific Institute of Public Policy said. "Climate change adaption also needs to facilitate choice migration," the institute's Derek Brien said ahead of the UN climate conference opening in Copenhagen on Monday. "And that will require a shift in prevailing attitudes to the subject, as well as ensuring current and future generations of Pacific islanders have access to international standards of education to compete on the global stage"...more ... read the briefing paper

Solar power project launched [Papua New Guinea]
Post Courier - 4 December 2009
Papua New Guineans can now afford solar power to bring brighter, cheaper, safer and cleaner light and power into their homes. The solar power loans project, launched yesterday, allows grassroots Papua New Guineans to buy solar power kits for their homes through flexible, low interest loans with no bank fees at ANZ or Nationwide Microbank. The project, an initiative of the World Bank, was developed to improve livelihoods and increase the use of renewable energy within PNG...more

NZ scientists learn lessons from Samoa tsunami
Pacific Scoop - 4 December 2009
A team of NZ scientists say the results of their field work after the Samoa Tsunami are of interest internationally and here in New Zealand. NZ scientists learn lessons from Samoa tsunami ...more

12th Micronesian Chief Executives Summit Focuses on Environmental Issues
Pacific News Centre - 3 December 2009
The summit which features the chief executives of the CNMI, FSM, Republic of Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands is focusing on various issues that are important to and shared by islands in our region. Governor Felix Camacho says the Micronesian Chief Executive Summit is all about unity and brotherhood. He adds that this summit show that various island nations both realize and recognize the importance of working together. Much of the focus of the conference is on the what's called the Micronesian challenge. Republic of Palau president Johnson Toribiong explains that the Micronesian challenge is a movement throughout Micronesia that focuses on how to best preserve the natural environment while conserving and preserving the islands' scarce natural resources. Toribiong says all of the islands in this region must strive to protect the environment because in the long run it's the environment that will sustain the islands. One of the major environmental concerns of the islands is rising sea levels a phenomenon that most scientists have attributed to global warming. Toribiong says Micronesian islands are the most vulnerable to climate change. In fact he says that various low lying islands in Palau have have already felt the effects of climate change. Rising sea levels have caused saltwater to infiltrate taro patches. Taro is a staple starch that the islands in Micronesia rely on as a major food source. It's the Micronesian equivalent of the potato...more

U.S. Proposes Climate Fund for Poor Nations
Islands Business - 3 December 2009
The United States has proposed a new global fund that would direct billions of dollars to help poor countries prepare for climate disasters and adjust to low-carbon economies. The fund would likely operate under the World Bank, U.S. Treasury officials said, and would be the main vehicle to deliver emissions reduction and adaptation measures throughout the world. William Pizer, deputy assistant secretary for environment and energy at the U.S. Treasury Department, explained that the fund would contribute to a spectrum of projects from “building a solar park or creating a financial vehicle to support investments in energy efficiency to creating an insurance mechanism for disasters or crops.” The world's poorest countries also are among the most vulnerable to climate change and will be disproportionately affected by harsher droughts, rising sea levels and fiercer storms, scientists say. The World Bank estimates it will cost $75 billion to $100 billion annually for developing nations to accommodate a world that is warmer by 2 degrees Celsius. Part of the global climate deal that nations are negotiating in U.N.-sponsored talks in Copenhagen next week involves the promise of substantial funding to help defray those costs.

November

Climate change a challenge for Pacific islands - Feature
EarthTimes - 30 November 2009
For tiny island states in the Pacific, some with their highest points no more than a few metres above sea level, climate change is the greatest challenge of our time. Global warming not only threatens their coral reefs, fisheries and the already scarce supplies of water they rely on for drinking and tending their meagre food crops, but their very existence...more

Preliminary Climate and Sea Level Changes for Vanuatu Through the Application of SimCLIM
EarthTimes - November 28 2009
The Vanuatu National Advisory Committee on Climate Change (NACCC) through its Second National Communication (SNC) Project in collaboration with the Vanuatu Meteorological Services and CLIMsystems Ltd. of New Zealand have generated preliminary climate change and sea level rise results that will form the background for the country’s SNC reporting to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)...more

UNDP TO ASSIST TUVALU ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE: Four-year program focuses on protection/awareness
Pacific Islands Report - 27 November 2009
The government of Tuvalu and the United Nations Development Programme have agreed on a project to deal with the threats posed by climate change. The four-year programme will aim to protect Tuvalu’s marine, land, water resources and environmental services. The UNDP will offer training of government officials, technical assessments, documentation and analysis. Increasing climate change awareness in the communities is also a priority, as is implementing projects such as coastal erosion protection, crop production and water conservation. The UNDP’s Knut Ostby says it is now time to focus on how the exposed islands can best adjust...more

UN body lists ways to reduce climate change impact on agriculture
Next - 27 November 2009
Experts project that climate change will have a heavy impact on agricultural activities in the pacific island, which will eventually increase the rate of food insecurity and malnutrition in the region. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warned in a press statement released in Rome, Italy on Thursday, ahead of the December UN summit on climate change in Copenhagen, Denmark, that governments and donors should immediately start implementing robust and action-oriented climate change adaptation plans for the pacific islands as the phenomenon will have a heavy impact on agriculture, forestry and fisheries in the regions. Effect of climate change. Climate change has been a source of concern to governments around the world, as it is believed it will affect the planting calendar of agriculture, thereby affecting regions which are already under severe ecological and economical stress, especially the pacific islands. According to the statement, a rise in the ocean level, ocean warming and acidification ...more

FAO Releases Policy Brief on Food Security and Climate Change in the Pacific
FAO - 26 November 2009
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization FAO has published a policy brief calling for governments to build resilience into food systems by implementing National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) alongside collaboration with international partners. The brief, titled “Climate Change and Food Security in the Pacific,” highlights the potential impacts of climate change on agriculture, forestry and fisheries in the Pacific Islands due to sea level rise, ocean acidification, increased frequency of extreme weather events, and altered circulation of oceans and the atmosphere. The brief notes the importance of diversification of agriculture and the need to prepare for changes in the distribution and abundance of fisheries, particularly tuna. It calls for the promotion of salt- and drought-resistant crops, and the rehabilitation of coastal forests. Noting the linkages between poverty, trade, sustainable livelihoods, food production and food distribution, it underscores the need to mainstream food security into adaptation initiatives...read the the Policy Brief - ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/012/i1262e/i1262e00.pdf

Commonwealth sees island states on climate frontline
Reuters - 26 November 2009
Commonwealth leaders will put the world's small island states at the frontline of the climate debate when they meet on Friday to press for an effective international pact against global warming. Around half of the 53-nation Commonwealth group, mainly former British colonies, are island nations scattered across the world's oceans. Some of these fear they could be swamped or even literally wiped off the map in coming decades if sea levels rise as a result of worsening climate change. Commonwealth leaders are holding a three-day summit in Trinidad and Tobago from Friday and host Prime Minister Patrick Manning said the meeting aimed to send a firm message in favor of cooperation to limit global warming ahead of U.N. climate change talks due in Copenhagen on December 7-18...more

Pacific Islands Step Up Efforts to Counter Climate Change
Solomon Times - 24 November 2009
Low-lying Pacific island countries, which are among the most vulnerable in the world to climate change, are stepping up efforts to counter the threats posed by rising sea levels and extreme weather events. To support national actions, the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Board of Directors approved $3.47 million in grants to help the 14 Pacific developing member countries (DMCs) build up their capacity to respond to challenges posed by changing climatic conditions. "The assistance will help develop climate change adaptation and mitigation plans among Pacific DMCs, and where possible build on or complement existing national adaptation plans of action and climate change strategies," said S. Hafeez Rahman, Director General of ADB's Pacific Department... more

The Rarotonga Climate Change Declaration
Scoop - 24 November 2009
"We, the Pacific Legislators for Population and Governance, meeting in Rarotonga;

Are deeply concerned with the threat of climate change to the economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being, human rights and security of our people and our countries

Deeply concerned that climate change impacts, coupled with the vulnerability of Pacific Island countries, will undermine our sustainable development efforts and threaten our future survival,... more

The Pacific Calls for a Legally Binding climate Change Treaty to be Sealed in Copenhagen
Solomon Times - 23 November 2009
Pacific delegations are angered by suggestions that the UN Climate Change Meeting in Copenhagen will lead to a political declaration instead of an international legally binding agreement. This comes after years of negotiating text for a climate change agreement that the World can agree upon. The most recent climate change talks in Barcelona have seen the legal requirements finally come closer to reaching a stage of agreement. All that is needed now is the political will from developed countries. "This is urgent, we cannot delay it any further, there is an urgency of wanting to achieve a deal out of Copenhagen," said Andrew Yatilman of the Federated States of Micronesia, the former chair of the meeting for the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)...more

Coral Triangle group calls for massive emissions cut
PacNews - 20 November 2009
The six member countries of the Coral Triangle group say that developed countries should reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2015. Environment ministers from the group’s members - Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Thailand, East Timor and Solomon Islands - have been in Honiara this week for the fifth Coral Triangle Initiative senior officials meeting. Solomons Minister for Environment Gordon Darcy Lilo said they have identified three critical threats to their marine ecosystem: sea-level rise, ocean acidification and coral bleaching. With a new secretariat for the group being established in Indonesia, Mr Lilo said the Coral Triangle countries have been galvanised into a major drive for action on climate change...more

New reports on climate change in the Pacific
SPREP - 20 November 2009
Two new SPREP publications available to be downloaded from the SPREP website that may be of interest are:

Wickham, F.; Kinch, J. and Lal, P. 2009. Institutional Capacity within Melanesian Countries to Effectively Respond to Climate Change Impacts, with a Focus on Vanuatu and Solomon Islands. Apia: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.
http://www.sprep.org/publication/pub_detail.asp?id=742

Lal, P.; Kinch, J. and Wickham, F. 2009. A Review of Economic and Livelihood Impacts of Climate Change in the Pacific, Adaptation Strategies and Institutional and Human Capacity Development. Apia: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.
http://www.sprep.org/publication/pub_detail.asp?id=743

AMERICAN SAMOA’S ROSE ATOLL TOPIC OF HEARING: Some residents object to 50-mile protective boundary
Pacific Islands Report - 20 November 2009
In American Samoa, public hearings have been held in Manu’a since late last week to gather input on the Rose Atoll National Marine Monument with a public hearing in Tutuila set for Nov. 19 at the Convention Center.The hearings are conducted by the Intergovernmental Committee — comprised of local and federal officials— as complaints were received early this year about the proposed 50 nautical miles out boundary. Manu’a lawmakers and some residents are arguing that the proposed 50 nautical miles out boundary will take away their traditional fishing grounds...more

Small island nations plead for survival: Cook Islands PM Marurai
PacNews - 19 November 2009
Small Islands Developing States are pleading for their very survival and they don’t want this critical plea to go unheeded warned Cook Islands Prime minister Jim Marurai at the World Food Security Summit in Rome. “2009 may well be recorded in the UN’s history books as: ‘The Year of Unheeded Pleas’. We hope not. Because never before has such an overwhelming convergence of crises been inflicted upon the developing world, as we have witnessed over the past year or so,” said PM Marurai...more

20th SPREP Meeting opens in Samoa
Solomon Times - 19 November 2009
The 20th Annual meeting of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) opened in Samoa amidst a tribute to the Pacific nations struck by the tsunami, spiritual inspiration and an embracing of Samoan culture. From 17 to 20 November, member countries and territories are meeting to discuss the future work plans of the regional environment organisation as well as to look back over the past year...more

PALAU STANDS TO LOSE KAYANGEL TO SEA LEVEL RISE: President Toribiong urges action to stop climate change
Pacific Islands Report - 19 November 2009
Palau will lose a significant amount of land if the prediction of the 2001 International Panel on Climate Change that there will be a rise of between 0.2-0.9m in sea level by 2100 will come through. President Johnson Toribiong in his speech before the World Ocean Forum in Korea last week said climate change will affect the low-lying coastal areas, erosion and inundation are also major risks to Palau. According to data, in Palau it is forecasted that the Kayangel atoll in Palau will be inundated by sea water and may cease to exist by 2100 if the sea level rises close to one meter from its current level...more

AUSTRALIA NAVY CLEANS SAMOA SHORELINE: 60 crewmembers clear debris from beaches, reefs
Pacific Islands Report - 18 November 2009
The naval crew of the Royal Australian transport ship the HMAS Tobruk mounted a much needed clean up campaign yesterday, along the seafront of the villages struck by the tsunami on the south coast about 4 weeks ago. Over 60 crewmembers devoted a full day’s clean up, at the same time, showing how it should be done and demonstrating techniques to the local communities on how to remove debris remaining on the beach and in the reefs. The ‘clean up the reef’ project, as it is called, began in the Lalomanu affected areas where beach fales of Litia and Taufua once stood because it is a beautiful tourist site, which Australians loved and enjoyed...more

RARE SAMOA TURTLES VICTIMS OF TSUNAMI: At least 40 turtles lost in shoreline nests
Pacific Islands Report - 18 November 2009
Among the mass casualties in Apia, Samoa, destruction of homes, schools and businesses, people’s belongings swept away and natural resources in ruins from the tsunami, the story of what has become of our rare turtles has been untold as well as unseen. According to Principal Environment Conservation Officer Malama Moemausu, the sea grass between off-shore islands of the south coast and the Aleipata wharf is one of the reasons why it is known as the best nesting and feeding areas for sea turtles. Unfortunately, post-tsunami assessments revealed that these areas were significantly destroyed from the deadly wave, leading to the destruction of these nesting areas and the killing of over 40 sea turtles...more

TONGA SETS AMBITIOUS RENEWABLE ENERGY GOAL: Government wants to reduce reliance on imported fuel
Pacific Islands Report - 18 November 2009
THE Tonga government has set a target to supply 50percent of Tonga's electricity generation from renewable sources within three years, according to an interim report presented to a Tonga Energy Roadmap Meeting in Vava'u this week. At the moment Tonga relies almost 100 percent on diesel generation for electricity. HRH Princess Salote Mafile'o Pilolevu Tuita officially opened the Development Partners Tonga Energy Roadmap Meeting at the Puataukanave Hotel, Neiafu, Vava'u, on November 16, and wished the delegation a fruitful deliberation in their effort to draft a Renewable Energy Roadmap for Tonga...more

MELANESIA MULLS REVISING FISHING QUOTA : Concern over fishing impacts on ‘Coral Triangle’
Pacific Islands Report - 18 November 2009
A meeting on preserving the Coral Triangle says it is considering revising fishing quotas. Senior officials from the six countries bordering the triangle - Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Solomon Islands - are currently holding talks in Solomon Islands. The triangle, which is the world's richest marine area, has been threatened by a population increase and unsustainable fishing practices. However, the Solomon Islands Minister for Environment, Conservation and Meteorology, Hon Gordon Darcy Lilo, who is chairing the meeting - says they're confident of agreeing on new fishing quotas and practices that would help protect the area...more

TOKELAU CHIEF RAPS NEW ZEALAND ON CLIMATE CHANGE: Asia-Pacific leaders silent on emissions at Singapore summit
Pacific Islands Report - 18 November 2009
The leader of Tokelau has criticised New Zealand and other developed countries for putting economic growth ahead of concern for the environment. The criticism from the Ulu of Tokelau, Foua Toloa comes after leaders at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Singapore failed to set a target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions...more

PACIFIC NATIONS PLEAD FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: 11 island countries call on UN to adopt treaty
Pacific Islands report - 18 November 2009
A group of 11 Pacific Island countries has issued a joint call to the United Nations General Assembly to adopt a legally-binding treaty to tackle climate change. Speaking on behalf of the group, Palau's ambassador to the UN, Stuart Beck, warned that failure to take action immediately will result in the loss of entire nations. He has told the 192-member body that only the agreement on a treaty at next month's climate change talks in Copenhagen can save low-lying Pacific nations like Kiribati, Tuvalu and Marshall Islands...more

FIJI SCIENTISTS STUDY RARE IGUANA SPECIES : Villagers on Qamea Island fear the unknown beast
Pacific Islands Report - 17 November 2009
Fiji’s Quarantine Department is sending a second team to further investigate the discovery of a rare species of iguana on Qamea Island in the country’s north. Director Bio-Security Foraete Hiagi told FijiLive that the specimen had been brought down to the University of the South Pacific where experts were working on it...more

MICRONESIAN GAMES TO CUT EMISSIONS: Palau to host eco-friedly games in 2010
Pacific Islands Report - 16 November 2009
The Palau National Olympic Committee [plans to address greenhouse emissions by having athletes walk to venues rather than ride buses in the] 2010 Micronesian Games. Frank Kyota, PNOC president, noted that the athletes’ village is being built at the Palau Community College, its location near the sport facilities. "This way, it will stop the buses from going and athletes just have to walk to the sport facilities," Kyota said. The organizing committee is also doing away with foams and plastic products and will instead use paper products. This is Palau’s contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions...more

Marshall Islands ratifies nuclear test ban
PacNews - 16 November 2009
The Marshall Islands has become the 151st state to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization called the Oct. 28 move “highly symbolic.” The United States from 1946 to 1958 conducted 67 nuclear test blasts in the atmosphere above the Marshall Islands' Bikini and Enewetak atolls. The treaty to date has been signed by 182 nations and ratified by 151 countries. In the Pacific islands region, 12 states have signed and 10 countries have ratified the treaty. Niue, Tonga and Tuvalu have yet to join the list of signatories...more

Countries agree on Pacific fish pact
PacNews - 16 November 2009
Agreement was reached last week on a new organisation to manage South Pacific fisheries. Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley announced a new convention text had been agreed which would create a regional fisheries management organisation to manage non-highly-migratory fisheries in the high seas. The organisation would manage deep sea fish stocks such as orange roughy and pelagic species such as jack mackerel, Mr Heatley said. More than 20 countries have been meeting last week in Auckland to establish the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO). “This new convention is a key milestone in sustainable management of South Pacific fisheries,” Mr Heatley said...more ...download convention text ... visit PacificRFMO website

Copenhagen set to fail on climate deal
PacNews - 16 November 2009
World leaders meeting in Singapore have said it will not be possible to reach a climate change deal ahead of next month's UN conference in Denmark. After a two-day Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, they vowed to work towards an “ambitious outcome” in Copenhagen. APEC didn't include an emissions target in the final statement from its leaders. But the group dropped a target to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which was outlined in an earlier draft...more

INTRODUCED TOADS SCOURGE OF AMERICAN SAMOA: Brought in to reduce insects, they now threaten native habitat
Pacific Islands Report - 16 November 2009
The cane or marine toad (Rhinella marinus) is a relatively recent introduction to American Samoa. It was purposely brought here from Hawaii in 1954 to control mosquitoes or insect pests that attack taro. Toads (lage) were introduced into artificial ponds at Taputimu on Tutuila, and from there, stocks were liberated in Tafuna and Utulei. The toads then expanded their range to include all of Tutuila, from sea level to the top of Mt. Alava. Fortunately, they have not yet been transported to Manu’a or to western Samoa...more

Sharks to be protected from slaughter
NZ Herald - 16 November 2009
More than 80 species of sharks that frequent the Pacific oceans will now be protected under a new regional plan of action. Their protection means cultural practices based around the shark will also be preserved. Sharks are not just significant in the marine environment, they are also very much ingrained in Pacific-region cultural myths, legends and current oratory traditions, say experts...The protection of sharks was enacted today by the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) during the launch of the Pacific Islands Regional Plan of Action on Sharks. According to FFA at least 80 species of sharks and rays occur within the Pacific Islands region. Around half of these species are considered to be highly migratory, therefore fishing impacts upon them must be internationally managed. Due to their low productivity and long life span, these species are particularly vulnerable to overexploitation...more

PM Somare orders probe into PNG’s climate change office
PacNews - 13 November 2009
Papua New Guinea (PNG) Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare said a formal investigation has been established to review all aspects of policy, financial and human resources in the Office of Climate Change and Environment Sustainability (OCCES). He said this formal investigation was under the leadership of the acting secretary for the Department of Personnel Management supported by the Central agencies to review all aspects of the OCCES. The outcome of the policy review will provide a sound basis for restoring credibility to the work of OCCES and allow Government to move forward quickly to play an important role in the critical Copenhagen climate change talks later this year...more

Plastic bags ban in PNG effective from 01 December
PacNews - 13 November 2009
The ban on the imports of non-biodegradable plastic bags will be fully enforced from Dec 1, Papua New Guinea (PNG) Environment and Conservation Minister Benny Allan said. “While it was initially intended to ban all forms of plastic bags, it was ultimately decided to limit the ban to non-biodegradable plastic shopping bags in order to ensure local plastic bag manufacturers were not affected, which would have led to a loss of local jobs,” Mr Allen said. The minister told Parliament that by the end of this month, all non-biodegradable plastic bags would be removed from the shelves of suppliers and distributors of these bags...more

New Caledonia faces up to global warming challenge
PacNews - 13 November 2009
New Caledonia’s government says it wants to join next month’s climate talks in Copenhagen as rising temperatures imperil its neighbouring island countries. The territory is not a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol and its emissions are excluded from the French quota. Its president, Philippe Gomes, said there is a need to tie up with the French delegation but a separate arrangement has to be found to show New Caledonia’s willingness to subscribe to any follow-up accord after the Kyoto Protocol expires. The head of the environmental organisation, Together For the Planet, said the territory’s emissions will treble within the next few years when two additional nickel smelters come into operation. New Caledonia’s pro capita emissions are 60 percent higher than in France.

NEW ZEALAND SCIENTISTS PREDICT DRAMATIC SEA RISE: Level could rise by up to 1.5 meters by 2100
Pacific Islands Report - 13 November 2009
New research indicates sea levels may rise by up to one and a half metres by 2100. The findings have been released by the Antarctic Research Centre at Victoria University, in Wellington, New Zealand. The centre's director, glaciologist Tim Naish, says the latest range of plausible sea-level rise - of between half and one and a half metres - is based on observations to calculate how much water is likely to come from melting polar ice sheets. Dr Naish was speaking at a media briefing before international climate change talks in Copenhagen...more

Sir Thomas calls for clean Honiara
Solomon Star - 13 November 2009
SOLOMON Islands could be the first Pacific island nation to conquer climate change if we practice disposing our rubbish in the right place. This was the remark of chairman of Solomon Islands Visitor Bureau (SIVB) board Sir Thomas Chan when he delivered 20 wheel bins to Honiara City Council yesterday. Sir Thomas said city residents must act responsible to save the nation’s image. He said all citizens must work together and improve the environment and save our islands from the effects of climate change which is taking its tool on other island nations...more

PNG not prepared for Copenhagen talks
PacNews - 12 November 2009
Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Government has admitted it is not ready for global climate change talks in Copenhagen next month, despite taking a lead on carbon emissions trading. The National Forest Authority has criticised the Government for having no climate action plan, and now the Environment and Conservation Department has admitted as much. The Office of Climate Change, tasked with developing a policy, is under investigation over claims it issued carbon trading certificates to international brokers, in the absence of national legislation...more

GUAM MILITARY BUILDUP CALLED THREAT TO SPECIES: Government plan lays out strategy to deal with new threat.
Pacific Islands Report - 11 November 2009
While the governor discussed an agreement that could make it more difficult for invasive species to enter Guam undetected, two shiny black rhino beetles skittered across the conference room table -- as if trying to escape. A python that was illegally mailed to Guam last year licked at the air-conditioned air in the governor's office. Two plump white beetle grubs as big as thumbs rolled on their backs and wiggled tiny feet at the ceiling. A grub-sniffing dog sat in the corner, alert. Gov. Felix Camacho yesterday said the threat of invasive species will grow when the coming military buildup brings more people and more commerce to Guam over the next few years...more

PNG FORESTRY: ILLEGAL LOGGING THING OF PAST: Current checks and balances make it difficult to cheat [PNG]
Pacific Islands Report - 11 November 2009
Illegal export of logs is not possible with the current checks and balances in place, the National Forest Authority revealed yesterday. The forest authority agreed that the window of corruption was with its own officers on the ground but could not be true with illegal exports as landowners were also monitoring the loggers, because they too are concerned about their royalties on the number of logs exported...more

Poor nations vow low-carbon path
BBC - 11 November 2009
Poor countries considered vulnerable to climate change have pledged to embark on moves to a low-carbon future, and challenge richer states to match them. The declaration from the first meeting of a new 11-nation forum calls on rich countries to give 1.5% of their GDP for climate action in the developing world. It also calls for much tougher limits on greenhouse gas emissions. The forum was established by Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed to highlight the climate "threat" to poor nations. The declaration contends that man-made climate change poses an "existential threat to our nations, our cultures and to our way of life, and thereby undermines the internationally protected human rights of our people". The Maldives are threatened principally by rising sea levels, as are other other nations within the Climate Vulnerable Forum (V11) such as Bangladesh, Vietnam and the Pacific island of Kiribati...more

U.S. PUTS AMERICAN SAMOA DAMAGE AT $81 MILLION: Some 200 projects submitted for federal funds
Pacific Islands report - 11 November 2009
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates damages to infrastructure and government facilities in American Samoa from the September 29th disaster now stand at US $81.5 million. The federal agency has begun the paperwork to finance reconstruction of damaged roads, buildings, utilities, and other infrastructure and expects that a total of 200 projects will be submitted for federal funding...more

PAPUA NEW GUINEA WITHOUT CARBON TRADING PLAN: Country has leading voice on carbon emissions reduction
Pacific Islands Report - 11 November 2009
Papua New Guinea has no clear plan on carbon trading, despite taking a lead internationally on carbon emissions reduction scheme. PNG's prime minister Sir Michael Somare founded the Coalition of Rainforest Nations, a group of more than 40 countries that calls on industrialised countries to pay for the job forests do to absorb carbon emissions. But PNG's National Forest Authority says there are no national plans for a carbon trading scheme...more

SOPAC not ready for January 2010 merger deadline, Governing Council
PacNews - 10 November 2009
The planned integration of the Fiji-based Secretariat of the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) with two regional organisations will not go ahead as planned on 01 January 2010, PACNEWS has been told. Instead, SOPAC’s Governing Council has given its director, Cristelle Pratt until July 2010 to prepare draft detailed integration agreements with the heads of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Programme (SPREP). Both SPC and SPREP were to take over some functions of SOPAC’s work programme from January next year. The draft integration agreements will be circulated to members by July 2010 before the Governing Council meets in October, where PACNEWS was told, a decision on whether to dissolve or suspend the organisation’s constitution will be finalised,...more

ENVIRONMENT: ‘WE NEED AN EQUITABLE, SUSTAINABLE OUTCOME’ : Failure is not an option for the region: SPREP
islands Business - November 2009
As the incoming Director of SPREP, I see climate change as the key challenge facing Pacific Islands Countries and SPREP. It is also the key global concern. Next month, the International community will come together for the 15th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework for the Convention on Climate Change. These past few months have been busy with international talks and negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement on a negotiated outcome for a future climate change framework to be finalised in December. The outcomes are of vital importance to the Small Islands Developing States given that we produce 0.03% of the world’s Greenhouse gases but are amongst the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change...more

THE ROAD TO COPENHAGEN: PACIFIC TOLD TO BRACE FOR A ' NO DEAL ’
Islands Business - November 2009
With the clock ticking closer to the final round of the world negotiations for a new treaty on climate change in Copenhagen next month, the signal is becoming stronger that there will be a ‘no deal’.
“Will there be a strong legally binding agreement in Copenhagen in December? It is not looking that way,” Fei Tevi told a panel discussion on climate change negotiations in Suva last month.
He looks after the Pacific office of the World Council of Churches and is a strong advocate for strong global action against global warming and sea level rise. Deputy head of the United Nations Development Programme in Fiji, Toily Kurbarnov, agrees. Speaking at the same panel discussion that featured Tevi, Kurbarnov said indications from the second last round of climate change negotiations in Barcelona suggested there could be a no deal in Copenhagen. “There could be only three likely outcomes; the talks will be successful, the talks will be a failure, or in United Nations lingo, the talks neither succeeded nor failed,” said Kurbarnov. “We should be prepared for the possibility of a no deal in Copenhagen.” ... more

Building Capacity to implement multilateral environment agreements in the Pacific
SPREP - 9 November 2009
A Pacific Regional Conference opened today with the theme being “Implementing Multi lateral Environment Agreements (MEA’s) in the Pacific”. It is part of a project called “Capacity building related to Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEA’s) in African, Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) States. For the Pacific region, it is funded by the European Union through UNEP and executed by SPREP... more

Afloat in the Ocean, Expanding Islands of Trash
New York Times - 9 November 2009
ABOARD THE ALGUITA, 1,000 miles northeast of Hawaii — In this remote patch of the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of miles from any national boundary, the detritus of human life is collecting in a swirling current so large that it defies precise measurement. Light bulbs, bottle caps, toothbrushes, Popsicle sticks and tiny pieces of plastic, each the size of a grain of rice, inhabit the Pacific garbage patch, an area of widely dispersed trash that doubles in size every decade and is now believed to be roughly twice the size of Texas. But one research organization estimates that the garbage now actually pervades the Pacific, though most of it is caught in what oceanographers call a gyre like this one — an area of heavy currents and slack winds that keep the trash swirling in a giant whirlpool. Scientists say the garbage patch is just one of five that may be caught in giant gyres scattered around the world’s oceans...more

Key Pacific fisheries meetings outcomes
Pacific Scoop - 9 November 2009
The 5th Regional Steering Committee was held on 7 November 2009, the final steering committee meeting for the project which ends its first phase in December 2010. Achievements of the Project were detailed in science, fisheries management and fisheries monitoring, …The 5th Regional Steering Committee was held on 7 November 2009, the final steering committee meeting for the project which ends its first phase in December 2010. Achievements of the Project were detailed in science, fisheries management and fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance.
Discussions on a potential second phase of the Oceanic Fisheries Management Project agreed:
* That the contribution of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) towards assisting Pacific SIDS in oceanic fisheries management was invaluable and much had been achieved under the current project phase;
* That the concept for a further phase of the project support by GEF needed to be ready for an early as possible submission to minimise the impacts of the gap between the current project and the next phase on the delivery of priority activities ...more

ISLAND STATES OUTRAGED AT ATTEMPTS TO UNDERMINE COPENHAGEN OUTCOME
AOSIS - 6 November
The 43-member Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) today expressed outrage at attempts this week to steamroll the worlds most vulnerable countries into accepting a watered down political agreement at the Copenhagen Climate Summit this December, rather than internationally legally binding outcomes. Brushing aside suggestions at this weeks climate talks in Barcelona that it would be impractical or unrealistic to agree this year on legally binding instruments for post-2012, AOSIS demanded the immediate engagement of world leaders to break the deadlock in negotiations, and urged heads of state and government to come to Copenhagen ready to sign onto robust and legally binding commitments.

UN climate change conference likely to fail, officials warn
PacNews - 6 November 2009
The UN climate change conference in Copenhagen next month will fail to produce an agreement to combat the threat of global warming, British officials have warned. They forecast here yesterday that a deal could take another 12 months to strike. This gloomy assessment of the latest state of play was delivered at an off-the-record briefing by senior members of Britain’s delegation at the latest round of climate talks in Barcelona, which were meant to pave the way for an agreement in Copenhagen. Effectively, they were abandoning hope that a legally-binding agreement along the lines of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, could be concluded in the time available, given the wide gaps that still exist. This was “regrettably unavoidable”, one official said...more

COOKS PARLIAMENT TO CONSIDER SEA MINING RULES: Environmental, cultural impacts among concerns
Pacific Islands Report - 6 November 2009
Parliament’s final sitting of the year is set to be held on November 23-27. The main item on the agenda is the passing of the Seabed Minerals Bill which sets out the laws and regulations covering the exploration and mining of the country’s manganese nodule resource...more

INVASIVE MYNAS CULLED ON COOKS’ ATIU: Some 4,000 birds eradicated to save native species
Pacific Islands Report - 6 November 2009
More native birds are now being seen across Atiu as the myna bird population decreases, says Natural Heritage Trust director Gerald McCormack. It is estimated that around 4,000 myna birds – 60 percent of the original population – have been got rid off, thanks to five months of poisoning with DRC1339 carried out by Birdman George and Maara Akava...more

IUCN welcomes Nauru as new state member
PacNews - 5 November 2009
Nauru Government has officially announced its decision to join IUCN by endorsing the IUCN Statutes, becoming the 80th State Member of the world’s largest and oldest environmental network. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Environment has been designated by the Nauru Government as its liaison with the IUCN Secretariat...more

ADB Announces Asia-Pacific Climate Change Video Contest
Solomon Times - 5 November 2009
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced a new video competition - My View: The Asia-Pacific Climate Change Video Contest - to promote awareness of climate change, stimulate debate, and encourage climate change solutions in the lead-up to the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen...more

Kiwi charity heads to Tonga to help clean up the beaches
TV3 - 5 November 2009
New Zealand based charity is attempting to develop a sustainable waste management system for small Pacific Island states. The group from the charity ‘Sustainable Coastlines’ has made a start in one of the most difficult places, the Ha'apai Islands in Tonga. The Ha'apai Islands don't have any form of landfill or recycling system...more

One good shake leads to another
Star Bulletin - 4 November 2009
Geophysicists say that recent earthquakes could be part of a domino effect in the Pacific. The recent "clustering" of earthquakes magnitude 7 and larger in the western Pacific and Indonesia could be the result of a "triggering" effect, Hawaii geophysicists say. "Earthquake triggering is a well-known phenomenon," said Cecily Wolfe, a geophysicst/seismologist at the University of Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology. Whether the current sequence of earthquakes "is simply a coincidence" or due to triggering is a question for research and debate, she added. The first in the latest series was a magnitude-8 earthquake Sept. 29 in the Samoa region. It spawned a tsunami that killed about 178 people and devastated coastal villages in Samoa, American Samoa and northern Tonga...more

Agreement to protect Pacific wetlands under Ramsar Convention
SPREP - 3 November 2009
A memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Ramsar Convention Secretariat on November 2, 2009. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands promotes the wise and sustainable use of wetlands, it is a convention for which five Pacific islands nations are signatories. SPREP works in partnership with the Ramsar convention secretariat to carry out activities in the Pacific region. Through this partnership, SPREP has provided support to Pacific islands countries to protect their wetland areas through conducting training programmes on wetlands management, updating national wetland information and through raising awareness on why our wetlands are important. “The aim of this cooperation is to enhance the application of the Ramsar Convention throughout the Pacific, it is a great honour to have Mr. Anada Tiega in Samoa to sign this very important document,” said the Director of SPREP, Mr. David Sheppard...more

Acceptance of lesser climate deal will threaten existence of small islands, Second Committee told, as it begins sustainable development debate
ReliefWeb - 2 November 2009
If Member States accepted a lesser deal during the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Conference than what was scientifically needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions, they would be threatening the very existence of small island countries, the representative of the Federated States of Micronesia told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) as it began its consideration of sustainable development today. Speaking on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States, he said that, without adequate cuts in emissions, those islands would face severe food production losses caused by heavy rainfalls, erosion and saltwater intrusion into agricultural areas. "The outcome of Copenhagen will determine the quality of our future, and for some of us, if we even have a future. Our survival is not negotiable", he emphasized...more

RESORT DEVELOPMENT BLAMED IN FIJI FLOOD: Removal of mangroves along Nadi River led to disaster
Pacific Islands Report - 2 November 2009
THE removal of mangroves along the Nadi River mouth for the development of hotel resorts and other projects has been identified as a reason for the disastrous effects of the January floods in Nadi. The comments by the Department of Environment come in the wake of findings in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature report that human-induced changes to the landscape contributed to the floods' drastic effects in low lying areas around Fiji. Based on this, department director Epeli Nasome called for appropriate consideration of flood mitigation measures by land developers during Environment Impact Assessments (EIA)...more

Pacific climate change meeting divided on how to tackle the effects of rising sea levels
RNZI - 1 November 2009
A Pacific Islands meeting on climate change has ended without a cohesive position on tackling the effects of rising sea levels. Professor Patrick Nunn, who chaired the meeting, says some Pacific Island countries argue if mitigation of gas emissions is carried out effectively there will be no need to adapt to climate warming. He says this is an untenable view as climate change is already having an impact. “There is mounting concern from the Pacific Island countries at the pace of climate change in the Pacific. That said, there was not any discussion of a coherent regional position at that meeting that the Pacific Islands should take with regard either to adaptation or to mitigation.” Patrick Nunn says plans should be made now to relocate people living in vulnerable areas and not in twenty years time when it’s too late...more

Guam Reefs Included In $7.2M Joint Protection Effort
Guam News - 1 November 2009
As a U.S. territory, Guam is among Pacific Islands included in a multimillion-dollar joint effort to protect American reefs from the harmful effects of climate change, overfishing, and land-based pollution. In what amounts to a sustainable resources project, the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the nonprofit Nature Conservancy will each contribute $3.6 million to defend the health of coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean, Florida, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands...more

October

FSM ‘on the verge of drowning’
PacNews - 30 October 2009
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) President Emanual Mori addressed European and other world leaders on the issue of climate change during the Fourth European Development Days Conference held in Stockholm Sweden. This year’s three-day conference focused on three primary development issues facing the planet: the global economic downturn, democracy and development, and climate change. “My country is on the verge of drowning,” President Mori told the conference. As the president of a small island nation, President Mori said he represented the interests of the most vulnerable nations of the world, but also the future health of the planet. “Within just a few generations, we have become the front line of a global crisis that threatens not only our water supplies, our agricultural productivity and our ocean resources, but also our very existence,” he said... more

A depleting delicacy [PNG]
The National - 30 October 2009
The National Fisheries Authority has imposed a three-year blanket ban on the harvesting of beche-de-mer to ensure it is not fished out, reports SHARON E. BARNABAS ...more

JAPAN PUMPS $20 MILLION INTO SOLAR POWER: Four Pacific nations benefit from investment
Pacific Islands Report - 30 October 2009
Japan has approved a US$20 million solar power plan for four Pacific nations as part of a climate change mitigation program, the Japan Embassy in Majuro confirmed Wednesday. The solar project is being funded under Japan’s "Cool Earth Partnership" program and will support solar power installations in the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and Tonga...more

GUAM OBTAINS EXTENSION TO REVIEW BUILDUP IMPACTS: Navy grants 45 days more on EIS
Pacific Islands Report - 30 October 2009
Guam residents will have more time to review the draft Environmental Impact Statement that will detail the environmental repercussions of the military buildup on Guam. The draft is scheduled to be released Nov. 20. Earlier this week, Guam officials -- Sens. Judith Guthertz and Rory Respicio, Gov. Felix Camacho and Guam Delegate Madeleine Bordallo -- had asked military officials to extend the 45-day period assigned for the public review and comment period for the draft...more

NOAA, The Nature Conservancy Address Coral Reef Threats: Four-year agreement supports projects totaling $7.2 million
NOAA -30 October 2009
NOAA and The Nature Conservancy have entered into an agreement to protect the health of the nation’s valuable but increasingly vulnerable coral reef ecosystems in the Caribbean, Florida, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. The four-year agreement will dedicate $3.6 million in NOAA funding and $3.6 million in matching funds from The Nature Conservancy to address the top three threats facing coral reef ecosystems: climate change, overfishing, and land-based sources of pollution...more

Latest issue of Vai Pasifika
Issue 7, October 2009
Contents:
SPSLCMP detects sea level changes during Samoa tsunami
Vanuatu Meteorological Service's Climate Services Division in Profile
SPREP to Inherit Climate Activities from SOPAC as RIF Outcome
Rapid Environmental Assessment of Tsunami Damaged Area in Samoa
Finland Met Institute/SPREP Quality Management Systems Workshop Completed
Pacific HYCOS granted 12-month extension
New Monitoring station for FSM
SCOPIC - A tool for climate forecasting and managing climate risk ... read Vai Pasifika

It’s AOSIS and not the Pacific Leaders’s position on climate change, debate hears
PacNews - 29 October 2009
As the world counts down to Copenhagen for a possible new climate change deal, some Forum Island Countries increasingly appear to align themselves to the position of the Association of Small Islands States (AOSIS) than the Pacific Islands Forum’s Action on Climate Change endorsed in Cairns in August this year. This position came out clearly at a panel discussion organised by the European Union in Suva last night. Deputy director of the Secretariat of the Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Kosi Latu said the Pacific wants an ‘ambitious and legally binding agreement.’ “A political decision is of no use to us. “Pacific Island Countries will take the AOSIS position to enable our voices to be heard. AOSIS comprises 39 small island developing countries in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and the Pacific. All 14 Forum Island Countries are members of AOSIS. In September, AOSIS declared its negotiating position calling on developed countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emission (GHG) by more than 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and more than 95 percent by 2050...more

PRNGO’s propose a new definition for climate refugees
PacNews - 29 October 2009
The Pacific Regional Alliance of NGO’s (PRNGOs) is proposing a new definition for people who will be forced out of their homeland due to the impact of climate change. “Since there is no such thing as climate refugees in international agreements, we have come up with a new definition for our people, especially here in the Pacific and Maldives in the Indian Ocean, who are likely to be the first victims. “We are proposing the term ‘forced climate migrants.’ It’s a legal term that we are advocating to be used in any international agreement that will look after climate refugees, said Fei Tevi of PRNGO’s. Mr Tevi told a panel discussion in Suva last night that the issue of resettlement of communities should now be taken seriously by regional governments...more

SOLOMONS LAUNCHES ENQUIRY INTO SHORELINE RIGHTS: Clarity sought on legal, customary ownership of resource
Pacific Islands Report - 29 October 2009
The Solomon Islands Law Reform Commission (LRC) will today launch its consultation paper for an enquiry into the law and custom that applies to land below high water and low water mark. The launch of the consultation paper marks the beginning of public consultation by the LRC for this enquiry. The consultation paper, to be launched by the Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs, the Honourable Laurie Chan, gives information about the current written law (legislation) that applies to this area of land and identifies issues that need to be considered during the enquiry. The paper also gives information about the law of neighboring countries over this area of land, and asks questions about how the law should be changed in Solomon Islands. The land below high and low water mark is the beaches, foreshores, reefs and seabed...more

Climate change tops USP’s menu
Fiji Daily Post - 29 October 2009
A panel discussion at the University of the South Pacific last night looked at the challenges and opportunities for the Pacific at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December. “In anticipation of this international meeting was hosted for an international discussion,” USP Professor Anthony Weir said at a press conference on Tuesday “We’ll get a bit of a preview of some of the discussions that will take place at Copenhagen,” Weir said. The panel will feature climate change experts, Government officials, academics and United Nations representatives. The university is partnering with the European Union to become a regional leader in the study of climate change. “The USP has been at the forefront of climate change research and teaching in the Pacific Island for the last decade and is poised to continue with this,” said Professor Patrick Nunn, vice-chancellor of research and innovation. In an effort to be a leading climate change institution, USP is in the process of appointing a climate change professor, broadening the post-graduate programme in climate change and introducing advanced research degrees in climate change...more

Call for effective global measures to combat climate change
Solomon Star - 29 October 2009
THE Prime Minister of Vanuatu, H.E Mr. Edward Natapei, has called for urgent effective global solutions to combat the problems associated with climate change and urged the European Union (EU) to support the Pacific islands countries to fight them. Speaking at the European Development Days in Stockholm, Sweden, last week, on behalf of the Pacific Islands countries, Mr Natapei seized the opportunity to highlight the threats of climate change to the region. The Prime Minister’s compelling address was one of the highlights of the three-day event on Climate Change, which ended on Saturday...more

Papua New Guinea approves LNG environment study
PacNews - 28 October 2009
The Papua New Guinea (PNG) Government has approved an environment impact statement for a liquefied natural gas project being led by ExxonMobil Corp (XOM.N), the U.S. oil major said on Wednesday. “This is another important project milestone, as it allows the project team to secure final approval for the detailed environment management plans which will guide implementation of the construction works,” Peter Graham, head of ExxonMobil's local unit, Esso Highlands Ltd, said in a statement...more

TONGA ISLAND HIT BY TSUNAMI MAY FACE DROUGHT: Waves damaged crops, removed cooling vegetation
Pacific Islands Report - 28 October 2009
There is a possibility that there will be a drought in Niuatputapu, during the coming months, said Sione Talifolau Lihau, a Tonga Red Cross volunteer, who returned to Nuku?aofa last Friday, 23 October after spending three weeks on the island. Sione was in the first emergency relief team to land on the island after it was struck by the Tsunami of September 30. "Many of the inhabitants of Hihifo have been left homeless with no housing, some have been camping in tents while others have evacuated to the bush and set up tents there." Sione said that water, electricity and essential food items are at a satisfaction level now, "but crops including cassava would be finished within a month’s time. Families are just surviving on the food aid that has been transported up by defense vessels, but that will be utilized by the end of the year. "The main concern for the people of Niuatoputapu, as they are trying to rebuild their lives and their homes is that the hot season is arriving and there could be a drought. "The earth felt really hot because the waves washed away the trees and the grass, and the salt water has withered away some of the greenery that was left. It is saddening to see that peoples livelihoods, their root crops, pandanus leaves which they used for weaving and fishing has been taken away by the tsunami. Everyone is just living one day at a time, and depending on the aid donation made to the island," explained Sione...more

JAPAN AIRLINES CONCERNED ABOUT NEW PALAU DEPARTURE FEE: Green fee for environmental impact needs explanation
Pacific Islands Report - 28 October 2009
An official of the Japan Airlines expressed concerns on the pending implementation of the new environmental impact fee to be collected from tourists in Palau. Katsuaki Suzuki, Japan Airlines, Executive Officer & Deputy General Manager Passenger Sales & Marketing Division in a letter to the President’s Office said , the new green fee will confuse the Japanese tourists who are price sensitive nowadays. Suzuki asked in the letter whether the green fee can be imposed next year to give tour agencies in Japan more time to explain it to their customers. The new fee will collect US$35 departure tax from tourists starting Nov.1...more

Environmentalists looking for independent review on New Caledonia nickel plant
PacNews - 27 October 2009
An activist in New Caledonia says there are still concerns about the environmental impact of the Vale-Inco nickel project. The nickel plant, that is being built near a UNESCO World Heritage site, is now expected to begin production in January next year. The plant’s launch has been delayed several times due to technical problems, including a huge spill at its sulphuric acid plant in April. That plant is being redesigned and Jacques Boengkih, said local groups are asking for an independent review once that is done...more

PARTIES TO THE NAURU AGREEMENT MEETING OUTCOMES
Pacific Islands Report - 27 October 2009
The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), met this week and agreed to actions to advance their interests in securing greater economic benefits from the tuna resources and co-ordinate and harmonise the management of common fish stocks for the benefit of their peoples. The Parties to the Nauru Agreement are Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu and often are referred to as the PNA. Their 3rd Implementing Arrangement, adopted in 2008, follows a tradition of innovation by PNA leaders in developing new initiatives to manage tuna resources in the region. Many of the measures of the PNA were also adopted at the last meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission such as the high seas pockets closure, controls on Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) and the coverage of purse seine fishing vessels with observers.

Outcomes from the PNA Officials and Ministerial meeting this week include:

ESTABLISHMENT OF A PNA OFFICE: Ministers agreed to the establishment of the PNA Office in the Marshall Islands from 1 January 2010...more

SOLOMONS MINE WASTE PLAN WORRIES VILLAGERS: Effort to ‘dewater’ tailings dam called safe
Pacific Islands Report - 27 October 2009
Villagers residing along the Metapona River have raised grave concern about the dewatering of the Gold Ridge Mine tailings dam scheduled for next week. Metapona community spokesperson Benjamin Kakau said they are scared of any possible dangers that may result from the dewatering process. He said they do not dispute the dewatering but are scared of any possibility of debris spilling into their river. "People living at the river mouth are facing problem of rising water almost every two weeks, therefore we are concerned of the tailings dam dewatering process," he said. He said they were worried incase the dewatering spoil their food products which they depend very much on for their sustainable livelihood...more

Moving to close high seas pockets
Solomon Star - 26 October 2009
THE parties to the Nauru Agreement are to investigate closing off additional high seas pockets to rein in illegal tuna fishing. The fisheries ministers from the PNA countries - the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu - met in Kiribati this week. The PNA aims to secure greater economic benefits from tuna and co-ordinate and harmonise the management of the resource. This week’s meeting agreed to establish a PNA office in the Marshall Islands next year. The ministers have also agreed that further work be done on closing additional high seas areas because they provide a safe haven for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing...more

Vanuatu to benefit from EC Global Climate Change Alliance funds
PacNews - 26 October 2009
Vanuatu is the first recipient of funding assistance from the European Commission’s Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA). The country’s Prime Minister, Edward Natapei travelled to Sweeden last week to initial the €3.2 million funding to facilitate implementation of the country’s National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) on climate change. Addressing the signing ceremony, PM Natapei said his country is already experiencing impacts of climate change through seawater inundation, flooding, fishery decline and drought. “Urgent action is needed to avoid a genocidal impact on small island states. “We cannot meet the challenges of climate change alone. The GCCA is necessary and will go a long way to assisting Vanuatu meet the challenges of climate change...more

FUEL SPILL AT NEW CALEDONIA NICKEL PLANT ‘MINOR’: Goro plant leaks 2,000 liters of diesel fuel
Pacific Islands Report - 26 October 2009
The operator of New Caledonia’s Goro nickel plant, Vale-Inco, says last week’s diesel spill at a power unit near its main site caused only minor pollution. The territory’s daily newspaper says an equipment malfunction saw 2,000 litres of fuel leak out but it was contained in a retention area apart from some 50 litres that flowed onto the ground. The company says the incident, which has had no impact on the flora and fauna, was immediately reported to the authorities. In April, there was a serious acid leak at the plant which caused concern over the enterprise’s impact on the environment. The Goro plant, which is to start nickel production next year, is next to a lagoon that has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Who should be blamed for climate change?
Solomon Star - 25 October 2009
THE result of rising global temperature and thermal expansion is a threat, not only to the survival of people, but also the effective functioning of the ecosystem. The minister for Environment, Conservation and Meteorology, Gordon Darcy Lilo, stressed everyone is responsible for climate change because as we travel in a vehicle we are emitting carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. This is also true when we travel by vessels, when we cut down trees for our timber or extend our garden we are increasing the level of human induced causes to climate change. .Mr Lilo said climate change is catastrophic for Solomon Islands and some parts like Kwai and Ngongosila, which are only few metres above sea level, will be in disaster if “sea level rise increases between 0.4cm to 1.2 metres”. He said Lord Howe and Sikaiana have food security and water problems. For artificial islands land scarcity will be much worse than now - a big problem for Solomon Islands...Currently the British High Commission in partnership with One News, Solomon Star, PAOA FM, and SIBC has funded a documentary series ‘Home Blo Iumi’. “It is to document the effects of climate change here in Solomon Islands and for people to tell their story about its effects and to share their ideas on how to deal with climate change. The document should be aired later this month and should be shown at the Copenhagen Conference...more

'Forget the speeches, we want action' say Pacific climate change campaigners
Pacific Scoop - 25 October 2009
Pacific people have called for the world to act fast on climate change science as they bear the burden of increasing drought, rising sea levels, salinated land and food shortages. “Today we are reminding the world’s leaders that they can give all the speeches they want, but that won’t change what the science says,” says Fiji 350 Coconut Telegraph organiser Linda Blue. “There are people in the world who have already begun to suffer from drought, from flood, from the spread of disease. We will not stand by and let that happen,” she said. 350 organisers are calling for world leaders to commit to a firm and binding treaty at Copenhagen in December based on science, including the research of leading Nasa scientist James Hansen... more

SAMOA FAMILIES TURN TO INLAND AGRICULTURE: Tsunami took away shoreline farming, fishing
Pacific Islands Report - 24 October 2009
The tsunami waves which hit Aleipata and Falealili districts left widespread devastation and destruction to natural resources the villagers depend on. Plans to revive plantations and natural growth destroyed in the September 29 tsunami will soon be underway now that post-tsunami assessments have reached its final stages. Principal National Reserve Officer of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Talie Foliga disclosed to Newsline the different tree and plant species with the potential for regrowth and those which were completely destroyed...more

Pacific region sends out call for 350 'Int'l Day of Climate Change Action'
Saipan Tribune - 24 October 2009
Actions and events are planned in every Pacific Island nation for the 350 International Day of Climate Action today, Oct. 24. In the last 24 hours, events from the Federated States of Micronesia and Kiribati have been registered with www.350.org, completing the entire list of Pacific countries. Pacific communities, many of whom are already affected by climate change, are uniting to create actions that will raise awareness of climate change impacts in the Pacific. Each country's call for action on climate change will be broadcast through a global network, including on a huge screen in Times Square, New York...more

Environment: ADB and WWF Strengthens Partnership To Ensure Environmental Protection in Asia Pacfic
EGovMonitor - 23 October 2009
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) are seeking to strengthen their partnership toward the sustainable management of natural resources in the Asia and Pacific region. WWF International Director General James Leape visited ADB Headquarters in Manila today to discuss existing programs, as well as explore new collaborations on issues of climate change, natural resource management and use, biodiversity conservation, and water...ADB and WWF are currently partnering to support the development and implementation of a number of regional cooperation programs, including the Coral Triangle Initiative, a regional effort by Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste to preserve and manage the region's coastal and marine resources ...more

Pacific Climate Change Roundtable Closes in Majuro
SPREP - 23 October 2009
The Pacific Climate Change Roundtable closed in the Marshall Islands this week. The meeting ended with a series of outcomes to provide the way forward for the Roundtable. It also allowed for a closed discussion for Pacific islands countries to prepare for the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen this December. “I think it was a very successful meeting, the aim of the Roundtable such as this is to share experiences and we’ve heard a lot from most of the countries and international partners,” said Mr. David Sheppard, the Director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). “I think that having the Roundtable on this topic in the Republic of the Marshall Islands really highlighted the immediacy and urgency of the problem. While many countries are talking and talking in the negotiations process, countries like the Marshall Islands are facing the risk of loss of their livelihoods in a very immediate way. The immediacy of the problem and the need for urgent action was clear.” Specific issues of adaptation to climate change, ecosystem based adaptation approaches, financing as well as specific problems of low lying atolls were discussed, along with the assessment paper on the implementation of the Pacific islands Framework to Climate Change (PIFACC). It was recommended that there be a mid term review of the implementation of the PIFACC process. The full set of recommendations will be made available to Pacific islands countries and territories next week.

Dept launches website [PNG]
Post Courier - 23 October 2009
AFTER existing for over 34 years, the Department of Environment and Conservation is providing important information about the country’s biodiversity readily accessible to the world. The department on Wednesday launched its website http://www.dec.gov.pg to ensure that their clients among others would have easy access to information about the country’s environment and the many international treaties and legislations the department had signed with other organisations.
The site also enables clients to see new projects that the department is undertaking...

‘Climate change requires response on many levels’
PacNews - 23 October 2009
All options including relocation must be considered as Pacific islands anticipate a future of increasing hardships from climate change, said David Sheppard, the new director of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). In an interview during this week’s Pacific Climate Change Roundtable in Majuro, Mr Sheppard said relocation of populations is a long-term option that needs to be looked at, while addressing adaptation and mitigation measures in the short-term. Essential to moving ahead in the face of climate change is increasing the availability of information and access to predictions about the impacts in particular islands, Mr Sheppard said. Scientific scenarios show that sea level rise is expected to exceed one meter (three feet) by 2100, he said. The meeting in Majuro this week has discussed at length adaption options for improving the ability of islands to withstand worsening climate events ranging from cyclones (typhoons) to high waves. “The message is that nature-based solutions are the best,” he said...more

Climate change negotiations, slow steps forward?
SPREP - 22 October 2009
Pacific islands countries are still waiting for “numbers on the table” from the developed countries outlining how much they plan to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. The Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) stands by a limit of 1.5 degree Celsius temperature warming for which they have the support of close to 100 United Nations Member countries. There is currently 0.8 degrees Celsius in temperature warming which is impacting upon the Pacific islands countries with coastal erosion, a threat to food crops, coral bleaching, flooding and more intense cyclones and hurricanes. The Pacific Islands needs well below 1.5 to stay alive...more

UN food agency offers free satellite monitoring of forests
PacNews - 21 October 2009
The UN food agency Tuesday announced a satellite image database on the degradation of the world's forests as part of efforts to reduce global warming caused by greenhouse gases ...more

U.S. grants American Samoa $25M for tsunami cleanup
PacNews - 21 October 2009
The U.S. Department of Labour is awarding about US$25 million to American Samoa to help with tsunami cleanup and recovery efforts in the remote U.S. Pacific territory... more

MICRONESIA FACING EL NINO DRAUGHT: Palau, Marshalls, CNMI dry for six months
Pacific Islands Report - 21 October 2009
Experts say much of Micronesia will remain in drought-like conditions for the next six months, as an El Nino weather system approaches...more

Pacific Officials Huddle In Majuro: Strategy planned for climate talks
Pacific Islands Report - 21 October 2009
Pacific island officials planned to bolster their negotiating position for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December as they meet here for the Pacific Climate Change Roundtable. A key focus of the three-day meeting in Majuro will be the Pacific’s strategy at the global climate change meeting to be held in Copenhagen at which world leaders will attempt to hammer out agreement on cutting back "greenhouse gas" emissions that are causing the Earth’s climate to change. "We will be looking on the one hand at getting new information on impacts in the region and using that to generate further input to our negotiating strategy," Espen Ronneberg, the climate change advisor to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program, who is involved in organizing the Majuro talks, said Thursday...more

Pacific response to climate change to resonate throughout the world
PacNews - 20 October 2009
In spite of the recent tsunamis, Pacific nations are planning a series of attention-seeking activities as part of the 350 International Day of Climate Action on 24 October this year. Pacific peoples, many of whom are now affected by rising seas, salinated land, drought and increasingly frequent storms, are uniting and joining in creative actions planned to empower residents and raise awareness of climate change...more

Call to protect Pacific Ocean from overfishing
PacNews - 19 October 2009
Scientists are calling for large ocean areas to be protected in a similar way to the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland's coast. Most of the world's open ocean is still unprotected and fishing is largely uncontrolled in international waters. Professor Bob Pressey from the Centre of Excellence for Reef Studies said satellite technology is making the concept of protecting the entire southern Pacific Ocean a reality...more

Start planning for refugees from Pacific warming: scientist
TerraDaily - 19 October 2009
Pacific islands in danger of being obliterated by rising sea levels should seek aid for relocation at a crunch UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, a Fiji-based scientist said.
"By 2100, I don't see how many islands will be habitable," professor Patrick Nunn, a climate change researcher at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji said ahead of the opening of a regional climate change conference Monday. Nunn is chairing the Pacific Climate Change Roundtable meeting in the Marshall Islands capital Majuro, where 14 Pacific countries and territories are devising their strategy for the December conference. New scientific projections showed that sea levels were rising faster than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projected in its 2007 report, Nunn said. "We're now looking at a more than one metre (three feet) sea-level rise by the end of the century," he said. For low-lying coral atoll nations such as the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and Tuvalu, habitation will become impossible. "The biggest challenge is getting policy makers to understand the need for a profound change in the way Pacific people live," he said...more

Scientist at climate change conference in Majuro wants focus on adaptation
RNZI - 19 October 2009
The Pacific Regional Environment Programme’s head says adapting to climate change impacts is a key priority for the survival of Pacific islands that are endangered by rising sea levels. David Sheppard told the opening of a climate change workshop in Majuro in the Marshall Islands today that adaptation has to remain the key priority for decades to come, during which more will be learned about specific impacts. He says better science and observation is needed in the region and this must be applied to the development of useful practical strategies. The conference is aimed at developing a Pacific Islands strategy for the global climate change meeting to be held in December in Copenhagen. Professor Patrick Nunn, a climate change researcher at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, who is chairing the meeting, says those islands threatened with being obliterated by rising sea levels, should seek relocation aid at the UN conference. Mitigation and adaptation projects are being proposed to withstand sea level rise, but Mr Nunn says there are no real options, apart from moving, for the people on many of the low lying islands.

Samoa tsunamis obliterate some coral, spare others
AFP - 17 October 2009
Scientists surveying American Samoa's coral reefs say Sept. 29's tsunami obliterated some corals and damaged others to the point that they may not recover. Researchers say more assessments will be needed to get a full sense of how the disaster affected coral in the U.S. territory. But in at least one area, the damage was so severe, and the affected area already in such bad shape before the tsunamis, that the coral may never return. There's an additional threat the surviving coral may suffer secondary damage weeks after the tsunamis if waves drag heavy debris from people's wave-wrecked homes — like refrigerators, tin roofs and other objects — across the reefs. Mounds of household goods dislodged by the giant waves are still sitting in the water off tsunami-torn villages...more

Scientists set out to find answers following the tsunami which stuck Samoa
PacNews - 16 October 2009
A group of scientists is in Samoa in a bid to find answers to questions posed by earthquakes and the tsunami which stuck Samoa last month. The group of 32 will be joined by local scientists on their mission. They will commute to the place of destruction daily over a ten day period. By the end of their research, the scientists hope to find answers to questions like ‘Why the tsunami happened?’ They are also keen to assess the damage on the environment and livelihoods, said Technology Team Co-Leader, Dale Dominey-Howes...more

Former Commonwealth Secretary General sees sea level challenges as global responsibility
PacNews - 16 October 2009
Former Commonwealth secretary general Don McKinnon is describing planning for the future of Kiribati and Tuvalu in the light of rising sea levels, as a global responsibility. Mr McKinnon said proactive strategies now could help avoid a panic response in the future. He said the people of Kiribati and Tuvalu need new options in case their islands disappear and they should be consulted now on possible solutions...more

TAHITI ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS GET FINANCING: $15 million credit line backed by European Investment Bank
Pacific Islands Report - 16 October 2009
The European Investment Bank (EIB) signed Monday in Papeéte a 10 million euros (US$15 million) environment dedicated credit line with Societe Generale Banque de Polynesie (SGBP). The EIB loan to SGBP will enhance the scarce provision of commercial financing for sponsors of investments in the environmental sector, thus responding to an increase in demand among consumers for environmental technologies and services, a European Investment Bank press release states. The funding will strengthen SGBP’s capacity to support companies pursuing environmentally sustainable business practices and investments. Environmental projects eligible for financial assistance under this package include renewable energy, energy efficiency, pollution abatement technology and environmental municipal services...more

Pacific islands meet over climate change plan
AFP - 16 October 2009
Officials from Pacific island countries expected to be among the earliest victims of climate change will meet next week to devise a negotiating strategy for a crucial Copenhagen conference. The officials will meet in Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, a nation where islands average less than one metre (three feet) above sea level and are among the most vulnerable in the world to rising sea levels caused by global warming. More than a dozen Pacific Island countries will be plotting their strategy for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December in Copenhagen, which will attempt to hammer out an international deal to combat warming. Espen Ronneberg, the climate change advisor to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), said Thursday that Pacific countries would be gathering new information on the impact of global warming in the region to devise a negotiating strategy...more

Draft climate change bill being put together [PNG]
The National - 16 October 2009
A DRAFT climate change bill for Papua New Guinea is currently being put together and when completed, will be circulated to stakeholders for consideration and comment to ensure that all issues are adequately dealt with within the proposed legislative framework.
In a joint presentation, Office of Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability (OCCES) executive manager, policy and legal services Karl Sopol, and the acting executive director, Dr Wari Iamo, said work on a draft PNG climate change bill was being put together.
Mr Sopol told stakeholders, development partners, forest resources owners and media personnel that the climate change policy or legislation would be a law that would provide the overarching legal framework to address the issues of climate change in PNG.

PALAU TO RECONSIDER POSITION ON WHALING: Country has backed Japan’s ‘research’ whaling
Pacific Islands Report - 15 October 2009
President Johnson Toribiong said Palau will revisit its current position on whaling. The president in an interview said that he will be looking into Palau’s position anew to ensure that the countries present position will not contribute to the depletion and extinction of whales. Toribiong, recently declared Palau as a shark sanctuary before the United Nations General Assembly head of states. For marine protection, the president said, the country also needs to protect other marine species in Palau...more

A Sea of Change for Island Nations
Environmental Protection - 15 October 2009
Saturday, Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed will lead a cabinet meeting underwater. The unusual choice of location is to practice for later in the century when low-lying Pacific Island nations will find themselves inundated, thanks to the impacts of climate change. The political leaders of these countries know they don't have the luxury of seeing global warming through rose-colored glasses. Without action, the almost 9 million citizens of these island nations will be swallowed up by the sea. Conservative estimates of sea level rise over the next century promise “disproportionately great effects” for island states. Some are expected to disappear by the end of the century. Others may not disappear, but rising sea levels will create severe environmental problems that may make them uninhabitable. But as demonstrated by Nasheed, the leaders of these nations are not going down without a fight. One leading voice is President Anote Tong of Kiribati. Tong knows that his country’s citizens “will have to face up to the reality of their islands being unable to support life,” possibly in as little as 50 years from now. Tong has proposed a reasonable and practical solution: relocate the people of Kiribati around the globe. There are tremendous logistical, legal, and cultural downsides to the plan, but Tong remains clear-eyed in his focus—the most important thing is to guarantee the survival of his citizenry...more

Director reveals Tagabe river rehab plan [Vanuatu]
Vanuatu Daily Post - 15 October 2009
Vanuatu Water Resources Management Unit have created a plan for the rehabilitation of the Tagabe river. They anticipate plan will become a model for other contaminated rivers in the country. The director of water resources management unit Erikson Sami confirmed this during a presentation to the diploma journalism students at VIT on Monday. Mr Sami confirmed that Tagabe river is contaminated and there are many factors that have contributed to the contamination of the river. Much of the pollution is from human, animal and chemical wastes...more

Law change needed to cover climate exiles - lawyers
Reuters - 15 October 2009
International law is unfit to deal with the millions of people expected to flee their home countries to escape droughts and floods intensified by climate change, a group of lawyers said on Thursday. Under existing laws, host countries must protect and care for cross-border refugees, who are defined as those forced to migrate because of violence or political, racial or religious persecution. There are no such provisions for so-called climate refugees. Yet by 2050, between 200 million and 1 billion people could be forced to leave their homes because of global warming, said the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development, which advises vulnerable countries and communities. "International refugee law ... was not designed for those who are left homeless by environmental pressures," said the group's director Joy Hyvarinen. "The international legal framework needs to be adjusted to help climate exiles and deal with statelessness and compensation," she said in a statement. Climate change will hit small island states the hardest, the foundation said, adding rising seas might submerge Kiribati and the Marshall Islands or climate changes in other ways might make them uninhabitable. Kiribati's government has asked larger nations, including New Zealand and Australia, to open their doors to its citizens who might become, along with people in the Maldives and other Pacific islands, climate refugees...more

FSM PRESIDENT TO SPEAK IN STOCKHOLM
Pacific Islands Report - 14 October 2009
President Mori has received an invitation to go back to Sweden and talk on climate change issues from the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, and the Prime Minister of Sweden, Fredrik Reinfeldt. President Mori has been invited to take part in the fourth edition of the European Development Days to be held in Stockholm on October 22-24, 2009. This is an annual policy forum and is Europe’s platform for discussion and exchange of ideas with partner countries, global civil society and the development community. It is expected to have over 4,000 participants from over 125 countries and focus on the issues of developing countries in three major categories of citizenship and development, democracy and development and climate change. In the invitation, President Barroso states that, "The world’s climate looks set to continue changing at rates unprecedented in human history. We know that the poorest people and countries are the most likely to be hit the hardest by rising sea levels, desertification and natural disasters, yet they are often least responsible for the causes." He also states that, "we must also adapt to climate change and support the poorest people and countries in their efforts to do so." He specifically asked for President Mori to be part of an intervention in the special plenary session on Climate Change during the meeting in Stockholm, which is only a few weeks before the 15th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (UNCCC) in Copenhagen, Denmark...more

SHIP’S ENGINEER PLEADS GUILTY TO POLLUTION: 370 tons of oily bilge dumped off Guam
Pacific Islands Report - 14 October 2009
A former chief engineer of a vessel being charged in federal court for discharging approximately 370 tons of untreated oily bilge waste overboard from a ship, has entered a plea agreement with the U.S. government. Under the plea agreement, John Wylie Davis, also known as Jack Davis, will plead guilty to the charges of false statement and failure to maintain an Oil Record Book. The charges carry maximum penalties of 11 years in prison, US$500,000 fine, six years of supervised release, and a US$200 court assessment fee...more

PNG LANDOWNER WANTS COMPENSATION FOR TREES: Commercial project fell through, forest gone
Pacific Islands Report - 14 October 2009
Virgin forests lie untouched for hundreds of years but with logging and other commercial activities, such areas are under constant threats. In Kutubu, almost six hectares of land was cleared last year for a commercial centre but that has not been built on, resulting in the owner of the land wanting compensation for the environmental destruction...more

Climate to affect PNG’s tuna stock
The National - 14 October 2009
PAPUA New Guinea could lose millions of kina through a decline in its stock of tuna as a result of climate change. While the Government is planning to build tuna canneries and processing plants, it does not have a plan to prevent the migration or loss of the tuna. Prof Simon Saulei, who is the director of the Papua New Guinea Forest Research Institute, sounded this warning yesterday.
“In the next 20 to 30 years, there will be a decline in the tune stocks due to climate change and its adverse effects on the marine environment. “However, the Government does not seem to have any strategic plan in place to counter tuna migration,” Pro Saulei said. He said there was a likely trend that the country’s tuna stock, especially skipjack tuna, was projected to migrate to the east of the Pacific Ocean by the year 2050, thus leaving PNG’s waters with less tuna stock...more

Forests destroyed by rapid population growth [PNG]
The National - 13 October 2009
A RAPID rise in population is one of the leading causes of deforestation together with major mining and energy projects, as compared to commercial forestry, the PNG Forest Industries Association (PNGFIA) Inc said. “The leading cause of deforestation is not commercial forestry, rather it is rapid population increase,” executive officer of PNGFIA Bob Tate said. Rising population growth, according to Mr Tate, is putting undue pressure on the land for subsistence and small-scale agriculture and on forests for wood for fuel...more

New Director starts at SPREP
Pacnews - 13 October 2009
former adviser at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has returned to become its new director. David Sheppard started work in Apia last week . He has over 30 years experience in the conservation and environment field at the national, regional and international levels. This extensive experience involves working with more than 50 countries on a range of aspects relating to protected areas, conservation and natural resource management. His wealth of experience includes having worked at SPREP during the 1980’s on a number of short term training and capacity building activities as well as helping to organise the 1985 South Pacific Regional Protected Areas Conference in Apia. Mr Sheppard was also the Team Leader for SPREP’s innovative Regional Environment Management Project from 1990 to 1993, which resulted in the development and implementation of National Environmental Strategies in a number of Pacific countries. “It’s great to be back at SPREP,” said the new SPREP Director...more

Pacific activists catch Japanese pirate boat in Cook Island waters
Pacnews - 12 October 2009
Greenpeace has called for the arrest of the captain of the Japanese ship Koyu Maru 3, the fishing boat caught fishing illegally in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Cook Islands. "The Koyu Maru 3 and other pirate fishing vessels are stealing fish for their own profit, depriving the people of the Cook Islands of a vital source of income said Josua Turaganivalu, Oceans Campaigner of Greenpeace Australia Pacific on board the Esperanza. "These pirates of the Pacific must be stopped from plundering ocean life and robbing local communities." ...more

BIRD HABITAT CREATED ON SAIPAN: Eight-acre parcel to protect endangered species
Pacific Islands Report - 10 October 2009
THE Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Department of Public Lands cleared more than half of the eight-acre designated habitat of an endangered bird species using a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant it received to remove unexploded ordnance in Marpi where a village homestead project on Saipan is supposed to be built, documents showed. Saipan Independent Rep. Tina Sablan said DPL acknowledged its error and has committed to restoring the affected area and protecting an even larger forest habitat in perpetuity as part of the remediation plan...more

INTERVIEW-Island states renew call for big climate funding
Reuters - 9 October 2009
Small island nations renewed calls on Friday for massive funding to fight climate change, saying the likelihood of more intense storms and rising sea levels threatened their survival. On the sidelines of U.N. climate talks in the Thai capital, the Alliance of Small Island States, or AOSIS, said it faced an emergency as rising global temperatures risked wiping out coastal areas and endangering access to food and clean water. "The days of little money in the face of big problems are over," Dessima Williams, chair of the AOSIS group of 42 countries, told Reuters in an interview. "We want to see that the international community takes on a firm and a reliable set of commitments that will contribute both to our survival as well to our protection, and thirdly to our development." The members of AOSIS, which include the Maldives, Tuvalu and Papua New Guinea, are some of the most vulnerable countries to flooding from rising seas, caused in part by melting ice caps and glaciers as the world gets warmer...more

SOLOMONS’ TEMOTUS STRUGGLE WITH RISING SEA: Loss of land, hunger blamed on climate change
Pacific Islands Report - 9 October 2009
Islands in Temotu Province are being affected by sea level rise and changes in weather pattern. Premier of Edward Daiwo revealed this at the premiers’ conference in Tulagi last week. Mr. Daiwo said the sea level rise has reduced landmass where edible fruit trees are grown and people live. He said in some of the islands up to 100 meters in land have been washed out in the sea or has been submerged underwater...more

CARTERET RELOCATION AT STANDSTILL: ‘Climate refugees’ desperate as Bougainville fumbles
Pacific Islands Report - 10 October 2009
Climate refugees, the Carterets Islanders, are still preparing to be relocated because the program is being carried out very slowly. There are now two relocation programs — one run by the Bougainville administration and the other by the Catholic Church in conjunction with a non-government organisation — Tulelei Peisa. [PIR editor’s note: The Carteret Islands is a ring of low islands in an atoll located about 50 miles northeast of Bougainville, a semi-autonomous province in Papua New Guinea. According to Radio New Zealand International, the relocation project to move Carteret Islanders to Bougainville is said to be at a standstill due to a lack in funds. For years the people of the Carteret Islands have been wanting to leave their flood prone atolls to move to Tinputz on Bougainville. A spokesperson for a Papua New Guinea NGO, Tulele Peisa, which is overseeing the resettlement, Ursula Rakova says so far five people from five families have relocated to the site. She says plans are in place for a further 45 people from the respective families to make their move by the end of this month. But Ms Rakova says while the five have resettled comfortably, those who remain on the Caterets are becoming frustrated by the long wait and severe lack of food and resources.] ...more

ENVIRONMENT: BUILDING CAPACITY TO MANAGE THE UNAVOIDABLE : The dangers of climate change
Islands Business - October 2009
Climate change as you all know is a major challenge for our countries, our communities and our people. The adverse impacts of climate change will affect all the vital economic, social and environmental sectors of our countries. Our economies face insurmountable challenges and many of our lower lying islands and coastal areas could be annihilated by climate change.
At the same time, the solutions to climate change lie largely outside our control. Industrial processes and un-sustainable developments in countries far from our shores are the main causes of climate change. We are all aware of the dangers of climate change, but our citizens need to hear what steps can be taken and what steps are being taken so that we can adapt to these changes...more

ENVIRONMENT: IN THE STEPS OF OUR ANCESTORS: Rowing the world to raise climate change issues
Islands Business - October 2009
On Sunday 6 September, lone UK woman ocean rower, Roz Savage, arrived at the port of Betio, in Tarawa, Kiribati. This marked the completion of an epic 3,000-mile journey from Hawaii, covering a period of 104 days of being all alone, rowing single-handed against the might of the Pacific.
“The Pacific is such a very, very big ocean,” Savage commented on landing. “You really become very aware of this when you row across it, one stroke at a time.” This is the second of three Pacific stages as she rows from San Francisco to Australia to highlight to the world the major dilemmas faced by low-lying islands states with rising sea levels and climate change...more

TOURISM: TO TONGA, TO TONGA FOR A WHALE ENCOUNTER : Tourists head to king’s country
Islands Business - October 2009
So what does the Kingdom of Tonga have that other similarly placed South Pacific countries don’t? Apart from the obvious answer that they still have a ruling monarch, the answer to this question for a growing number of tourists lies out to sea. In Tonga, you are allowed to swim with the many humpback whales that congregate in their waters during the winter months...more

INTERVIEW-Island states renew call for big climate funding
Alertnet - 9 October 2009
Small island nations renewed calls on Friday for massive funding to fight climate change, saying the likelihood of more intense storms and rising sea levels threatened their survival. On the sidelines of U.N. climate talks in the Thai capital, the Alliance of Small Island States, or AOSIS, said it faced an emergency as rising global temperatures risked wiping out coastal areas and endangering access to food and clean water. "The days of little money in the face of big problems are over," Dessima Williams, chair of the AOSIS group of 42 countries, told Reuters in an interview. "We want to see that the international community takes on a firm and a reliable set of commitments that will contribute both to our survival as well to our protection, and thirdly to our development." The members of AOSIS, which include the Maldives, Tuvalu and Papua New Guinea, are some of the most vulnerable countries to flooding from rising seas, caused in part by melting ice caps and glaciers as the world gets warmer...more

REPORT TAKES MEASURE OF SAMOA DAMAGE: Coastal resources assessed [American Samoa]
Pacific Islands Report - 8 October 2009
Six villages on Tutuila sustained the "most severe damage" due to last Tuesday’s tsunami caused by a massive earthquake 120 miles away, according to a 14-page ‘Post-Tsunami Coastal Resource Damage Assessment" draft report compiled by the Governor’s Coral Reef Advisory Group. This report documents a rapid coastal resource assessment of Tutuila in the days immediately following the tsunami with the main focus of the assessment on coastal and marine debris that could impact territorial coastal resources as well as environmental health from oil spills, septic systems and piggeries. "Overall, it appears that there are no urgent environmental health concerns although a number of items will require significant attention during the coming weeks to ensure that ecological impacts are minimized," the report says. "The most severe damage was found at Poloa, Amanave, Leone, Pago Pago, Alao, and Tula although widespread damage was also reported from Masefau, Vatia, Amaluia, and Asili." ... more ... download report - http://www.browsaic.com/Coastal_Resource_Assessment.pdf

PNG VILLAGERS PROTEST ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE: Compensation demanded for harmful mining operations
Pacific Islands Report - 7 October 2009
Villages living along the Watut River gathered at Sambio village in Bulolo District to block part of the highway to demand an answer to their 21 days petition last Friday. The people, including women and children, both young and old and numbering around 500, converged and blocked the road to all traffic into Bulolo and Lae. The people want an answer to their petition they handed over to Provincial Administrator Kemas Tomala, Bulolo MP Sam Basil and Morobe Mining Joint Ventures regarding environmental damage to the Watut River system... more

MARSHALLS BILL WOULD BAN PLASTIC BAGS: Foam cups also seen as environmental threats
Pacific Islands Report - 7 October 2009
A member of parliament in the Marshall Islands proposed this week to ban the import of plastic bags, Styrofoam cups and plates, and plastic bottles to this western Pacific nation. Senator Gerald Zackios, a former foreign minister, introduced legislation that aims to ban non-biodegradable plastic and Styrofoam items because the plastic bags and Styrofoam are a major land and marine environmental hazard. Zackios is also targeting plastic bottles because, he said, "some retailers imported plastic water bottles and filled those with counterfeit or adulterated substances to sell or distribute to the public." ... more

GUAM SETS HEARING ON BUILDUP IMPACT STUDY: Public has 45 days to respond to military assessment
Pacific Islands Report - 7 October 2009
Senator Judi Guthertz, chairman of the legislative committee on military buildup, will call for an oversight hearing on Oct. 15 to discuss the draft environmental impact statement pertaining to the military buildup on Guam. The draft EIS was provided to lawmakers by officials of the Joint Guam Program Office on Monday and the public has been given 45 days for comments when the full study is released on Nov. 20... more

PALAU TO ENFORCE BAN ON SHARK FISHING: President to petition Japan, Taiwan governments
Pacific Islands Report - 6 October 2009
The Senate on Tuesday killed the measure which calls for the repeal of the existing law which prohibits commercial fishing of sharks within Palau’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The bill was tabled and action will no longer be taken on it. The death of the controversial Senate Bill 8-44, came after President Johnson Toribiong declared Palau’s EEZ as shark sanctuary before his address at the United Nations General Assembly... more

WIND FARM PLANNED ON VANUATU’S EFATE: European Investment Bank to contribute $7 million
Pacific Islands Report - 6 October 2009
The European Investment Bank will be helping fund a new multi-million dollar wind farm on the Vanuatu island of Efate. The bank will provide almost US$7 million to support the construction of the wind farm. Vanuatu's Ambassador to the European Union, Roy Joy, says Vanuatu is grateful to the bank for providing such a substantial amount of funds to help fulfill the country's energy needs. The wind farm is being built by Unelco Vanuatu, part of the International GDF-Suez Energy Group. It will be Vanuatu's first wind farm and it is hoped to become a pilot project for other Pacific Islands.

Conservation innovation grants awarded
Saipan Tribune - 5 October 2009
The Natural Resources Conservation Service announced last week the award of $318,720 in Conservation Innovation Grants to five projects designed to develop and refine cutting-edge technologies and approaches that can help producers maintain viable agricultural operations. This is almost $30,000 more than last year. "There are some truly exceptional ideas in the community that can help protect the Pacific Islands and our unique agricultural and forest areas," said Lawrence Yamamoto, Director of the Pacific Islands Area for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. "This program provides an opportunity to study and showcase some of these ideas," he continued. CIG funds pilot projects and conservation field trials that can last from one to three years. Grants for approved projects cannot exceed 50 percent of the total project cost and the federal contribution for a single project cannot exceed $75,000... more

Authorities meet to improve fight against oil spills in the region
PINA - 2 October 2009
Representatives from regional port authorities are meeting in the capital this week to plan how to better respond to major oil spills in the Pacific, reports Fiji TV. The important gathering is being facilitated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, SPREP, with funding from the International Maritime Organisation. For a region surrounded and connected by the vast Pacific Ocean, responding to anything that can harm that delicate balance is crucial. And thats exactly that these regional port authority reps are doing in Fiji where experiences from learning to tackle oil spills is being shared...more

Samoa quake exposes tsunami warning limitations
PINA - 2 October 2009
Successive tsunamis which pounded South Pacific islands, killing more than 100 people, have exposed the limitations of early alert systems set up since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, an expert said, reports Reuters. Across the Asia Pacific, early warning systems ranging from beach loudspeaker sirens to deep ocean monitor buoys have been set up over the past four years to alert people of tsunamis and prompt them to seek safety on higher ground. But the magnitude 8 quake struck too close to the islands of Western Samoa and American Samoa to give much warning, with the resulting tsunami approaching shore at the speed of jet aircraft. “Tsunami warning systems are useless in most of the countries like Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, because the lead time is too short,” said Kevin McCue, president of the Australian Earthquake Engineering Society. “Far better to educate people to make for high ground immediately after they feel shaking that lasts more than about 30 seconds,” Mr McCue said...more

1,000 HOMELESS, $38 MILLION DAMAGE IN SAMOA
Pacific Islands Report - 2 October 2009
On Tuesday 29th September 2009, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8 on the Richter Scale occurred at the depth of 18 kilometers at 17:48:11UTC (6:48:11am local time) at about 195 kilometers South of Apia. The earthquake generated a tsunami which hit Samoa with a wave run up of about 130 meters and 2.7 meters in height. A Declaration of Disaster was issued for the whole of Samoa. Coastal areas of Samoa sustained damages with extensive destruction mainly to the South to South Eastern coast of the island of Upolu. Damages were mainly to resorts, family homes and community buildings, roads, power lines and water supply located along the coastline of the affected areas. In other areas, villages were completely destroyed. The number of displaced families is estimated at 1,000. The preliminary cost of infrastructural damage alone is estimated at around SAT$96.9 million [US$38.1 million] but expected to escalate. The number of persons reported injured has been estimated at around 146, with the number of casualties at time of press at 110 with the death toll likely to increase. Search and rescue efforts are continuing to locate those who remain missing...more

Pacific Tsunami Death Toll Reaches 113: American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga bear brunt
Pacific islands Report - 1 October 2009
The death toll from a massive South Pacific earthquake and tsunami continues to rise. Hospital workers and officials early this morning said now say at least 113 people are dead. [As of 2 a.m. Wednesday in Pago Pago] at least 47 people have been confirmed dead in Samoa, 22 in neighbouring American Samoa, near the epicentre of the 8.0 magnitude quake, and seven people died in nearby Tonga... more

Massive ocean-floor rupture caused killer wave [Samoa]
The Age - 1 October 2009
A RUPTURE in the ocean floor, possibly 300 kilometres long and 200 kilometres deep, caused the tsunami that devastated Samoa. The magnitude 8.0 earthquake would have pushed the crust on one side of the fault up to seven metres higher than the other side, scientists estimate. This vertical uplift generated waves that were more than three metres from crest to trough by the time they hit the Pacific island, 200 kilometres to the north. The earthquake occurred in one of the most geologically active areas of the world, where the Pacific Plate is plunging westward under the Australian Plate at a rate of 86 millimetres a year...more

SOLOMONS DOLPHIN TRADE CALLED OBSTACLE TO FISHERY: Conservationists say tuna canneries won’t invest in country
Pacific Islands Report - 1 October 2009
Earth Island Institute says dolphin dealer Chris Porter is misleading the public when he said tuna investment and dolphin trading are two separate issues. The Institute’s director Mark Berman and his regional associate Lawrence Makili said their organisation is the recognised dolphin safe tuna certifier worldwide for 95 percent of the world’s canned tuna markets. "Porter's allegations that tuna companies torture dolphins when catching tuna is without any basis with regards to tuna companies that are audited by Earth Island Institute," they said in a statement. The statement said 95 percent of the world’s markets that are dolphin safe adhere to the Dolphin Safe Policy of Earth Island, which states that no dolphins can be chased, encircled, netted, harmed or killed in tuna fishing operations..more

September

Samoan Tsunami Kills Up to 100, Wipes Out Villages
Environment News Service - 30 September 2009
severe undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 8.3 hit close to the South Pacific island nation of Samoa and the U.S. Territory of American Samoa on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami that has wiped out villages and killed at least 47 people in the region, according to Samoan officials and media reports. The Disaster Management Office in Samoa says 47 people are confirmed dead, but that number is expected to rise as bodies are recovered from the debris. Other officials put the death toll in Samoa at 63. The Samoan capital of Apia was evacuated and thousands of people fled the coastal city. One panicked witness said the tsunami wave was 30 feet (nine meters) high. Samoa's Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi says he is "shocked beyond belief" by the devastation. Speaking on a plane bound for Samoa returning from the UN General Assembly in New York, Tuilaepa described events as an "unimaginable tragedy." ...more

To support construction in Vanuatu the European Investment Bank is providing EUR 4.3 million
Government Monitor - 30 September 2009
The European Investment Bank provides 650 million Vatu for renewable energy in Vanuatu. The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing EUR 4.3 million (650 million Vatu) to support the construction of a 2.75MW wind farm on the island of Efate, Vanuatu. The wind farm is being built by Unelco Vanuatu Ltd, part of GDF-Suez Group. The finance contract was signed in Port Vila on Tuesday by representatives of the European Investment Bank and the President of Unelco. The project is the first wind farm to be implemented in Vanuatu and it is hoped that this will form a reference project for other Pacific islands...more

PALAU, JAPAN PLAN CORAL REEF PROTECTION: $2 million project to improve monitoring
Pacific Islands Report - 29 September 2009
Palau and Japan held its first Joint Coordination Committee meeting to discuss the project dubbed as Capacity Enhancement Project for Coral Reef Monitoring which aims to improve the technical capacity of Palau to monitor and manage the Marine Protected Area. The meeting was held on Tuesday at the conference room of Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) and was attended by representatives of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and State and government officials and other agencies. It will be a joint effort of PICRC, State governments, Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Tourism and local residents...more

Marshallese president: Climate change real threat
Taiwan News - 29 September 2009
The president of the Marshall Islands said Monday that his nation is one of the "forefront victims" of climate change and called on the world to address a growing environmental disaster that is forcing his citizens to higher ground. President Litokwa Tomeing made the comments as he celebrated the opening of a Marshallese consulate in northwest Arkansas, the first such office for citizens in the U.S. mainland. Tomeing said that if not addressed, climate change could force even more citizens to move to other countries as rising ocean waters claims more of his country's atolls and small islands between Australia and Hawaii. "Especially low-lying island nations, they are forefront victims of the consequences of climate change and the world, as of yet, has not agreed on some definitive actions," Tomeing said through an interpreter. "As you may be aware, not only the Marshallese are moving to higher ground in the United States, but other Pacific Islanders are also moving onto New Zealand and Australia." ...more

Crop centre opens
Fiji Times - 29 September 2009
FOOD security and conservation of the main food crops in Fiji and the Pacific Islands is important to maintain regional biodiversity. This is why the Secretariat of the Pacific Community established its Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT). The official opening of the centre was held at the SPC site in Narere on Friday...more

Palau unveils plan at UN for shark sanctuary in its territorial waters
PINA - 28 September 2009
Palau has told the General Assembly that it will create the world’s first shark sanctuary to protect endangered species by banning all commercial shark fishing within its territorial waters. Palau’s President Johnson Toribiong, told the third day of the Assembly’s annual General Debate that his country wanted to provide “a sanctuary for sharks to live and reproduce unmolested in our 237,000 square miles of ocean.” That is an area bigger in size than France. Speaking at United Nations Headquarters in New York, he urged other countries to join the tiny nation and ban shark fishing in their waters...more

Climate deal a matter of survival for Micronesians
PINA - 28 September 2009
The president of the Federated States of Micronesia has demanded the world “seal the deal” at climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December, reports Radio Australia. In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, FSM President Emanuel Mori pleaded for help to delay the inevitable consequences of rising sea levels in destroying his nation. “Micronesia is already experiencing the brunt of negative impacts of climate change," he told UN members in New York. “Sea level rise, changing weather patterns and an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disaster, such as typhoons, are all undermining development efforts. El Nino's have brought increased droughts and increased rainfall causing substantial damages to staple crops...more

Tactical manoeuvring on climate change must end, South Pacific leaders tell UN debate
PINA - 28 September 2009
Countries can no longer afford to play “blame or shame” games or to wait for other nations to take the lead if they are to strike a meaningful deal on reducing greenhouse gas emissions when they gather in Copenhagen in December, the leaders of South Pacific nations told the General Assembly said. Samoa 's Prime Minister Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi used his address to the Assembly's high-level debate to warn that reaching a climate change agreement at the global talks in the Danish capital will be a “test of multilateral solidarity.” Although acknowledging the historical responsibility for the causes of climate change was legitimate, he said that “allowing it to get in the way of making decisions… would be a grave mistake.” ...more

No deals done yet on PNG’s Carbon trade: Yasause
PINA - 28 September 2009
Sidelined executive director of the Office of Climate Change and Environment Sustainability, Dr Theo Yasause, has denied any deals struck between himself, the OCCES or the State on carbon trade, reports The National. Dr Yasause said much had been said to tarnish his name through the media by certain interest groups and individuals on allegations of sale of certain forest areas...more

Palm oil developers in PNG accused of deception over ‘debt-bondage’ land deals
Pacific Scoop - 27 September 2009
Papua New Guinea houses one of the planet’s last frontier forests. These forests support a wealth of plants and animals as well as the Earth’s most diverse assemblage of cultures — some 830 languages are spoken in Papua New Guinea, representing more than 12 percent of the world’s 6900 languages. But PNG’s forests are fast-changing. Between 1972 and 2002 PNG lost more than 5 million hectares of forest, trailing only Brazil and Indonesia among tropical countries.
Forest loss has been primarily a consequence of industrial logging and subsistence agriculture, but large-scale agroindustry – especially development of oil palm plantations — has emerged as an important new driver of land use change...more

SPREP helps with research on dolphins in Solomon Islands
RNZI - 27 September 2009
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program is working with the Solomon Islands government to research the species of dolphins targeted in the live export trade. The Marine Species Programme of SPREP focuses on 3 groups of sea animals which are of conservation concern in the pacific region the dugong, marine turtle and whales and dolphins. The Marine Species Program Coordinator, Lui Bell, has told the Solomon Island Broadcasting Corporation that there is no data on the species of dolphins that exist in Solomon Islands. He says information is needed to see which species of dolphins exist in the Solomon Islands and to see if the ones which are being exported are facing the threat of becoming extinct...more

Pacific women on global frontlines of Climate Week
Pacific Scoop - 26 September 2009
Women’s voices remain highly underrepresented in the climate change debate, say international civil society leaders attending events taking place around the United Nations Climate Summit this week. The summit was attended by 146 national delegations, of which only seven were headed by women. On the eve of the meet, the head of Oxfam in Britain, Barbara Stocking, noted that “once again, women find themselves left out of the negotiations on issues that affect them most”... more

Ahead of Copenhagen talks, small island nations sound alarm at UN on climate change
UN News Centre - 25 September 2009
The success of the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen later this year will best be measured by how well any final deal protects small island States, the countries that are most vulnerable to global warming, their leaders told the General Assembly’s high-level debate today. The leaders of archipelagos in the South Pacific, the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa warned that the countries’ very existence may be at stake if urgent measures are not introduced to slash greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to rising global temperatures. “We wait with bated breaths and hope that humanity will show itself worthy of this planet and that nations will have the political will and integrity of leadership to solve the most confounding challenge of our era,” said Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. Mr. Spencer told the third day of the annual General Debate that small island countries are profoundly disappointed by the lack of action to protect these countries and their peoples, culture, land and ecosystems, given their extreme vulnerability... more

PACIFIC LEADERS PLEAD FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION: Grave concern amid lukewarm efforts to cut emissions
Pacific Islands Report - 25 September 2009
The Pacific created a wave at the United Nations Summit on Climate Change this week, as leaders begin making a strong commitment for the region on the issue. In a Declaration adopted in New York at the ‘Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Summit on Climate Change’, leaders and ministers of the 42-member negotiating group expressed ‘grave concern that climate change poses the most serious threat to our survival and viability’, and disappointment at the current slow pace and lack of resolve in international climate talks. Speaking at a press conference following adoption of the Declaration, Prime Minister Marcus Stephens of Nauru took a swipe at recent suggestions that talks on a new post-2012 climate deal should be allowed to leak into next year... more

Kiribati President welcomes changing climate change attitudes
Islands Business - 25 September 2009
Kiribati President Anote Tong says he is "heartened" by greater awareness about the affects of climate change, especially on low-lying island nations like his own. Mr Tong will make his presentation to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, September 25 New York time...more

SPREP supports AOSIS stand on Climate Change
Islands Business - 25 September 2009
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has welcomed the declaration made by the 42-member Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) for industrialised nations to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius (°C). The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has welcomed the declaration made by the 42-member Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) for industrialised nations to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius (°C). SPREP’s Climate change adviser, Espen Ronneberg told PACNEWS the declaration will be beneficial to Pacific Island Countries only if industrialised nations take heed of the concerns raised by small island nations that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change... more

New US/Kiribati partnership to manage marine protected areas
RNZI - 25 September 2009
A new partnership has been formed between the governments of the United States and Kiribati to enhance the management and protection of two of the world’s largest marine protected areas. The agreement establishes a sister site relationship between the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and the Phoenix Islands near the equator in Kiribati. The superintendent of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration in the US, Aulani Wilhem, says the combined areas make up 25 percent of the world’s marine protected areas...more

Palau pioneers 'shark sanctuary'
BBC - 25 September 2009
Palau is to create the world's first "shark sanctuary", banning all commercial shark fishing in its waters. The President of the tiny Pacific republic, Johnson Toribiong, will announce the ban during Friday's session of the UN General Assembly. With half of the world's oceanic sharks at risk of extinction, conservationists regard the move as "game-changing". It will protect about 600,000 sq km (230,000 sq miles) of ocean, an area about the size of France. President Toribiong will also call for a global ban on shark-finning, the practice of removing the fins at sea...more

Fiji biodiversity workshop aims to save local produce
ABC - 24 September 2009
While the worlds population continues to rise, pressure mounts on leaders to provide adequate food sources. Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture are imperative for farmers to improve the quality and supply of crops. The Food and Agriculture Organisation adopted the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in 2001. It's a legally binding treaty covering all plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. Six Pacific nations have ratified the treaty, and members are attending a workshop being held in Nadi, Fiji, on biodiversity in the Pacific...more

National Science Foundation awards $23 million to UH for EPSCoR program
UH - 24 September 2009
The University of Hawai‘i has been awarded two grants totaling $23 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help stimulate the research enterprise in Hawai?i and create more educational opportunities for students throughout the state. The awards were made through the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), a NSF program created to strengthen research and education in science and engineering throughout the United States...The second grant is a $3 million, 3-year grant supporting a collaborative research project between the University of Hawai‘i and the University of Alaska that will develop the capability of a Pacific Area Climate Monitoring and Analysis Network (PACMAN) to yield a more reliable understanding of the impacts of climate change on fresh water resources. The PACMAN’s capabilities will include real-time access to satellite data, deployment of sensor systems throughout Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands, integration of data systems drawn from sophisticated web-harvesting capabilities, real-time simulation, and a collaborative framework for visualization and multi-dimensional mapping. The results of this data-intensive research program will be used to develop a framework for assessing societal impacts and will provide accurate information on complex systems to end users. “The research builds on, supports and integrates many disciplines and the data and visualization capabilities and will be open to researchers and policy makers in Alaska, Hawai‘i and around the world through the Internet,” said Kenneth Kaneshiro, director of the Center for Conservation Research and Training in the Pacific Biosciences Research Center and project director of the grant. “It builds upon a state-of-the-art environmental monitoring and information management system developed through the previous Hawai‘i EPSCoR grants. We are fortunate to be able to expand the use of this system with this award and increase our understanding of the dynamics of integrated climate-water-social systems from local to global scales.”

Take a leaf from our ancestors, safeguard our Samoan rainforests
Pacific Scoop - 24 September 2009
For every tree that is felled in the woods, less water is fetched in the village. As acreages of rainforests are ravaged in the name of Progress and Development, the rivers and streams die a slow death. And so too will the village. Because not only do rainforests store and purify water, they nourish the soil, give us oxygen and also prevent soil erosion and land slides on steep terrain. We destroy our rainforests today and we kill the tomorrow generations of this country, Samoa, by depriving them of water – the basic essential of life. Us, armed with chainsaws and our palagi-introduced land deeds in hand, mowing down with our bulldozers the forests that for thousands of years sustained our forefathers, bleeding those who will come after us. So as developers move in to clear vast tracts of some of the last remaining prime forests uphill from Apia, this country is at a watery crossways. The Le Piu-Afiamalu-Malololelei water catchment areas feed the Fuluasou and Alaoa reservoirs that source water to 75 percent of Upolu households including the 30,000 residents of the greater Apia area. Sadly, this needless destruction of our rainforests is all about money. Sadder even, it’s cheap money in a cheap land grab exercise at throwaway price. Sadder still, primary and pristine rainforests are invaluable and can never be measured in monetary terms...more

Greenpeace responds to Korean diplomat claim
PINA - 24 September 2009
Environmental campaign group, Greenpeace maintains the Korean vessel, Oryong 717, is part of the 8,000 foreign vessels that are emptying the Pacific off its fish, says Lagi Toribau. Toribau, who is Greenpeace’s Oceans Campaign Team Leader, said the Korean fishing boat has ignored warning made by scientists that fish stocks in the Pacific are in danger. “In fact, eight of the Pacific island countries, including Kiribati, signed an agreement last year that effectively closes off the high seas pockets even to vessels that are licensed, Toribau told PACNEWS...more

EL NINO LURKING IN PACIFIC WATERS: Forecasters warn of dire weather this year
Pacific Islands Report - 24 September 2009
The U.S. Climate Prediction Center sees the El Nino weather anomaly strengthening in coming months and lasting through the northern hemisphere's winter into 2010. "A majority of the model forecasts . . . suggest El Nino will reach at least moderate strength during the northern hemisphere fall", the center said in its latest monthly update. The CPC is the chief office in the U.S. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration tracking of El Nino. "Many model forecasts even suggest a strong El Nino . . . during the fall and winter, but current observations and trends indicate that El Nino will most likely peak at moderate strength. "Therefore, current conditions, trends and model forecasts favor the continued development of a weak-to-moderate strength El Nino into the northern hemisphere fall 2009, with the likelihood of at least a moderate strength El Nino during the winter 2009-10," the center reported. El Nino, "little boy" in Spanish, is an abnormal warming of waters in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean that can wreak havoc on weather patterns across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. While a strong El Nino can help to suppress Atlantic Ocean hurricane activity, it can also increase the threat of tropical cyclones for the Western and Eastern Pacific in general, and French Polynesia in particular. National Weather Service forecasters in the U.S. said recently Pacific sea surface temperatures are running between 1.3 degree and 1.8 degree Fahrenheit above normal.

ISLAND STATES WARN OF ‘BENIGN GENOCIDE’: Drastic climate change action needed now
Pacific Islands Report - 24 September 2009
The planet's small island states have warned world leaders that they will be committing "benign genocide", if they don't agree to drastic climate change measures. The call comes as leaders meet [at the United Nations General Assembly] in New York to discuss plans to cut green house gas emission, ahead of the Copenhagen conference in December. The Alliance of Small Island States say they want a new climate agreement at Copenhagen to aim for a more ambitious temperature goal. The group has called for the average rise in global temperatures to be kept below one and a half degrees celsius, rather than the two degree limit that many countries are aiming for. They have also pleaded for an agreement on climate adaptation funding...more

Carbon trade deals are looking grubby
PINA - 24 September 2009
Carbon trading looms as the new “snake oil’’ industry to confront the world, and that includes Papua New Guinea. The new concept of trading off pollution for carbon credits, ending in cash, is confounding many. It is a poorly understood concept and one that is already creating much mischief and possible harm in communities around the globe. In Papua New Guinea, snippets of information and rumour have rocketed around the nation and created a great guessing game as to what the carbon trading idea is all about...more

SPC opens state-of-the-art biodiversity centre
PINA - 24 September 2009
The conservation of the Pacific’s main food crops - taro, yam, sweet potato, banana, cassava and breadfruit is critical for maintaining regional biodiversity and building resilience against climate variability. Preserving these food crops was identified as one of the priority areas for Pacific Island Countries when regional agriculture ministers met in 1996. This resulted in the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) establishing the Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT), a gene bank that uses in vitro techniques for root crop conservation. CePaCT, based at SPC’s regional office in Fiji was established to assist Pacific Island Countries and territories (PICTs) to conserve and promote the utilisation of the region’s genetic resources (diversity), and to provide access to diversity from outside the region...more

New resource - Pacific islands Red List analysis
IUCN - 23 September 2009
“The Pacific islands: an analysis of the status of species as listed on the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™”

This document has been produced as the first step in a project aimed at increasing our knowledge of the region’s threatened species. IUCN’s Regional Office for Oceania (based in Suva, Fiji), in partnership with SPREP (Secretariat for the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, based in Apia, Samoa), is leading the project to strengthen species information in order to develop a Regional Red List of threatened species for the Pacific islands.

A number of Appendices accompany the Analysis.

Appendix 1: Animals of the Pacific islands listed on the 2008 Red List
Appendix 2: Plants of the Pacific islands listed on the 2008 Red List
These lists should be used in conjunction with the 2008 IUCN Red List as the website contains additional information on each assessed species, such as sources of information used in the assessment, detailed data on threats and descriptions on geographical range and habitats in which a species is found.
Appendices 3-11 contain information on using the Analysis and the Lists contained in Appendices 1 and 2.
The Analysis has focussed on species in 24 Pacific island countries and territories.
Appendix 12 contains country profiles for these 24 Pacific island countries and territories.

see http://www.iucn.org/about/union/secretariat/offices/oceania/oro_programmes/oro_species/oro_redlist/

Climate Change revelation startled Pacific journos
PINA - 23 September 2009
It got a bit gloomy here yesterday when Pacific journalists were taken through an honest account of what the region stands to lose as the effects of climate change take root. It started with a pretty depressing line-up of what Pacific Islands people are going through, with extreme weather events in the region and their threats to our food security and total survival. “We in the Pacific are at the forefront of the impacts of climate change - the issue has been labelled as the greatest threat to our survival as a Pacific people,” said Taito John Roache, Officer-in-Charge of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)...more

ENVIRONMENT: Act Now or Lose Forever, Climate Summit Told
IPS - 22 September 2009
The world's small island developing nations, most of which are threatened with environmental devastation, put the international community on dire notice: either accept ambitious and binding emission reduction targets, or humanity is doomed. The one-day U.N. summit meeting of world leaders Tuesday came out with a clear message demanding urgent action against the growing threats from climate change. ..more

Pacific coral reef destruction continues unabated, says researcher
Pacific Scoop - 22 September 2009
The “tremendous” decline of Pacific coral reefs in the past two decades is continuing unabated, says a researcher. Joan Koven of Astrolabe Incorporated, a non-profit organisation that promotes coral reef conservation, has called for immediate action. She said governments and individuals and should do everything possible to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the principle cause of warming sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification that will destroy coral reefs. “Coral reefs are an important resource and need to be preserved as more than 100 countries rely on them for sustenance, fisheries and tourism,” Koven told Wansolwara...more

Small island nations urge rich to limit warming
Reuters - 21 September 2009
Small island states that could face devastating storms and floods from climate change urged on Monday that global temperature increases be sharply curtailed from goals set recently by industrialized countries. Leaders of the Alliance of Small Island States, or AOSIS, a group of 42 island countries, said the rest of the world should agree to agree to cut emissions at a U.N. meeting later this year to limit temperature increases well below 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) above pre-industrial levels...more ... read ALLIANCE OF SMALL ISLAND STATES (AOSIS)
DECLARATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE 2009

Australia signals climate change compromise
PacNews - 21 September 2009
The Australian Government has suggested a compromise proposal that it hopes will make agreement at the Copenhagen global climate change talks in December more likely. The proposal would allow developing countries flexibility to reduce emissions through a "national schedule" instead of committing to a binding target. Countries could register their plans for cutting emissions, such as reducing deforestation, or increasing the level of renewable energy use. The schedules would then be tied to the broader agreement made at Copenhagen. Senator Wong says an agreement will not be reached at the Copenhagen talks unless the current "one size fits
all" approach is changed...more

Japan’s new PM to push for 25 per cent cut in emissions
PacNews - 21 September 2009
Japan's new prime minister makes his debut on the international stage this week with a bold plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has proposed cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent from 1990 levels by the year 2020. The so-called Hatoyama Initiative will be announced at the United Nations General Assembly in New York..more

WORLD BANK CALLS FOR ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE: Asia-Pacific least responsible, most vulnerable
Pacific Islands Report - 18 September 2009
The World Bank on Tuesday launched the World Development Report focusing on climate change. Justin Lin, World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, Development Economics and Rosina Bierbaum, WDR Co-Director and Dean of the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Michigan launched the report in Washington. Across the Asia Pacific, media and environment groups witnessed the launching via teleconferencing. The report was released in the lead up to the December Copenhagen Summit. The report revealed Asia Pacific is vulnerable to climate change and action must be done now. It was revealed that developing countries [are most vulnerable] although they emit less gas in the atmosphere when it comes to climate change. Mr Lin said: "As you all know, it is a pressing issue being faced by all due to the environmental and economic challenges and must be tackled together both by the international organisations and the respective governments". "Many people in developing countries live in physically exposed locations and economically precarious conditions and their financial and institutional capacity to adapt...download report - http://www.worldbank.org/wdr2010

New standards being introduced to lift Pacific region’s meteorological services
PINA - 18 September 2009
New requirements are being introduced in the Pacific region to boost meteorological services to meet international standards, reports Radio New Zealand International . The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in partnership with the Government of Finland is this week conducting training to assist Pacific countries to meet the new quality management requirements. Dean Solofa, who is SPREP’s Pacific Island Global Climate Observation Systems Officer, said emphasis is being placed on aviation weather predictions as many people rely on air travel between islands...more

Solomon Islands women take climate message to Canada
PINA - 18 September 2009
Two young women from Solomon Islands are to travel to Canada to raise awareness about the impact of climate change on their communities. Christina Ora, 17, and Maylin Sese, 24, won a competition organised by Honiara City Council, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Meteorology and Red Cross. They delivered impromptu speeches on climate change and were chosen from 11 contestants to travel to Toronto to present their winning arguments...more

ALLIANCE OF SMALL ISLAND STATES SUMMIT ON CLIMATE CHANGE. NEW YORK, 21 SEPTEMBER 2009
AOSIS - 17 September2009.
Heads of State of the 42-member Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) will convene at a Summit in New York on 21 September 2009 to set a course for their negotiators in the crucial final months of talks on a new international agreement on climate change. The Summit will feature remarks and briefings from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer, as well as Professor Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The Summit will conclude with the signing of the ‘AOSIS Climate Change Declaration 2009’. AOSIS is a key negotiating bloc in international climate negotiations. The AOSIS Leaders will consider strategies for addressing the critical challenges faced by the small-island and low-lying coastal states that are among the world’s most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

DOLPHIN TRADE HURTS SOLOMONS TUNA INDUSTRY: Advocates say PNG enjoying ‘Dolphin Safe’ advantage
Pacific Islands Report - 18 September 2009
Solomon Islands should learn from the Papua New Guinea Tuna Industry experience if it wants to have more foreign investment in this area. Director for the Pacific Region's Earth Island Insitute (EII) Lawrence Makili made the statement after returning from a Tuna Congress in Port Moresby, at the weekend. He said the eyes and ears of all tuna investors are on Solomon Islands because of its involvement in the industry...more

UNDP supports Kiribati efforts for coordinated approach to environment
PINA - 17 September 2009
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has signed an agreement with the Government of Kiribati to assist the country in its efforts to coordinate and mainstream environmental related issues into the Kiribati Development Plan. The project stands at a total value of US$95,000. The agreement was signed yesterday in n Tarawa, between the UN Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative for UNDP, Mr Knut Ostby and the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance and Economic Development Mr Atanteora Beiatau. The assistance provided through UNDP will focus on taking stock of all ongoing environment projects and initiatives and information will be consolidated into a database which will be accessible to relevant stakeholders including Government and Civil Society...more

REMOTE GUAM SITE EYED FOR TREE SNAIL: Endangered snail might be moved to Sella Bay
Pacific Islands Report - 17 September 2009
The Department of Public Works continues its efforts to move endangered tree snails from the Ylig Bridge to another habitat on the island. The latest report submitted to the District Court of Guam mentioned that University of Guam professor Barry Smith had looked at other sites suitable for the colony of snail-- scientifically known as "partula radiolata"-- including Sella Bay in Umatac, where the remnants of an old Spanish Bridge are located...more

Water management a rising issue for the Pacific
ABC - 16 September 2009
Water - and the lack of it - has become a talking point right across the Pacific as the effects of climate change bite deeper across the region. For Pacific countries, small variations in water supply can impact on health and quality of life. Marc Wilson is Regional Project Manager for the Global Environment Facility Pacific Integrated Water Resources Management Project. His projects are being implemented regionally by the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission and the UNDP. Mr Wilson says the Pacific has unique challenges in ustaining its water resources...more

Oxfam warns against raiding aid for climate adaption funds
ABC - 16 September 2009
Oxfam has warned rich countries not to raid their aid budgets to pay for climate change adaptation in the developing world. The warning comes ahead of next week's United Nations Climate Change Summit, in New York, and a meeting of the powerful G20 countries, during which climate change adaptation will be discussed. A new report released by Oxfam, today, says raiding aid budgets to pay for climate adaptation will come at a huge humanitarian cost, as Oxfam Australia's Economic Justice Co-ordinator, Kelly Dent, explains... more

Some Pacific islands nations will vanish in 50 years
Matangitonga - 16 September 2009
THE latest World Development Report finds that although many countries in the East Asia and Pacific region are vulnerable to climate change, developing countries can shift to lower-carbon paths while promoting development and reducing poverty if they receive financial and technical assistance from high-income countries. World Development Report 2010: Development in a Changing Climate, released in advance of the December meetings on climate change in Copenhagen, says that advanced countries, which produced most of the greenhouse gas emissions of the past, must act to shape our climate future. If developed countries act now, a 'climate-smart' world is feasible, and the costs for getting there will be high but still manageable. Ramping up funding for mitigation in developing countries where most future growth in emissions will occur is vital...more ... read the report - http://www.worldbank.org/wdr2010

NAUTILUS WINS PNG PERMIT FOR UNDERSEA OIL SEARCH : Canada firm wants to mine for copper off New Britain [PNG]
Pacific Islands Report - 15 September 2009
The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) has approved in principle the environment permit for Solwara 1 project within the waters of New Britain. Canada’s Nautilus Mineral Inc said in a statement that DEC Minister Benny Allan signed the "approval in principle", signalling the completion of DEC’s rigorous internal and independent external reviews of the proposed project. Steve Rogers, Nautilus’ chief executive officer said: "This is a major milestone for both the Solwara 1 development and the seafloor resource production industry as a whole. "The approval is testament to the positive environmental and social aspects of seafloor mineral production, as well as to the project design...more

Greenpeace fights tuna trawler
TVNZ - 15 September 2009
A fresh fishing battle has broken out in the Pacific, with Greenpeace forcing a Korean trawler to move out of international waters proposed as a future marine reserve. The Greenpeace ship Esperanza confiscated fishing gear off the vessel MFV Oryong 717 and refused to give it back until the boat agreed to move into the waters off Kiribati, where it has a licence to fish.
The environmental organisation is on a mission to protect rapidly depleting stocks of bigeye and yellowfin tuna, which are being increasingly fished by vessels from the US, Europe and Asia.
In May, Pacific countries proposed that all pockets of international waters located in between their economic zones be closed to fishing activities to allow stocks to rebuild...more

Pacific wide Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) projects launched in Fiji
PINA - 14 September 2009
Pacific Island countries have uniquely fragile water resources due to their small size, lack of natural storage, competing land use and vulnerability to natural hazards. In many Pacific countries, even small variations in water supply can have a significant impact on health, quality of life and economic development. In opening the first meeting of a regional initiative that seeks to sustainably manage the Pacific’s water and wastewater, Fiji’s Minister for Primary Industries, Joketani Cokanasiga, made the point that climate change will put further pressure on the Pacific’s water resources. “Water remains a valuable natural resource and is linked to the socio-economic development and environment protection of any nation,” Mr Cokanasiga said. “With enormous variability in the climate, coupled with rapidly increasing demand on water, its depletion is a serious concern to all people. It therefore should be everyone’s business to address this issue with concerted efforts.” “This is why I am supportive of the Integrated Water Resources Management approach because it reflects the most intelligent and acceptable decision making process,” Mr Cokanasiga said. “It takes into account the range of views of stakeholders, the needs of the environment and considers these along with available information to pave the way for the best possible solution.” The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is funding a regional and nationally based project to build the capacity of Pacific Island countries to manage water resources. 14 demonstration projects will be run in 13 Pacific countries to show the practical benefits of integrated sustainable water resources and wastewater management...more

Pacific journalist takes gender, climate change advocacy to New York
Pacific Wave - 14 September 2009
In a month that is one of the busiest ever in terms of global conferencing on climate change worldwide, Pacific WAVE Media Network Coordinator Ulamila Kurai Wragg heads to New York this week for some intensive lobbying and advocacy with world leaders, on climate change. The freelance journalist who now heads the regional network for Pacific women working in the media, says the focus will be on asking leaders to take personal responsibility to sign a fair, binding and ambitious deal at December’s UN climate change negotiations in Copenhagen. As well as her new NGO coordinater role, Wragg heads the WAVE’ Climate Change committee, which promotes information sharing and awareness of gender issues in climate change and Pacific development. She will team up with three other women from around the world for the Global Climate Change Alliance’s (GCCA) high profile campaign in the US. The other women from Uganda, Cataret Islands in Papua New Guinea and the Mississippi in the US will include media interviews and events running parallel with the United Nations General Assembly this month, as part of their two week campaign.

Questions remain over Vanuatu fish processing plant
PINA - 14 September 2009
A lobby group in Vanuatu says there are many unanswered questions surrounding the new fish processing plant at Black Sands near the capital, Port Vila, reports Radio New Zealand International. This comes as China has given the Vanuatu Government the keys to the new plant. But the lobby group, the residents against processing tuna, says the government has said very little about the plant. It said s a review of an environmental impact report on the plant found there were some outstanding issues that needed to be addressed. But the chairman of the group, Michael Taurakoto, said the government has not made the report public. He also adds that the government has been telling people that there is nothing to worry about. “We just want information, if it’s really true that there is nothing to worry about then I think people given proper answers for the outstanding issues that have been identified in the report.” He also said there are also environmental concerns over Port Vila harbour with an expected increase in fishing boats delivering their catch...more

Fisheries warden to protect Marine Protected Areas [Fiji]
PINA - 14 September 2009
Traditional fishermen have been trained as fisheries wardens to protect Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) on the island of Kadavu, just off the Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu. Officials from the fisheries ministry from the capital, Suva, have conducted trainings for the new wardens to manage their traditional fishing ground (qoliqoli)...more

Climate change hindrance to achievement of sustainable development
PINA - 14 September 2009
Climate change will be a major hindrance to the achievement of sustainable development in Pacific Island countries (PIC’s), as all economic and social sectors are likely to be adversely affected.
Speaking to about 40 participants at the Inception Workshop on Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) in Fiji, Minister for Primary Industries, Joketani Cokanasiga reminded participants that climate change, climate variability and sea-level rise are not only environmental issues but also of economic, social and political issues for PIC’s. “The impacts, and particularly the related economic and social shocks, pose serious political and financial management issues as extreme climatic events can adversely affect gross domestic product, balance of payments, budget deficits, foreign debt, unemployment and living standards,” Mr Cokanasiga explained...more

JAPANESE FISHING BOAT USES ILLEGAL DEVICE: Greenpeace documents action in Pacific ‘pocket’
Pacific Islands Report - 14 September 2009
Activists on the Greenpeace ship Esperanza yesterday witnessed a Japanese vessel hauling a massive catch in the Pacific Ocean using the banned fish aggregating device (FAD). The activists unfurled banners saying 'Marine reserves now' and 'No return from overfishing' as they filmed a Japanese purse seiner Fukuichi Maru take tuna in a pocket of international waters in the Pacific where key tuna stocks are threatened with collapse. Greenpeace media adviser Josephine Prasad said they documented the ship using a fish aggregating device (FAD), supposedly banned in the Pacific region for two months. She said a gaping loophole in the ban was allowing fleets from Japan, the Philippines and New Zealand to continue their plunder of the Pacific...more

Niue develops its climate change policy through PACC support
SPREP - 11 September 2009
While it is anticipated that most nations will ultimately suffer the adverse consequences from climate change, Niue remains one of the most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. As such, the island faces the most dire and immediate consequences. Tropical cyclone Heta in 2004 caused major damage to infrastructure and agriculture estimated as NZ$37.7 million, which is close to three times the value of Niue’s GDP. To be able to address these growing concerns, Niue will need a guiding policy to provide a comprehensive framework to bring all stakeholders together to address climate change issues. According to the Director of Environment Mr. Sauni Tongatule; “one of the major issues that Niue faces is lack of coordination to address the many facets of climate change and the climate change policy will provide that national framework”. The policy deals with mitigation and adaptation...more

SMALL ISLAND STATES WELCOME GROWING SUPPORT FOR 1.5° °C CLIMATE TARGET
Contributed by Pacific Climate Network - 11 September 2009
The 42-member Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) – a key negotiating bloc in international climate negotiations – has welcomed growing support for its call to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius (°C). Speaking at a seminar in New York yesterday to prepare vulnerable country negotiators for upcoming talks in the lead-up to the crucial UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December, Ambassador Dessima Williams, Permanent Representative of Grenada and Chair of AOSIS, touted ‘1.5 to stay alive’ as the mantra guiding the AOSIS approach to the negotiations. Limiting warming to below 1.5°C would require that concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere be limited to below 350 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide-equivalent. This is well below the 2°C and 450 ppm targets promoted by many industrialised countries. Current pledges for emissions reductions put forward by these countries risk temperature increases in excess of 3°C. The U.N.’s leading climate scientist and Chair of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Rajendra Pachauri, has supported the AOSIS position, saying recently in an interview that “what is happening, and what is likely to happen, convinces me that the world must be really ambitious and determined at moving towards a 350 [ppm] target.” In a separate interview this week, renowned British economist and climate change expert Lord Nicholas Stern said: “It is most important to stop the increase of flows of emissions short term and then start the decline of flows of annual emissions and get them down to levels which will move concentrations of CO2 back down towards 350 ppm.” ...more

SPREP receives assistance from the Peoples Republic of China
SPREP - 11 September 2009
A voluntary contribution of $180,000 USD was presented to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The Government of the Peoples Republic of China gifted the funds to assist with SPREP’s ongoing environmental work in the Pacific region in a meeting at the Chinese Embassy in Vailima. This is an increase of $100,000 USD from the contributions which were received by SPREP over the past years...more

Rare Fiji petrel spotted at sea
PINA - 11 September 2009
An extremely rare bird seen only a dozen times in the past 150 years has finally been spotted at sea, reports AAP . But the news for the critically-endangered Fiji petrel is not good. Even in optimal conditions - the best season, best location and using the most pungent-smelling bait - only eight birds have been sighted...more

‘Get real’ call to NZ over Pacific fight against climate change
Pacific.scoop - 10 September 2009
Environmental groups and local Pacific leaders are urging New Zealanders to take responsibility and join the fight to protect low-lying Pacific Island nations from the effects of climate change. They say the enormity of the problem needs to be understood – the fact that climate change is no longer just an environmental issue, but a question of survival for thousands Pacific Islanders. Green Party MP Metiria Turei says not only do people need to start taking personal responsibility, but as a Pacific nation New Zealand needs to commit to policy changes that address the situation...more

Solomon Islands considers how to save some of its few remaining forests
RNZI - 9 September 2009
An environmental organisation in Solomon Islands says its working with the country’s government to see how forest areas could be set aside for protection. The move comes as the nation’s biodiversity action plan has identified logging as one of the major threats to biodiversity in what the WWF says is one of the 200 most important ecoregions in the world. WWF country programme manager Tristan Armstrong says Solomon Islands has the lowest level of legally-protected land in the Pacific at 2.8 percent. He says the government realises more lands need to be protected, but new models will have to be developed to do this in Solomon Islands. “Within the context of customary land ownership, a protected area in the sense of a national park as there might be in New Zealand or Australia doesn’t always work in an environment where all land is owned by tribes and where basically resources are managed in a very different way.” Tristan Armstrong says the focus of WWF has been on working with communities to help them find alternatives to logging, as previous governments haven’t had the resources and capacity to tackle the problem. He says most commercial forests have already been logged in Solomon Islands, but there is much that is still worth protecting.

PNG LOSING OUT ON CARBON TRADING RICHES [Editorial]
Pacific Islands Report - 9 September 2009
Papua New Guinea controls the third largest virgin tropical forest on earth. That makes a rich habitat for flora and fauna diversity that would be the envy of many countries of the world where virgin forests have virtually disappeared from irresponsible land use over the centuries. And now these huge tracts of untouched virgin forest have the potential to become the richest source of funds through carbon trading, perhaps far more than all the hydrocarbon projects operating in the country combined. Not a tree needs to be chopped down for the money. The world’s rich nations and carbon emitting industries will pay to leave our forests untouched into the foreseeable future...more

No deal with anyone: PNG Climate Change and Environment Sustainability
PINA - 8 September 2009
Papua New Guinea‘s (PNG) Office for Climate Change and Environment Sustainability (OCCES) did not receive any advance payment from Carbon Planet in a trade-off for forest areas in PNG, it was stated yesterday, reports The National . Dr Theo Yasause, who was the OCCES executive director until his suspension recently, said they never had any direct dealings with Carbon Planet...more

SOLOMONS TO CONSIDER CUTBACK IN DOLPHIN EXPORTS: Minister recommends annual quota cut to 50 from 100 animals
Pacific Islands Report - 9 September 2009
It was disappointingly inappropriate for Mark Berman, Associate Director of Earth Island Institute’s International Marine Mammal Project, to associate dolphin capture with tuna export, says a government official. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment Conservation and Meteorology, Rence Sore, said Earth Islands Institute also disappointingly fails to recognize that dolphin has economical and cultural values to the traditional and contemporary Solomon Islands society. "Our ancestors lived with dolphins, we are living with dolphins and our grandchildren will continue to live with dolphins. Dolphins are integral to the socio-economic and socio-cultural aspects of livelihood in Solomon Islands. The claim of ‘defying logic and international law’ with regards to dolphin capture is absurd. It is unbelievably true that Earth Islands Institute has made poor judgments in distancing logic from common-sense," he said in a press statement yesterday...more

Lost world of fanged frogs and giant rats discovered in Papua New Guinea
Guardian - 7 September 2009
A lost world populated by fanged frogs, grunting fish and tiny bear-like creatures has been discovered in a remote volcanic crater on the Pacific island of Papua New Guinea. A team of scientists from Britain, the United States and Papua New Guinea found more than 40 previously unidentified species when they climbed into the kilometre-deep crater of Mount Bosavi and explored a pristine jungle habitat teeming with life that has evolved in isolation since the volcano last erupted 200,000 years ago. In a remarkably rich haul from just five weeks of exploration, the biologists discovered 16 frogs which have never before been recorded by science, at least three new fish, a new bat and a giant rat, which may turn out to be the biggest in the world. The discoveries are being seen as fresh evidence of the richness of the world's rainforests and the explorers hope their finds will add weight to calls for international action to prevent the demise of similar ecosystems. They said Papua New Guinea's rainforest is currently being destroyed at the rate of 3.5% a year...more

VIEWPOINT: CLIMATE CHANGE SPARES NO ONE, SEES NO BOUNDARIES
Islands Business - September 2009
Hailing from the small islands nation of Fiji and leaving in Europe since early this year, I find myself in a constant dilemma that some individuals and leaders do not realise that climate change is not only affecting our small islands nations but also the rich countries. It spares no one and sees no boundaries. This year, I am privileged to be involved in a number of high level meetings including the historic climate change negotiations which will culminate in December in Copenhagen (Denmark) at the 15th Conference of Parties of the UN Climate Change negotiations—COP15.
As one of the few Pacific islanders at some of the global meetings, I’m inspired to share a personal ‘islander’s perspective’. I’m regularly asked—Is there a chance for survival in your part of the world? Or are your islands sinking? Some tend to forget that the heat is on in everyone’s backyard. Here in Europe, there are glaciers melting, heat wave occurring, new diseases infesting crops and temperatures changing affecting agricultural production, to name a few...more

ENVIRONMENT: THE BATTLE’S ON AND BIGGER : Pacific way of life at stake, time’s running out
Islands Business - September 2009
At the time of writing this article, another set of informal consultations on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has just concluded in Bonn.
And the news is not good. In his press statement on the last day of these consultations, UNFCCC Executive General, Yvo de Boer, stated that “if we continue at this rate, we are not going to make it” and that a climate deal in Copenhagen this year “is an unequivocal requirement to stop climate change from slipping out of control.” de Boer’s sentiments are echoed across the planet by the less developed and less industrialised nations, not least, here in the Pacific islands. It may sound like a cliché, but time is running out for us. Our small islands are already experiencing more frequent cyclones, salt water inundation of water lenses and the soil in low-lying atolls, and, in some instances, the entire islands are being washed under as tidal high water marks encroach further on their shores. These threats are expected to get worse if global temperatures continue to rise due to increasing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. We have few meetings left at which we can negotiate a global agreement on climate change that will have the impact required to prevent the earth’s temperature rising beyond manageable rates. As I write, there remains less than 20 negotiating days to come to an agreement on the 200-page long document currently on the table for discussion. Parties to the UNFCCC will meet at the 15th Conference of Parties (COP) in December in Copenhagen to finalise this global agreement...more

WE SAY: Forum’s climate stance a death warrant
Islands Business - September 2009
The outcome of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) meeting on climate change is essentially a death warrant for Pacific Islanders. But if Australia and New Zealand think Pacific Islanders will give up and slink away in the shadows defeated, they are wrong. We remain even more determined than ever because our lives, identities and our future depend on it. The truth of the matter is that neo-colonialism was the order of the day in Cairns. It was evident in Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s opening statement: “We are playing our part in international gatherings—including by representing the interests of the Pacific islands nations—in other international fora where Australia participates, including the G20.” That’s very gracious Mr Rudd. But who in the Pacific elected you to represent us at the G20? Who appointed you Sheriff of our Pacific county?
The civil society groups present in Cairns like Friends of the Earth and Oxfam are also up in arms. So too are the Pacific media...more

KIDS GO HUNGRY IN SOLOMONS’ REEF ISLANDS: Climate change, rising sea level cited
Pacific Islands Report - September 2009
Climate change has so badly affected crops in a tiny South Pacific island group that hungry children are being sent home early from school. They do not have enough energy to concentrate on lessons. The Reef Islands are part of the Solomon Islands' far-eastern Temotu Province. A severe food shortage is affecting the nine outlying atolls in the province's north-west. Government officials and Red Cross workers have been visiting the Reef group to compile a report on the situation. Temotu province secretary Freddy Me'esa told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program the team said crop shortages were due to rising sea levels and alteration of the rainfall pattern. "Crop failure in the Reef Islands is due mainly to weather paterns of climate change," Mr Me'esa said...more

JUDGE ORDERS GUAM EPA TO HEED LANDFILL RULING: Board ignored order to close dump immediately
Pacific Islands Report - 4 September 2009
A federal judge yesterday ordered the U.S. Marshals Service to personally serve each Guam Environmental Protection Agency board member with her order that any further delay to close the Ordot dump -- and replace it with a new landfill -- will not be tolerated. District Court of Guam Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood issued the order after receiving a report that there was alleged political pressure -- including from certain Guam EPA board members -- to consider a landfill permit for a site in Guatali rather than prioritizing the Layon landfill that the court had already approved...more

CHUUK, POHNPEI GET SOLAR WATER STILLS: Rotarians sponsor installation of 400 units
Pacific Islands Report - 3 September 2009
ROTARIANS from Guam and Japan have teamed up to install solar water stills in Micronesian atolls, where residents constantly experience water shortages. Residents of these areas typically depend on rooftop rain catchments for their water supply, but prolonged droughts associated with El Niño exhaust household storage, leaving residents dependent on groundwater or imported water...more

Fisheries Minister denies live dolphins export plan [Solomon Islands]
PINA - 3 September 2009
Solomon Islands Fisheries and Marine Resources minister, Nollen Leni says he’s not aware of any immediate plans to export of live dolphins, reports Solomon Star. Mr Leni said while there have been no preparations for a shipment, he can’t understand why the trade is criticised. “Why don’t you talk to all these purse seiner companies catching more dolphins with the tuna out in the ocean. “We’re only exporting less than a hundred. They’re killing more than thousands of dolphins in those giant purse seine nets,” said Mr Leni...more

HUNDREDS WATCH AS DOLPHINS CAUGHT IN SOLOMONS: At least ten said being held for shipment
Pacific Islands Report - 2 September 2009
Solomon Islands Marine Wildlife Park yesterday caught about nine dolphins at the Marine school seashore in Honiara. This came days after dolphin advocacy organization Earth Island Institute attacked the Government’s policy to export live dolphins overseas. ...more

FIJI TO BUILD TRASH-BURNING POWER PLANTS: Agreement calls for construction of four plants
Pacific Islands report - 1 September 2009
A local independent power production company has signed a multi-million-dollar agreement to produce electricity for the national grid from waste and rubbish. The power purchase agreement was signed yesterday with the Fiji Electricity Authority, and was expected to generate savings of around FJ$17million [US$8.6 million] for FEA in diesel costs per year. Iviti Renewable Disenergy Power Plant Company (IRD) was expected to generate 10 megawatts of electricity or 87 million units every year from rubbish...more

What can you do about a vanishing nation? “The President’s Dilemma" [Kiribati]
BBC - 1 September 2009
Anote Tong is President of a small nation – a group of 33 atoll islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, half-way between Australia and Hawaii. Tong is faced with a dilemma the likes of which most government leaders couldn’t image. Scientists predict that within 30 to 50 years the nation he governs will have disappeared, covered over by rising seas resulting from global climate change. “For some time I did not sleep because I didn’t have a solution to a problem that there wasn’t a solution to,” says Tong. “What happens to us in the future? Do we disappear as a culture? So these are the issues that keep me awake.” A new television documentary explores some of the issues that keep Tong awake and put his nation’s 108,000 residents at risk. Airing September 1 at 20:30 (GMT) on BBC World, “The President’s Dilemma” takes a hard look at the impact that climate change is having on poor, low-lying island nations like Kiribati and what can be done to help ease the burden for those who are living on the front lines...sneak peak available on youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCxyD2Zichc

August

EPA: Chemical disposal plant properly closed
AP - 31 August 2009
An Army chemical weapons disposal plant that handled nerve gas and other deadly agents has been properly cleaned and closed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday. The dismantling of the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System facility on the now-uninhabited Pacific island about 890 miles west-southwest of Honolulu took about three years, ending in 2004. Sarin nerve gas, mustard gas and blister agent dating back to World War II were incinerated at the facility, known as JACADS, along with more than 400,000 rockets, projectiles, bombs and mortars containing chemical agents, including the deadly nerve agent VX, officials said. The EPA said its multiyear review found the Army met all permit requirements for closing. "Over the 15 years of JACADS' construction and operation, the EPA closely monitored the facility to ensure safe operations and prevent chemical releases," said Jeff Scott, director of the EPA's Pacific Southwest Region's Waste Management Division. "Our closure decision brings a successful end to this project to safely dispose of 4 million pounds of toxic chemical weapons while protecting the former workers and wildlife on Johnston Atoll," he said...more

Pacific leaders inspect climate change damage
Torres News - 30 August 2009
The impacts of climate change on Island communities in the Torres Strait were the focus of a recent visit by senior representatives of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). The visit by Ms Dessima Williams, Chair of AOSIS and the Permanent Representative of Grenada to the United Nations, and Mr Ronald Jumeau, the Permanent Representative of Seychelles to the United Nations, and Mr Andrew Ure, Australian Government Department of Climate Change, was hosted by the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) Deputy Chairperson Napcia Bin Tahal, the Torres Strait Island Regional Council, and the Boigu Island community. The delegates flew into the region following their participation in the recent Pacific Islands Forum held in Cairns. TSRA Chair Mr Toshie Kris said the delegation’s visit helps to bring international attention to the diversity and strategic importance of this unique region and to the challenges and management priorities confronting the Torres Strait in the face of climate change as well as provided an opportunity to exchange information with other regions sharing similar experiences...more

Protecting the natural heritage of Samoa
SPREP - 28 August 2009
As fairytales go, Hamelin used a pied piper and pipes to rid the town of rats. In real life, Samoa is using a helicopter and rat bait. The valuable native wildlife of Samoa’s Nu’utele and Nu’ulua islands is severely affected by the Pacific rat. These islands are two of the four which make up the Aleipata islands group. They are rich in Samoa’s natural heritage but this heritage is under severe threat. For example, these islands are home to the last remaining Friendly Ground Doves, now one of the rarest birds of Samoa but which used to inhabit Upolu. Rats eat the eggs of the birds and other animal life, and they also have a negative impact upon the lowland forests by eating seeds and young plant shoots. If the natural heritage on the islands is to survive so that future generations can see the original wildlife and lowland forests of Samoa then action needs to be taken now to remove threats, including rats. The Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) of the Government of Samoa, Dr. Tu’u’u Ieti Taulealo, believes that partnerships are a special feature of this project, highlighting the importance of community support in sustaining nature conservation...more

Kiribati environment minister resigns after violence erupts
PINA - 28 August 2009
Kiribati’s Environment Minister, Tetabo Nakara, has resigned after violence erupted on the Island of Maiana between the two ruling bodies there, reports Radio New Zealand International... more

Cook Islands submits continental shelf claim at UN
PINA - 28 August 2009
The Cook Islands presentation to the United Nations to claim over 400,000 square kilometres of continental shelf has gone “very well” reports foreign affairs secretary Mike Mitchell from New York, reports Cook Islands News. Deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs Sir Terepai Maoate made an opening speech to address the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf on Tuesday this week in which he said “this is an historic time of tremendous significance for the Cook Islands”. “We are here today, amongst far larger and wealthier countries to present our claim to extend our continental shelf. We are a country with limited resources, relatively isolated location, small size and population with narrow economic diversification and import dependence. This means that we are highly vulnerable environmentally and economically.” ...more

Cook Islands PM to attend climate conference in Geneva
PINA - 28 August 2009
Cook Islands Prime minister Jim Marurai will provide a perspective on climate change in the Cook Islands and small island states at the World Climate Conference-3 in Geneva, Switzerland next month, reports Cook Islands News. Mr Marurai has accepted an invitation to attend the WWC-3 from the president of Switzerland which is being held from August 31 to September 4 under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). The conference is being held in two parts, one for the technical officials and one for political leaders. Met service director Arona Ngari, as the Cooks’ permanent representative to the WMO, will also attend the conference. The WMO is the United Nations’ authoritative voice on weather, climate and water. Mr Marurai has been asked to deliver a statement on climate change in the small island states at the conference session he will attend with around 20 other world leaders and 30 ministers...more

AMERICAN SAMOA MARINE PROTECTION PLAN OKED: Projects estimated at $3.6 million
Pacific Islands Report - 28 August 2009
The federal government has approved American Samoa’s Marine Conservation Plan (MCP) which outlines priority marine conservation projects. Estimated to cost US$3.6 million, it is to be funded with money received under the Pacific Area Fishery Agreement (PIAFA) or collected from fisheries violations for the period of 2009 to 2012. The 35-page MCP prepared by the Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources and reviewed and approved during the March meeting in the territory of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (WPFMC) held here before its submission to the Secretary of Commerce for final approval, was granted early last week...more

Solomon Islands signature formalises adaptation project
SPREP - 27 August 2009
The Solomon Islands has signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Project (PACC). This brings the total number of countries who have signed the PACC MoU to 10. This enables the island nation to take their food security project to the next level in the Timotu Province. Swampy taro is the staple crop of the small atoll islands which are being affected by salt water intrusion as a result of climate change. Under the PACC, the Solomon Islands want to strengthen their food security, as an adaptation measure to cope with the impacts of climate change...more

Voyage confirms plastic pollution
BBC - 27 August 2009
Scientists have confirmed that there are millions of tonnes of plastic floating in an area of ocean known as the North Pacific Gyre. The first of two ships on a voyage to study plastic pollution there has recently returned to port. Scientists on board say they found increasing amounts of plastic of all sizes as they travelled into the gyre. They plan to analyse the effects of the waste on marine life and will propose methods to clear it up. The North Pacific Gyre is a slow-moving clockwise vortex where four major ocean currents meet. Little lives there besides phytoplankton. However the currents have carried millions of tonnes of rubbish into the centre of the gyre, which now covers an area estimated to be larger than the US state of Texas...more

Crackdown on illegal Pacific animal trade
PINA - 27 August 2009
Customs officials from throughout the South Pacific are in New Zealand, improving their skills at detecting illegal animal smugglers, reports Radio Australia. Officials from six Pacific Island nations have been going through their paces at an airport training facility in Auckland. They are learning how to check bags thoroughly and spot suspicious travellers. The illegal trade in wildlife is worth billions of dollars...more

Tuna could be fished to extinction by 2048
PINA - 26 August 2009
Greenpeace and a Taiwan conservation group has called on Taiwan to cut down its tuna catch, because overfishing could cause tuna's extinction by 2048, reports DPA. Greenpeace held a similar news conference in South Korea last week, and it will soon make the same demand on Japan. Japan is the world's top tuna-catching nation, and Taiwan is the second-largest. At the Taipei news conference, Greenpeace and the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan jointly urged the Taiwan government to join the global community to cut the Pacific tuna catch by 50 per cent. Scientists warn that if current exploitation trends continue all commercial fish species could be wiped out by 2048. The two groups asked Taiwan to support the Western and Central Pacific Fishery Commission (WCPFC) to close the four pockets of international waters in the Pacific Ocean as marine reserves to sustain the tuna stocks...more

FIJI UTILITY: $17 MILLION WIND FARM A FAILURE: Inadequate field studies cited
Pacific Islands Report - 26 August 2009
The Fiji Electricity Authority has admitted that its $34million [US$17 million] Butoni Wind farm in Sigatoka was a failure. And this was because of insufficient study of the area. This revelation was made by FEA's general manager generation, Eparama Tawake, at the International Symposium on Renewable Energy at the University of the South Pacific yesterday...more

Namdrik Atoll to be Designated as a 2nd Ramsar Wetlands of Importance Site in the RMI
Contributed by Vainuupo Jungblut - 27 August 2009 [RMIEPA news update]
An inception meeting was held with the Namdrik Atoll leadership at the EPA conference room on
Wednesday, August 12th. The meeting was organized by RMI EPA to discuss a project
proposal aiming to designate Namdrik Atoll as a 2nd Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance
site in the RMI after the Jaluit Atoll Conservation Area project. RMI EPA has received
a funding of $37,500 for the initiation of the project in Namdrik Atoll. EPA will work with the Namdrik
leadership to develop a draft management plan to be submitted for the Ramsar Secretariat for
consideration and endorsement. The atoll–based project will be entirely run and operated by the
whole community.

Community set to restore lost forest [PNG]
Highlands Post - 26 August 2009
THE Eastern Highlands provincial administration is assisting a local community to plant more than 200,000 trees in an old logged out area of the province for the next 10 years. This was said by natural resources adviser for the administration, Zamzai Sinikupa . He assured the people of Lupipi in Korgoraipa in Yagaria Local Level Government of Lufa yesterday that they will be planting the trees for their future. “The administration will assist Lupipi people to replant more than 200,000 trees covering 200 hectares of land in the next ten years,” said Mr Zamzai...more

Laws to destroy environment? [PNG]
The National - 26 August 2009
THE Government has pointed to a law enacted by the previous administration for the widespread destruction of the country’s natural environment. Deputy Prime Minister Sir Puka Temu said the Private Dealing Act allowed individual landowner groups to engage private companies to use their land without any consideration for the environment. There was no requirement for them to seek approval from the national or provincial governments, he said during a visit to Sinivit in Warangoi, East New Britain province, last week. “The act gave them the power to decide on their own on everything,” he added. Sir Puka, who is also the Minister for Lands and Physical Planning, said the current government did not intend to make the same mistake in the mining sector. “We are reviewing the Mining Act and will gather views from landowners, industries and the private sector,” he said...more

Pachauri's call for 350ppm is breakthrough moment for climate movement
Guardian - 26 August 2009
UN's top climate scientist says he supports goal of keeping atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations below 350ppm. Rajendra Pachauri is the U.N.'s top climate scientist. He leads the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which every five years produces the authoritative assessment of climate science. Its last report, in 2007, helped set the target of 450 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a target that many environmental groups and national governments have adopted as their goal for Copenhagen. As many of you know, that number is out of date. When Jim Hansen and other scientists looked at phenomena like the Arctic ice melt of the last two summers, they produced new data demonstrating that 350 ppm is the bottom line. But it's been hard to get that news out to the powers that be. So today it comes as enormous and welcome news that Pachauri, from his New Delhi office, said that 350 was the number.

"As chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, I cannot take a position because we do not make recommendations," said Rajendra Pachauri when asked if he supported calls to keep atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations below 350 ppm. "But as a human being I am fully supportive of that goal. What is happening, and what is likely to happen, convinces me that the world must be really ambitious and very determined at moving toward a 350 target," he told Agence France-Presse in an interview. Many national governments (and even some environmental groups) have stuck to a 450 ppm target—it seems politically "realistic." But Pachauri has taken away that gray area, and laid down the real bottom line. Physics and chemistry say 350, and that's that.

Pachauri cited the decision of the small island nations and less developed countries to endorse the 350 target. "I think this is a good development," he said. "Now people—including some scientists—see the seriousness of the impacts of climate change, and the fact that things are going to get substantially worse than what we had anticipated." ... more

FIJI MUST HONOR SANCTUARY FOR ENDANGERED TURTLES
Pacific Islands Report - 25 August 2009
The enforcement of the last turtle moratorium had been found to be wanting according to a survey. The real situation in Fiji was that there is "no enforcement of the moratorium and traditional harvest was often done without permits. It was also estimated that 1000s of turtles, mainly sub adults, caught in subsistence fishery and 100 plus of turtles, mainly adult greens, sacrifice themselves for traditional purposes. Most nesting beaches not protected and hunting and egg collecting occurs. These findings were found in a survey "Chiefs and fishing clans contribution to turtle conservation" ... WWF marine species officer Merewalesi Laveti told journalists if we did not all we would have of the turtles would be fossils like those of the extinct dinosaur. For the last seven months, marine conservationists had been crossing their fingers after the Fiji Moratorium Turtle legislation expired at the end of December last year. They also had been working hard with their government partners for another extension of the moratorium for the last seven months. The announcement by Fisheries permanent secretary Viliame Naupoto on Cabinet’s decision on its extension brought a sigh of relief and applause from Fiji Locally Marine Managed Areas partners who had been pushing for its renewal. Naupoto said Cabinet decided to extend the Fiji Moratorium Turtle Act for another 10 years in recognition of the plight of the sea turtles in Fiji...more

Fiji approves action plan to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal unreported and regulated fishing
PINA - 25 August 2009
Fiji has approved the adoption of Fiji’s National Plan of Action (NPOA) to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing on all fishing vessels that berth at Fiji ports. Head of the Ministry of Primary Industries, Joketani Cokanasiga said in recent years, IUU fishing has become a serious issue because it undermines efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks. ”Without any concerted efforts at international, regional and national level to prevent and deter IUU fishing will result in severe loss of socio-economic opportunities, food security, and environmental protection...more

Unusual El Nino patterns will affect Pacific rainfall patterns over the next few months
PINA - 25 August 2009
Weather and climate researchers say the Pacific Region is experiencing unusual El Nino weather patterns, with some Pacific Island nations expected to get higher than expected rainfall, while other regions will be drier, reports Radio New Zealand International. James Renwick from New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) said, the equatorial Pacific is experiencing unusual El Nino behaviour with the tradewinds are not easing as normal. “The tradewinds are the winds that blow in the tropics pretty much all the time. They blow from the East to the West. And when we have an El Nino those tradewinds weaken off, and that helps the sea temperature to warm up. What we’ve seen up to date this year is sea temperatures have warmed up in the East but the tradewinds haven’t really weakened.” Mr Renwick said as a result, Papua New Guinea (PNG) , Tokelau and the Northern Cook Islands will be drier than normal and above normal rainfall is forecast for Eastern and Western Kiribati .

ENVIRONMENT: Ozone Treaty May Hold Key to Halting Climate Change
IPS - 25 August 2009
Will the world take the easy step to phase out "super" greenhouse gases – hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) - using the existing Montreal Protocol ozone treaty? Doing so would be equivalent to preventing the release of 118 to 224 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2050, according to a report by the Environmental Investigation Agency...Two small island nations, the Federated States of Micronesia and Mauritius, were the first to campaign to amend the Montreal Protocol to tackle HFCs at a July meeting of signatories. Ironically, under the Protocol, richer countries provide financing to poor countries to replace ozone-destroying refrigerants with HFCs. Many country delegates felt it is the responsibility of the Montreal Protocol to prevent the further commercialisation and prolific use of HFCs even though it is not an ozone-depleting chemical. "The support of North American leaders is appreciated," said Ambassador Yosiwo George from the Federated States of Micronesia. The tiny Pacific island nation is threatened by rising sea levels from global warming and is advocating for a 90 percent HFC phase out by 2030. "It brings strong reinforcements and gives our islands a fighting chance to phase down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol," George said in a statement...more

COMPANY’S BAN WORRIES SOLOMONS PALM OIL FARMERS : Cadbury bows to environmental pressures
Pacific Islands Report - 24 August 2009
Palm oil farmers in the Pacific are concerned about environmental lobbying that has seen chocolate-maker Cadbury say it will no longer use the product in its dairy milk chocolate. Environmentalists argue that palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia encroach on natural rainforest, destroying the habitat of orang-utans. Cadbury has bowed to the pressure. But landowners in Solomon Islands, say the situation there is vastly different, and the campaign could harm families who depend totally on the oil crop... more

U.S. WANTS DEEP SEA DUMP OFF GUAM: Concerns raised about impacts on marine life
Pacific Islands Report - 24 August 2009
LOCAL residents have raised concerns over the potential impact of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed ocean disposal site for dredged materials off Apra Harbor, which the agency has defended in its draft environmental impact statement. Island residents and representatives from various environmental agencies met with the U.S. EPA last Thursday to discuss the draft EIS, which proposed two locations for a permanent ocean disposal site... more

Salt water ruining Kiribati attempts to grow own food
PINA - 24 August 2009
The Kiribati Government wants people to eat healthy, traditional food, but their gardens are being ruined by salt water, says a local proponent, reports NZ Herald . Pelenise Alofa Pilitati holds public cooking demonstrations to teach people how to cook using beans, nuts and lentils. She said the lessons were part of her “climate change adaptation programme” to help people whose gardens were threatened by tidal surges and sea-level rise. Otherwise, “people live off rice and tinned food” She said salt water was already seeping into the earth near her home, polluting the underground freshwater supply and affecting the roots of plants. Kiribati is officially 4m above sea level, but Ms Pilitati said most people lived "at eye level" with the sea ... more

Pacific governments move against illegal fishing
Australianetworknews - 24 August 2009
Environmental group Greenpeace has welcomed the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency's efforts to stop illegal fishing. The agency last week hosted a ten-day maritime surveillance operation to crack down on illegal fishing, smuggling and people trafficking in the Pacific... more

Forest landowners in PNG to benefit through carbon trading
PINA - 21 August 2009
Landowners of forests in PNG can boost their economic wealth if they ensure that their forest resources are well managed for taking part in carbon trading, reports Post Courier. Hence key government agencies need to ensure there is efficiency and equity in benefit sharing of any future carbon trading schemes. This has been highlighted in the draft Forestry and Climate Change Policy Framework for Action prepared by the PNG Forest Authority and currently pending approval by the Forestry Board and NEC this week...more

ENDANGERED GUAM SNAILS STILL WITHOUT HOME: Authorities still looking for spot to relocate colony
Pacific Islands Report - 20 August 2009
Researchers are looking for an alternative relocation site for a colony of snails found at Ylig Bridge because the first recommended relocation area for Partula Radiolata was determined to be not feasible for the transfer plan. Just two weeks after a recommendation was made to transfer 150 endangered tree snails from the Ylig Bridge to the Masso Reservoir, a bi-weekly report submitted by Department Public Works director Larry Perez, indicates the move is not likely to happen...more

El Nino climate pattern to last into 2010: agency
PINA - 20 August 2009
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Wednesday that an El Nino current now in the Pacific Ocean would probably last into 2010, promising unpredictable disruption to weather around the globe, reports AFP ...more

Australian scientist sceptical of climate change
Australianetworknews.org - 19 August 2009
An Australian scientist who is sceptical about man-made climate change says Pacific island countries should be wary of thinking all their environmental challenges are the result of global warming. Professor Ian Plimer, from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Australia's University of Adelaide, has just published a book challenging what he says is the theory of man-made global warming. Professor Plimer, who is also president of the Australian Geoscience Council, has told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat program that Pacific island nations are seeing changes in their climate and coastline. However he questions whether these changes are part of a worldwide human-induced climate change phenomenon. "The change in relative sea level is quite commonly due to other factors. It's due to vibration consolidating the coral island sand, it's due to the extraction of water, and it's due to the extraction of coral island sand for road making and air strip making," he said. "It is these processes that don't get considered in what is a relative sea level change."

NAVY JOINS EFFORT TO SAVE NATIVE GUAM TREE: Fadang tree threatened by alien insects
Pacific Islands Report - 19 August 2009
The cycas micronesica, a native cyad species more commonly known as the fadang tree, faces possible extinction due to invasive insect species, according to University of Guam professor, Dr. Thomas Marler. The fadang has thrived for generations in a virtually unthreatened environment both locally and in Rota. "The Navy has demonstrated exemplary commitment to the conservation of Guam’s resources by funding this project," Marler said. "The novel idea was initiated several years ago, long before we knew for sure that the death rate among Guam’s fadang population would be so extreme." ...more

Papua mine sued for $US30 billion
Radio Australia - 18 August 2009
A West Papuan tribe is suing the giant Freeport mine for $US30 billion, claiming massive environmental damage and responsibility for human rights abuses...more

PNG LANDOWNERS SUE TO HALT GAS PROJECT: Restraining order calls for environmental protection
Pacific Islands Report - 14 August 2009
ExxonMobil is reviewing the court injunction taken out against its subsidiary, Esso Highlands Ltd, the developer of the multi-billion-kina PNG LNG Project and will comment on its next course of action "in due course’’. ExxonMobil public affairs director Miles Shaws said this yesterday when reacting to the restraining court order taken out by the Wita and Arua clans of Hides PDL1, 2 and 3 areas on Monday against the project. "The project is currently reviewing the court documents and assessing their implications. It will be preparing its response to these documents in the near term. When it is appropriate we will have further public comments," Mr Shaw said. The two clans took out the restraining order late on Monday on the Government not to issue an environment permit to the developer until all environmental issues raised by the plaintiff were addressed properly... more

A change in perception
Fiji Times - 14 August 2009
We are constantly being reminded of the inevitable future that now faces us and our future generations due to global warming which is the driving force behind climate change. And as Pacific Islanders it is an issue that we cannot brush away lightly because we are at the threshold of sea-level rising. Many have taken up the cause to create awareness and to try and figure out a way to prepare us and our future generations for the coming changes. A few youths who met up at the Pacific Youth Festival decided they wanted to help. They created a group called the Pasifika Climate Change Group. Kirsty Albion of Project Survival an Australian Youth Climate Coalition conducted a workshop on climate change during the PYF where many young Pacific students sat in anticipation, grabbing information they could use for future reference. These youths then endeavored to form this group for the betterment of their individual communities where they were to return to... more

Pacific Climate Change Roundtable 2009
SPREP - 12 August 2009
Adaptation to climate change will be at the forefront of discussions at this year’s Pacific Climate Change Roundtable (PCCR), which is set to meet in the Marshall Islands from 19 to 21 October. The Roundtable, coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), is the main means for enabling a coordinated approach to carrying out the Pacific Islands Framework for Action on Climate Change (PIFACC). PIFACC was adopted by Pacific Leaders in 2005 with a view to address the issues of climate change in the integrated, multi-stakeholder approach that it requires. PIFACC emphasises that a strategic programmatic approach is required rather than an increase in stand-alone project initiatives...more

NOAA announces funding to support ocean observing in the Pacific Islands
EurekaAlert - 12 August 2009
NOAA's Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) has awarded more than $2.09 million in competitive grant funding to support ocean observing efforts in Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. The grants support the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System and will be administered by the University of Hawaii at Manoa under the direction of Brian Taylor, dean of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. Funding will continue support and development of the Hawaii-Pacific Ocean Observing and Information System which measures and predicts ocean and coastal conditions. The system also develops products aimed at enhancing the safe and productive use of the ocean, such as coastal inundation and erosion alerts, fishing and marine mammal forecasts, channel and nearshore circulation prediction, and automated water quality detection... more

Maps reveal secret life of marine turtles in urgent need of protection
WWF International - August 2009
A series of conservation maps produced by WWF reveal for the first time the secret life of endangered turtles in the world’s most diverse marine region – the Coral Triangle. The maps are the first to bring together the different life cycle movements, migration routes, foraging grounds, and nesting sites of green, hawksbill and leatherback turtles. The maps were produced with the help of satellite tracking, and allow the identification and targeting of areas in urgent need of protection. They also highlight the inter-connectedness of marine habitats making a strong case for cooperation among Coral Triangle countries for the protection of shared marine resources in the region. “We now have a better picture and more comprehensive understanding of where marine turtles feed, breed, and nest around the waters of the Coral Triangle,” says Matheus Halim, WWF Coral Triangle Turtle Strategy Leader. Marine turtles play a crucial role in the delicate web of ocean life by maintaining the health of seagrass beds and coral reefs, which are home to other marine species such as shrimp, lobster, sharks, dugongs and innumerable reef fish.
The maps serve as a guideline for where to establish Marine Protected Areas. “The maps clearly identify which areas in this region need protection”, added Halim. “WWF is calling for the establishment of a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that encompass these locations as part of the new six nations Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) and for turtles to be made a priority under The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN).”
Full story and source: http://www.panda.org/wwf_news/?170981/Maps-reveal-secret-life-of-marine-turtles-in-urgent-need-of-protection

Just out: “Guidelines for Invasive Species Management in the Pacific”
SPREP - August 2009
The threat posed by invasive species such as introduced pests, weeds and diseases, to the Pacific region is clear from many recent lessons of the devastation they can cause. One such lesson is the Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis) accidentally introduced to Guam in the 1940s, which causes Guam to spend over $US 5 million a year on damage and management costs. Another is the taro leaf blight, a fungal disease that arrived in Samoa in the 1990s and decimated taro production; this is estimated to have cost Samoa $US 40 million. In a region of small nations and territories with limited budgets, strong, solid planning and cooperation for invasive species management is essential to controlling their impacts in different islands. To assist these efforts, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), has just launched (July 2009) the “Guidelines for Invasive Species Management in the Pacific”. The aim of the Guidelines is to assist invasive species planning and prioritisation by providing a guide to the activities required in a comprehensive programme of invasive species management, whether for an individual country or island, or for a local or regional agency... more ... download Guidelines ..http://www.sprep.org/publication/pub_detail.asp?id=699

Second meeting of the Signatories to the Pacific Cetaceans MOU
SPREP - August 2009
Pacific Island states and territories are meeting in Auckland on 28-29 July, to agree a way forward to conserve the whales and dolphins cetaceans) of the Pacific Islands Region. Many species in the region, such as the blue whale, the humpback whale, the orca and the bottlenose dolphin, are endangered by a number of threats, including entanglement in fishing gear and by-catch, direct hunting, climate change, habitat degradation, pollution, underwater noise and collisions with ships. The group will agree on an Action Plan containing the region’s most urgent priority actions. The Action Plan places emphasis on increasing capacity, awareness and understanding in the region. It outlines how communities can benefit from whale and dolphin -based tourism. Involving local communities in conservation activities is a key to the success of such an initiative. The agreement is officially referred to as the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (more commonly called the Pacific Cetaceans MoU)... more

FISHING GEAR CLUTTERS CNMI’S REMOTE MAUG : Concerns raised about marine life, environment
Pacific Islands Report - 12 August 2009
Angelo Villagomez of the Friends of the Monument, the main proponent of the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, disclosed on Monday the "damaged" condition of Maug Island. Maug, by law, is part of the Marine Protected Areas of the CNMI, and is included in the three new protected marine areas in the Pacific designated by a presidential declaration last January. "Last year we talked about how pristine the water and how undamaged they were, but I actually found that there’s a lot more damage to the island and the waters that we don’t know about," Villagomez said, referring to Maug... more

AMERICAN SAMOA FIGHTS SEWAGE TREATMENT UPGRADE : U.S. regulators want costly secondary treatment
Pacific Islands Report - 12 August 2009
The American Samoa Power Authority has submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency written comments vehemently opposing the EPA’s tentative denial of ASPA’s permit application that would continue to exempt ASPA’s wastewater treatment plants from secondary treatment. In a press statement, ASPA explains the wastewater treatment plants in Utulei and Tafuna have operated under permits which allow discharge to be treated by "primary" standards, as opposed to "secondary" standards, that are more costly. In written comments submitted to U.S. EPA Region 9, ASPA CEO Mike Keyser cites technical, environmental, economical, and public health concerns that the territory would face if the proposal to deny the variances is enforced... more

ENERGY: WIND AND SOLAR : Using renewable energy in the Pacific
islands Business - August 2009
Driving north along the coast of New Caledonia’s main island, the profile of the surrounding hills suddenly changes when you pass the town of Kone. Silhouetted against the sky is a forest of wind turbines, twirling in the afternoon sun. The islands of New Caledonia have an extensive programme of wind power, using new technologies that are being exported to other Pacific islands nations. At a time of concern over energy prices, peak oil and greenhouse gas emissions, countries around the region are looking to cleaner and cheaper sources of renewable energy. Kiribati and other small islands states are boosting the use of solar power for rural households.
Speaking to the December 2008 global conference on climate change in Poland, Tuvalu’s Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia stated: “We need a new arrangement for least developed countries and small islands developing states to pursue a low carbon future. We need strong international assistance to allow us to develop and deploy renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies so that we are guaranteed energy security. We cannot afford to be held hostage to continual leaps in the price of imported fuels.” .. more

ENVIRONMENT: GET GROWTH RIGHT, BANK ON BIODIVERSITY : No need to exploit to exhaustion natural resources
Islands Business - August 2009
The economic downturn being felt by Pacific islands nations as ripple on effects of the global financial meltdown is no reason to exploit to exhaustion the remaining natural resources of the islands, a regional conference on the environment has concluded. On the contrary, delegates at the recent Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation in the Solomon Islands last month believe depressed economic conditions should give added impetus for islands nations to invest and conserve their ‘bank’ of biodiversity. “The common threads between climate change crisis and the financial crisis is unsustainable economic growth and human activities,” said the chair of the roundtable Taholo Kami. “To drive this quest for growth, we have “overdrawn” on nature’s ability to compensate and recuperate. “In the Pacific, more than in developed nations—nature or the environment is the source of our ‘bread and butter.’ “Our exports, primary industries, manufacturing, tourism, food supply, clean air and water are products of our environment.
“For most countries in the Pacific, a healthy environment provides more than just resilience to climate change but also some resilience to the financial crisis. “Our message to Pacific countries is “get growth right,” bank on biodiversity, ensure a healthy ecosystem remains an integral part of our sustainable development plans.” ... more

SOPAC NO MORE : Is it politics or economics at play over demise of regional body?
Islands Business - August 2009
SOPAC will cease to exist as a regional geoscience organisation in less than four months, a meeting of Pacific islands government officials have resolved. In a plan devised by a joint meeting of the governing councils of three regional agencies (SPREP, SOPAC and SPC) in Suva last month, bulk of the functions of Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), currently headquartered in Fiji, will be turned into a division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) from January 1, 2010. On this date too, several of SOPAC’s other programmes especially those relating to the environment like climate change and meteorology will be transferred to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) based in Apia, Samoa.
The decision of the three governing councils will now go before the Pacific Islands Leaders at their summit this month in Cairns, Australia, for endorsement. Once that approval is granted, the SOPAC Council will vote for its official demise at its annual session planned for Vanuatu in October. Compromise: The decision to make SOPAC a division of SPC is seen by many as a compromise brokered over earlier proposals made under the Regional Institutional Framework (RIF) for the rationalisation of all regional organisations in the Pacific... more

ELEVENTH HOUR BID TO SAVE SOPAC FAILS : Experts worry about SPREP’s ability to manage donor funds, SPC’s ‘mega-bureaucracy’
islands Business - August 2009
Heads of three regional organisations turned down a last minute plea to save the technical and scientific capabilities of the Fiji-based scientific organisation, the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC). The dramatic appeal was made by three leading scientists who are members of an independent committee of experts to SOPAC, who went to some lengths questioning the capabilities of SPREP (Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme) based in Samoa to manage donor funds...more

News from MareqetiViti [Fiji]
Excerpts from NatureFiji newsletter - August 2009
"So far 2009 has been a very busy year for us, we have been lucky to receive funding for several large projects, including: further pelagic expeditions to find the Fiji Petrel; a large Forestry project looking at creating permanent sustainably-managed forest estates; funding from British High Commission for our Sago Project; and, the Arcadia fund for some of our core activities.
Alongside finding funding for further conservation activities we have also nearly completed several projects, including a trial Sago Palm restoration community project at Culanuku and Site Support Group work at Tomanivi . Our function as a conservation facilitator and influencer continues, in
addition to our position as secretariat for wetlands conservation, we have a new role on the Fiji Ramsar Steering Committee Secretariat and, in conjunction with the National Trust, we have initiated an awareness campaign for forest conservation on Taveuni. As an organisation we continue to grow and we have recently moved into our own office at 14 Hamilton-Beattie Street." ... vist their website - http://www.naturefiji.org

NZ announces emissions targets
PINA - 11 August 2009
The New Zealand Government has announced targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions - but environmentalists believe they do not go far enough. New Zealand's emissions make up less than 0.5 per cent of mankind's overall greenhouse gas pollution. But the country is in a tricky position because half of its greenhouse gases come from the highly-profitable agricultural sector. The Government now says it will cut emissions by between 10 and 20 per cent of 1990 levels. But Barry Coates from Oxfam believes it is a cop-out. "The losers here are the people from the developing world who stand to suffer from climate change, including our Pacific neighbours," he told ABC News. New Zealand will set a final target after it takes part in negotiations at the climate change conference in Copenhagen later this year.

India to help Pacific Island states deal with climate change
Economic Times - 7 August 2009
India on Friday said it is ready to engage "constructively and productively" with the global community to combat climate change and underlined that its greenhouse gas emissions are among the lowest in per capita terms. "We recongise our responsibility as a developing country and wish to engage constructively and productively with the international community and to add weight to global efforts to protect the environment," external affairs minister S M Krishna said at the post-forum dialogue of Pacific Island Forum here...more

Climate role vital: Yvo De Boer
PacNews - 7 August 2009
Papua New Guinea (PNG), like all other Pacific Island nations, needs significant financial support to effectively have a strong response with other Pacific nations for an ambitious call to the landmark climate change meeting in Copenhagen in December. Yvo De Boer, executive secretary to the UNFCCC Climate Change Secretariat in Germany, said this to the Post-Courier when interviewed at the Pacific Islands Forum in Cairns this week. The paper had an interview with Mr De Boer just before the final official press conference led by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, speaking as the chairman of the Forum in Cairns last night. He said Papua New Guinea, being the largest Pacific Island nation and a country with the last forest frontier, by far one of the largest and last forest nations, was capable of assisting Australia and New Zealand in pushing for a strong and clear response to climate change issues despite being faced with one of the biggest problems of climate change - to relocate islanders of Carterets, other atolls and coastlands of PNG. A specific mention was made on PNG by this executive, the fact that PNG is an influential nation because of its position with rainforest and being the largest Pacific island nation...more

Forum settles for far less on climate change
PacNews - 7 August 2009
New chair of the Pacific Islands Forum and prime minister of Australia Kevin Rudd has succeeded in convincing his smaller members of the Forum to share his country’s position on climate change
Instead of setting carbon emission reduction targets to around 45% from 1990 levels by 2020 as strongly advocated by small island states in international negotiations for a new climate change treaty, leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum at the end of their meeting on Thursday settled for far less. “We call for a post-2012 outcome that sets the world on a path to limit the increase in global average temperatures to 2 degrees Celsius or less,” said the Forum communiqué. “We call on states to reduce global emissions by at least 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050. “We call on states to ensure that global emissions peak no later than 2020.” Forum leaders’ labelled their position on climate change as their call for action, which contained a lot of inspirational rhetoric on the impact of rising sea levels. Yet when it came to setting carbon emission reduction targets, the Forum leaders’ call for action fell far short, observers say...more

Greenpeace cries foul over Pacific climate change pact
PacNews - 7 August 2009
Greenpeace is unhappy about the Pacific Islands Forum’s position on climate change accusing leaders of abandoning their people to climate disaster. “The outcome of the Pacific Island Forum is a disaster for the Pacific,” said Greenpeace political adviser, Seni Nabou. “Kevin Rudd has chosen big polluters over the very survival of Pacific Islands. “At the same time, Pacific Islands leaders have buckled to a watered down climate agreement that is devoid of substance.” “The Forum communiqué comes as a slap in the face for the Pacific leaders who went into the [Forum] calling for 45% cuts in greenhouse pollution by 2020. “Today they leave agreeing to 50% cuts by 2050. “They went in with a strong position that global warming needs to be kept below 1.5 degrees, and finished up agreeing to 2 degrees.” Ms Nabou pointed out that small island states which are members of the Forum reiterated their demands at a press conference just two days ago. She said not only have those demands disappeared from the final communiqué, all 2020 targets have disappeared all together...more

Fijian activists arrested in Australia, returning home this weekend
Fiji Times - 7 August 2009
TWO Fijians - arrested and charged after Greenpeace Pacific action to block a coal berth at one of the world's largest coal export ports - will return to Fiji this weekend. Greenpeace spokeswoman Josephine Prasad confirmed two Fijians were arrested over non-violent direct action they took over environmental issues at Hay Point Coal Terminal in Australia. "Fenton Lutunatabu and Apisai Waqanisau were arrested and charged for their NVDA. They will be arriving in the country over the weekend," she said. Greenpeace activist Fenton Lutunatabu said the action they took was necessary. "We're took this non violent direct action (NVDA) as it needed to be taken. Sometimes the only way people will listen to you is if you push the envelope, and that's what Greenpeace does," he said. Greenpeace activist Apisalome Waqanisau said they "came to Hay Point to highlight that Kevin Rudd had a choice to make between the expansion of coal and the future of the Pacific Islands. He chose coal. All we received from the PIF (Pacific Islands Forum) were promises to help erect higher sea walls against the rising tides caused by Australian coal"...more

Pacific Islands Forum Concludes with Call to Action on Climate Change
Climate-l.org - 6 August 2009
The 40th Pacific Islands Forum convened in Cairns, Australia, from 5-6 August 2009, and concluded with a call by Pacific leaders to action on climate change. In their Call to Action, Pacific leaders recognize that climate change is the great challenge for Pacific Islands States, and call on world leaders to increase their ambitions ahead of the Copenhagen climate change conference this December and to limit the increase in average global temperatures to two degrees Celsius or less. They also call on States to reduce global emissions by at least 50% below 1990 levels by 2050, and to ensure that global emissions peak no later than 2020. Participants did not set shorter-term targets. They urge developed countries to take the lead in mitigating climate change and to put in place domestic measures to achieve emission reductions targets, and call on major developing economies to commit to ensure a substantial collective reduction below business-as-usual levels by 2020.

Pacific leaders also adopted a series of recommendations for addressing the impacts of climate change by, inter alia: continuing the implementation of the Niue Declaration on Climate Change; developing Pacific-tailored responses to support adaptation and mitigation measures; coordinating regional efforts in the completion and early implementation of the outcomes of the Copenhagen conference; enhancing the resilience of ecological systems and associated biodiversity and providing ecosystem services with a focus on the impacts of climate change; assisting with the assessment called for by the UN General Assembly Resolution A/Res/63/281 Climate Change and its Possible Security Implications; strengthening data collection and analysis for improved climatic monitoring and preparedness; building scientific capacity across the region through strategic partnerships; and building support, with the assistance of regional and international partners, for the new Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food security.... see full text of Final Communique of the 40th Pacific Forum

40th Pacific Forum confirms outcome of RIF - rationalisation of SOPAC into SPC and SPREP
Contributed by Peter Murgatroyd - 6 August
.. the joint meeting of the governing bodies:

(i) welcomed the commitment by members to strengthen SPREP as the region’s lead environmental agency, including through support for the implementation of the approved decisions relating to the independent corporate review of SPREP;

(ii) agreed that the following specific SOPAC functions be transferred to SPREP from January 2010: the Pacific Islands Global Ocean Observing System, the Islands Climate Update, the Climate and Meteorological Database, and the component of the energy sector relating to monitoring and evaluation of greenhouse gases and the clean development mechanism (CDM);

(iii) agreed that the remaining functions of SOPAC be transferred to SPC as a new geoscience division from January 2010 based on the final implementation plan to be presented to and considered by the governing bodies of SOPAC and SPC in October 2009;

(iv) encouraged SPREP and SPC to optimise linkages between their work programmes and activities in the area of environment to strengthen service delivery and coordination; and

(v) agreed that progress with the transfer of SOPAC functions be reported to the annual meetings of the governing bodies and Pacific Plan Action Committee.

... see full text of Final Communique of the 40th Pacific Forum

FRENCH SCIENTISTS TO STUDY TAHITI MARINE LIFE: Aim is to document species and ocean floor
Pacific Islands Report - 6 August 2009
The French Research Development Institute (IRD) will conduct an extensive three-month oceanographic study that it claims might help "to discover new species and provide basic molecules of interest" in the French Polynesia seabed. IRD scientists will conduct the study from Thursday to October 29 aboard the oceanographic research ship Alis...more

AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCES FUNDING PRIORITIES FOR PACIFIC CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION
Contributed by Penny Figgis - 6 August 2009
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, and the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Penny Wong, today announced funding priorities to assist Pacific Island countries to meet the immediate challenges of climate change. The Government has previously announced $150 million for the International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative. The Initiative aims to meet high priority climate adaptation needs in vulnerable countries in our region. Of this $150 million Initiative, $75 million has previously been allocated and $50 million is being allocated today. Of this $50 million, $25 million will be allocated to help implement high priority, practical adaptation programs in Pacific island countries, including:

· working with the agricultural sector to address food security issues;

· protecting water supplies and essential infrastructure;

· improving coastal zone management to increase the resilience of coastal areas and community settlements to climate change; and

· supporting disaster preparedness and disaster risk reduction programs.

A further $12 million will be provided for the Pacific Adaptation Strategy Assistance Program to strengthen the capacity of Pacific Island countries to assess their vulnerabilities to climate change and develop adaptation strategies. This will help Pacific Island countries to build the skills and knowledge they need for long-term decision making to prepare for climate change.

Australia will also contribute:

· $6 million to support Pacific regional organisations to undertake adaptation work on issues such as fisheries management and crop diversity;

· $4.3 million investment will be made upgrading sea level monitoring stations in Pacific countries; and

· $2.7 million will be spent in partnership with non-government organisations working on adaptation in the region.

Australia is committed to decisive action on climate change both at home and globally, and recognises that building resilience to climate change is critically important for vulnerable countries in the Pacific.

Of the $75 million previously allocated, amounts include:

· $14.8m of funding for the Pacific announced by the Prime Minister at last year’s Forum in Niue;

· $20m for the Pacific Climate Change Science Program; and

· $40m for the World Bank’s Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience.

Cook Islands PM supports regional call for action on climate change
PacNews - 5 August 2009
Cook Islands Prime minister Jim Marurai addressed the plenary session of the 40th Pacific Islands Forum yesterday on the issue of climate change. The issue has been touted as one of, if not the most, important issues at the forum being held in Cairns. Mr Marurai told the 15 leaders of the forum at their first meeting that more than half of the Cook Islands are low lying islands. “In this vein the Cook Islands are very much like all the smaller island states in terms of low lying atolls which are vulnerable to sea level rise and natural disasters. As a result, we fully share the concerns that the SIS and other forum members have in respect to climate change and global warming.” Mr Marurai echoed Australian PM and forum chair Kevin Rudd's statement that climate change is one of the region's greatest threats and challenges...more

Australia should do more on climate change: Tuvalu
PacNews - 5 August 2009
Australia could be doing more to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, Tuvaluan Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia says, reports AAP. Tuvalu, which lies in the Pacific Ocean midway between Australia and Hawaii, is the fourth smallest nation in the world. At its highest point Tuvalu is only five metres above sea level and is especially vulnerable to any future rise in sea levels that may be caused by global warming. “Unfortunately, because the islands are low, there is nowhere we can run to,” Mr Ielemia told Sky News on Wednesday...more

New report: 'Engaging our Pacific Neighbours on Climate Change: Australia’s approach'
This document guides Australia’s climate change work with the Pacific to 2015 by articulating principles to inform future efforts, based on the Pacific region’s stated priorities and
Australia’s capacity to assist. The analysis is underpinned by current climate science projections and the predicted impacts in the Pacific. The document also outlines how Australia’s regional assistance is already building resilience to climate change... download the document - http://www.climatechange.gov.au/international/pubs/dcc-climate-change-policy.pdf

PACIFIC ISLANDS WANT PROMISED CLIMATE AID: Bureaucratic problems block access to funds
Pacific Islands Report - 5 August 2009
A group of Pacific island nations have expressed concerns that bureaucratic problems are blocking the flow of aid money directed at tackling climate change. The Premier of Niue, Toke Talagi, told the Pacific Islands Forum in Cairns he's happy with the level of support, but the transfer of funds needs to be better managed. "We're having problems and a lot of us are having problems trying to access those funds so that's one point," he said. "The second point is...to make sure every island country understands what Japan is offering, what the [European Union] is offering, what New Zealand is offering and so on with respect to adaptations on climate change." Australia and other developed countries have offered millions of dollars of aid to help the islands adapt.

Stakes huge for Pacific in climate change talks: Rudd
AFP - 5 August 2009
Attempts to reduce the impact of climate change are crucial to the future of vulnerable Pacific island nations, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Wednesday. Rudd was speaking as the Pacific Islands Forum summit of regional leaders opened in Australia's northeastern city of Cairns, where climate change was expected to be a key issue...more

Greenpeace activists occupy Aus coal terminal
AFP - 5 August 2009
Environmental activists said they occupied part of Australia's northernmost coal export terminal on Tuesday in a stunt directed at a nearby meeting of Pacific island leaders on climate change. Greenpeace said a group of its protesters climbed atop Xstrata Coal's Abbot Point terminal, in northern Queensland state, to unfurl a banner calling for decisive action on emissions cuts. "Greenpeace activists have occupied Abbott Point coal export terminal in Queensland to demand (Australian Prime Minister) Kevin Rudd stops risking the future of Pacific Islands by undermining real action on climate change and expanding Australia?s coal industry," said Greenpeace spokesman Abram Powell...more

Smaller Islands states seek 45 percents cuts in greenhouse emissions
PINA - 5 August 2009
Small Island States in the Pacific are seeking 45 per cent cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2020. The states of Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue and Palau, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu are small in landmass but huge in sea territory are seeking reduction in greenhouse gas emissions as a result of global warming. Climate observers and activists say that global warming is happening at a faster rate than earlier expected and needs to be addressed now to save these islands from disappearing. Toke Talagi, the Premier of Niue and chairman of the Smaller Island States said his group is pushing for wealthy nations to spend more on helping countries adapt to climate change...more

Pacific Islanders call for justice
Scoop - 5 August 2009
Many strong voices from Pacific, Melanesian, New Zealand and Australian civil society met in Cairns, North Queensland to raise concerns on climate change and human rights that are affected communities across the Pacific region. The group is calling for immediate greenhouse gas emissions cuts to ensure that people across the Pacific can remain on their islands and ensuring ongoing cultural identity that is intimately tied to land. Throughout civil society in the Pacific, there is recognition of the linkages between climate change and self-determination: The right to determine your own future and that of your land. Ultimately this is a question of survival. Reverend Tafue Molu Lusama from Tuvalu said “We do not want to loose our identity, and our identity is strongly tied down to our land. Loosing our land literally means our death as a 'distinct' people on the face of this planet. You do not want to be responsible for that, so act urgently to avoid that happening.” ...more

Simplistic Labels Not Enough on Climate Change
Scoop - 5 August 2009
The UN Refugee Agency says the protection of people affected by climate change is a complex problem that cannot be solved with simplistic explanations, labels, or approaches. Richard Towle, UNHCR Regional Representative, was speaking ahead of a Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Side Event on Climate Change to be held on 6 August, where he will present UNHCR’s views on some of the key challenges facing states in protecting people who face forced displacement as a result of climate change and degradation of the environment...more

FOREIGN TREES DRAINING MANGAIA GROUNDWATER: Geologist urges clearing away pine, eucalyptus
Pacific Islands Report - 5 August 209
Visiting Geologist and Soil Expert are raising concerns over the high presence of Pine and Eucalyptus trees that are clearly putting Mangaia’s natural resources such as water, soil productivity and coral reef protection at risk. It is noticeable on arrival to Mangaia, says Paul that the high presence of Pine and Eucalyptus Trees on the island is having a negative impact on the natural resources of Mangaia, such as water, soil productivity and coral reef protection. The dryness of the soil, the narrowness of the streams leading into the Taro patch and the acid holes visible on the coral reef says Paul, are clear indicators of such negative activity imposed by the Pine and Eucalyptus Trees... more

GEF Launches “The Green Line” Newsletter
Climate-l.org - 4 August 2009
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has launched “The Green Line” newsletter as the new communication channel for the GEF. The June issue of the newsletter contains a section on Climate Change and Chemicals, which features an article on the GEF’s implementation of the Strategic Program on Technology Transfer. Among new publications, the newsletter highlights a report that summarizes the GEF’s investment, history and future vision for sustainable urban transport investments. ...http://www.thegef.org/interior_right.aspx?id=284

Scientists study vast Pacific waste zone
Windsor Star - 4 August 2009
Marine scientists from California are venturing this week to the middle of the North Pacific for a study of plastic debris accumulating across hundreds of kilometres of open sea dubbed the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch." A research vessel carrying a team of about 30 researchers, technicians and crew members embarked on Sunday on a three-week voyage from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, based at the University of California at San Diego. The expedition will study how much debris -- mostly tiny plastic fragments -- is collecting in an expanse of sea known as the North Pacific Ocean Gyre, how that material is distributed and how it affects marine life...more

New project: Pacific Tourism – Climate Adaptation Project (PT-CAP)
Contributed by Espen Ronneberg - 4 August 2009
An AusAID International Development Research Grant has been awarded for a three year Pacific
Tourism – Climate Adaptation Project (PT-CAP) (www.vu.edu.au/pt-cap). It will be led by Victoria
University Centre for Tourism and Services Research (CTSR) in collaboration with the
University of New South Wales Natural Hazards Research Laboratory and the University of the
South Pacific School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, together with industry/NGO
partners, Foundation of the People’s of the South Pacific International (FSPI), South-Pacific. Travel (SPTO) and Pacific Asia Tourism Pty Ltd (PAT). The project is a key activity of the Oceania
Sustainable Tourism Alliance (www.oceaniatourismalliance.net). The project aims to develop climate change adaptation policies and strategies to assist the Pacific Island tourism sector protect and grow local livelihoods.

Fiji holds first joint meeting for scientists, policy makers and conservation practitioners
RNZI - 4 August 2009
For the first time in Fiji, scientists, policy makers and conservation practitoners are converging to discuss the state of scientific knowledge and conservation. The three-day meeting opens in Suva today and will be hosted by Wetlands International Oceania, Wildlife Conservation Society and World Wide Fund for Nature...more

Government must listen to Pacific leaders on trade and climate change
Reliefweb - 4 August 2009
Trade negotiations between Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Pacific leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum in Cairns this week must not plunge Pacific people already hit by the economic crisis, food crisis and climate change further into poverty, says leading international aid agency Oxfam...more

France-Pacific meeting reaffirm cooperation on global environmental protection
PINA - 4 August 2009
A “France-Oceania” forum held in New Caledonia last week reaffirm the importance of global environmental changes posing a direct threat to the Pacific islands, reports Oceania Flash. The third edition of the so-called “France-Oceania” meeting was this year Chaired by French Foreign Affairs minister Bernard Kouchner. Speaking at a press conference Mr Kouchner said the main issues discussed during meeting were sustainable development, food security, the management of fish resources in the Pacific Ocean, climate change and its adverse effects on Pacific islands, regional security and stability and regional cooperation...more ... se text of FINAL DECLARATION, 3d FRANCE-OCEANIA SUMMIT

FRANCE-OCEANIA SUMMIT ENDS IN NOUMEA: Climate change, Fiji among topics of concern
Pacific Islands Report - 3 August 2009
A "France-Oceania" forum held in New Caledonia had ended on Friday mid-day with a reaffirmation of the importance of global environmental changes posing a direct threat to the Pacific islands. The third edition of the so-called "France-Oceania" meeting was this year Chaired by French Foreign Affairs minister Bernard Kouchner. Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, which took place behind closed doors, Kouchner the main issues touched during the two-hour morning session were sustainable development, food security, the management of fish resources in the Pacific Ocean, climate change and its adverse effects on Pacific islands, regional security and stability and regional cooperation. One particular issue of concern was climate change that has already started to affect directly several Pacific islands, such as Tuvalu, Kiribati, or the tiny islands of the Carteret group, near Bougainville in Papua New Guinea...more

ADB creates $2.3 m project to preserve Coral Triangle
IOSEA - 1 August 2009
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced in a statement yesterday the creation of $2.3-million technical assistance project to strengthen coastal and marine ecosystems management under the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI). The Global Environment Facility will provide a $1.2-million grant, while the ADB Regional Cooperation and Integration Fund will provide an additional $500,000 grant. The six countries participating in CTI will contribute $600,000. The project, ADB said, will help craft a sustainable resource management strategy in the area, which holds up to 75% of all known coral species in the world, 50% of reefs, 40% of the coral reef fish species and six of the seven species of marine turtle. The 5.7-million square kilometer Coral Triangle also contains marine resources critical for the economic and food security of an estimated 120 million people scattered across the six CTI member-countries: Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste.

Pacific Youth declaration on climate change
Contributed by Ben Namakin - August 2009
Text of the Pasifika Youth Declaration on Climate Change which was developed at the Pacific Youth Festival in Fiji ...http://www.sprep.org/att/irc/ecopies/pacific_region/470.pdf

July

Heat on Australia-Pacific climate change talks
ABC - 31 July 2009
Australia's commitment to an emissions target is important to international negotiations leading up to the Copenhagen climate talks, says the head of the United Nations (UN) climate agency. The UN's Yvo de Boer, on his way to Australia to meet Pacific leaders at their annual forum meeting in Cairns next week, says it would benefit Pacific countries to work with Australia in negotiating a global climate deal. "The Pacific Island countries are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change - most likely to be impacted by sea level rise, saltwater intrusion and changes to their climate as a result of global warming," he said. "I think it's in the direct geopolitical interests of Australia to ensure that we craft a response to climate change that addresses the concerns of your Pacific Island partners." But environmentalists say Australia and New Zealand are a long way from matching what the Pacific nations want in terms of carbon emission reductions and money to help them develop without relying on fossil fuels...more

Invasives news from PILN
PILN Soundbites - July 2009
SAMOA: Nu’utele and Nu’ulua Islands Restoration Project: The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Samoa are leading a project to restore two offshore islets, controlling yellow crazy ants and eradicating the polynesian rat (Rattus exulans) from Nu’utele and Nu’ulua Islands, to allow the recovery of native and endemic birds, including the very rare tooth-billed pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris). The islands hold a population of native Friendly Ground Doves (Gallicolumba stairi) who are potentially at risk from these eradication activities. The plan is catch up enough individuals to provide a replacement population and hold them in captivity during the eradication. The project has been some years in the planning and is now going ahead. The aim is to catch 30, and in two weeks 21 doves were captured which shows a great start to the project. Doves are being held at a temporary aviary at Vailima Botanical Garden and released to the island after the eradication operation. The project is being funded by the CEPF. The eradication is planned for mid August 2009. It is hoped with the rats gone and ants under control the population of friendly ground doves will increase along with the seabirds and other native and endemic birds.

PII funded to help CEPF grant holders with invasive species management projects: PII has received funding from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) to support current CEPF grant holding agencies working on invasive species management projects in the Pacific Region. By providing relevant, up-to-date technical advice and training, PII will help agencies achieve long-term sustainability of their invasive species management projects. PII will also collate the lessons learned and disseminate relevant information. Contact Alejandra Torres, Project Coordinator, Pacific Invasives Initiative (www.issg.org/cii/PII).

Pitcairn Island signs MOU to protect whales and dolphins
PINA - 30 July 2009
The Commissioner for Pitcairn Island says it’s joined other Pacific nations by signing a memorandum of understanding which protects whales and dolphins in its region, reports Radio New Zealand International. Leslie Jaques said the significance of today’s signing will mean whales and dolphin have a greater protection in waters of the South Pacific territory. Mr Jaques said he’s unsure if the Memorandum of Understanding will greatly reduce whaling but he said he thinks whalers will at least know Pitcairn Island have joined with other nations to protect these species...more

Call for treaty to save Pacific species
Canberra Times - 29 July 2009
Australia is ignoring a wildlife extinction crisis on its doorstep, doing little to help Pacific nations deal with overwhelming conservation problems, a leading scientist says. In the lead-up to the Pacific Islands Forum in Cairns next week, University of NSW ecologist Professor Richard Kingsford has called for Australia to look at drafting a regional treaty to guarantee environmental aid to developing island nations. Despite its ''palm trees and paradise'' image, the Pacific region including Australia and New Zealand ''has the notoriety of having possibly the worst extinction record on Earth''. More than 80 per cent of plant and animal species in eight Pacific island nations including Vanuatu, Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga and Hawaii are threatened by habitat loss caused by land clearing and urban development, according to a new study co-authored by Professor Kingsford. Published today in the international journal Conservation Biology, it is the first detailed review of more than 24,000 scientific publications on conservation issues across the Pacific. The list of environmental threats includes over-harvesting of corals, shells and tropical fish for the aquarium trade, bird diseases such as avian malaria and cholera, over-fishing, the illegal wildlife trade and the spread of root-rot fungus or die-back, which is killing forests in Western Australia.

"Many Strong Voices" Plead the Case of Threatened Indigenous Nations to Those Responsible for Global Warming
The Daily Green - 29 July 2009
There was a member of parliament from the island nation of Niue, a scientist from the Siberian state of Sakha and a deputy mayor from an Inuit community on the cusp of the North American continent. One attendee spent her childhood traveling by dogsled and two years ago was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize while another, a professor from Barbados, actually won one. The Micronesians sent a delegate, as did the Cook Islanders, the Athabaskans and the Seychellans. As President Obama joined leaders from the most powerful nations on Earth in London last week to combat the economic storm, representatives from some of the most minor ones met back in Washington, D.C. to discuss an equally significant tempest: climate change...more

Micronesians Rise up to Water Challenge
ISRIA - 29 July 2009
Throughout the Pacific the availability of fresh water is vital to health and development. However, increased demand and limited supply is putting pressure on water resources. Micronesia has critical water and sanitation issues that are exacerbated by climate variability. Over the last two weeks representatives from the Marshall Islands, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), met in Honolulu, Hawaii to develop a roadmap to improve water planning and management. Water systems are both fragile and complex. They connect, intersect and interact with different eco-systems, communities, economic interests and government and non-government agencies. A broad range of key stakeholders involved were invited to the workshop and include information specialists, NGOs, public utility managers, environment protection officials, national planners and senior civil servants...more

THREE NEW BUTTERFLY SPECIES FOUND IN SAMOA
Pacific Islands Report - 29 July 2009
Three new butterfly species were recently discovered in Samoa bringing the total for the Samoan archipelago to 30 species of butterflies. Scientists from the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) in collaboration with staff from the MNRE’s Division of Environment and Conservation (DEC) made the findings during field work throughout Samoa in April...more

75 million environmental refugees by 2050
G-online - 29 July 2009
Seventy-five million refugees could be fleeing from climate change induced problems in the Asia-Pacific region over the next 40 years, a new report has predicted. The Oxfam Australia report, The Future is Here: Climate Change in the Pacific, published Monday, highlights the urgent need for next week's Pacific Islands Forum in Cairns to address the dramatic effects of climate change within the region, the group said. The report has found that Pacific Islanders are already feeling the effects of climate change and are in need of timely support. Problems that they face include increasing food and water shortages, losing land and being forced from their homes, dealing with rising cases of malaria, and coping with more frequent flooding and storm surges...more

New Report: The Future is Here: Climate Change in the Pacific
"Developing nations in the Pacifi c are at the frontline of global climate change.
Livelihoods and food and water sources that have sustained communities over
generations are being threatened. People are losing land and being forced from their
homes. Unless wealthy, developed countries like Australia and New Zealand take urgent
action to curb emissions, some island nations in the Pacifi c face the very real threat of
becoming uninhabitable ' .. read the report - http://www.oxfam.org.au/campaigns/climate-change/docs/The-future-is-here-final-report.pdf

SAMOA AGENCY POISONS 400 MYNA BIRDS: Proliferating bird considered pest
Pacific Islands Report - 28 July 2009
A poison is being used in Samoa by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to kill myna birds after the use of traps from Australia were unsuccessful. A source in the ministry has revealed that more than four hundred mynas were killed in the first trial but there are concerns the use of the poison could also kill native birds. The population of myna birds has increased dramatically to around a million. The myna has already been declared a pest in Samoa after many agricultural crops have been damaged and destroyed by the birds.

Fishing bill hearing if passed, Guam's aboriginal people can fish in preserves
PINA - 28 July 2009
Guam’s public tonight can discuss a proposed bill that would allow one ethnic group to fish in local marine preserves while excluding all others, reports Guam Daily news
Senator Judith Guthertz, one of the bill's authors, said the exclusive privileges are designed to give “recognition” to the islanders whose fishing culture was outlawed by Spanish rule more than 100 years ago. If passed, Bill 190 would amend Public 29-127, which grants “special” off-shore fishing rights to indigenous Chamorros, so it instead would allow Guam's aboriginal people and their ancestors to fish in local marine preserves...more

U.S. MILITARY TRAINING IN MARIANAS PROTESTED: Environmentalists want to protect Farrallon de Mendinilla
Pacific Islands Report - 27 July 2009
ENVIRONMENTALISTS in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) want the U.S. military to stop its live fire and bombing activities in the Farallon de Mendinilla saying the drills endanger animals and other natural resources within the area...more

COAL IS NO ANSWER TO PNG’S ENERGY FUTURE [Papua New Guinea]
Pacific Islands Report - 27 July 2009
Commentary: There has been much debate on PNG Power’s proposal to build coal power plants to generate power. However, it is an out-of-date technology that defeats the world’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stabilise global warming, and will only worsen PNG’s greenhouse gas emissions...more

Pacific regional officials discuss sustainable management of land
China View - 27 July 2009
Officials from Pacific island countries gathered in the Fiji resort town of Nadi on Monday to discuss issues of sustainable land management and necessary financial strategies affecting their countries. The meeting came as Fiji and other countries in the region faces the crucial issues of how to sustainable use and manage its scarce natural resources. Fiji' s Minister for Primary Industries Joketani Cokanasiga, who opened the meeting on Monday, told participants that in addition to changing land use patterns in the region, climate change was disrupting local weather patterns. This led to water shortages on one extreme and increased frequency of flooding on the other...more

2nd Meeting Of Pacific Cetaceans Mou Signatories
Scoop - 25 July 2009
Pacific Island states and territories are meeting in Auckland on 28-29 July, to agree a way forward to conserve the whales and dolphins (cetaceans) of the Pacific Islands Region. Many species in the region, such as the blue whale, the humpback whale, the orca and the bottlenose dolphin, are endangered by a number of threats, including entanglement in fishing gear and by-catch, direct hunting, climate change, habitat degradation, pollution, underwater noise and collisions with ships.
The group will agree on an Action Plan containing the region’s most urgent priority actions. The Action Plan places emphasis on increasing capacity, awareness and understanding in the region. It outlines how communities can benefit from whale and dolphin -based tourism. Involving local communities in conservation activities is a key to the success of such an initiative...more

Climate change refugees return to Bougainville atolls
PacNews - 22 July 2009
The first “climate change refugees’’ have returned to their endangered homes on the Carteret Islands because their new home was hard to cope with, reports Post Courier. Three of the five refugees, who moved to Tinputz on the mainland of northern Bougainville early this year, were taken back to the Carterets early this month assisted by the government. The islanders have become famous around the world as being reportedly the first Pacific islanders to leave their traditional home because of the encroaching seas. The fathers of the first five families to relocate to Tinputz arrived on the shores of Tinputz on 22 April. The fathers, Boski, Kamin, Charles Tsibi, Texan and Bernard arrived in an open banana boat hired by Tulele Peisa from the health centre on Han Carterets island. The fathers brought along their sons to support them in the work leading up to the time when their wives and children would eventually join them. Three of these families complained that they were in frequent arguments with Tinputz landowners over land and that they were finding it very difficult because they did not have gardens, sometimes no food and most of all had no proper house. Some of them were living in canvas makeshift houses while most of them needed roofing iron and other housing materials to build decent homes... more

The Eneko Communiqué Contents from the 9th Micronesian Presidents’ Summit
FSM PO - 21 July 2009
At the end of the 9th Micronesian Presidents’ Summit meeting last week in Majuro, the Presidents from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau, signed a Joint Communiqué, called the Eneko Communiqué, named after the reef island where the three heads of state held their Presidential Retreat. This document contains the relevant details and items for action that the President’s agree upon at their Summit. The Communique includes:

Majuro Declaration on Climate Change
The Presidents were updated on the status of UNFCCC talks and on upcoming high-level events relating to the Climate Change negotiations leading up to the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009. The Presidents endorsed and signed the Majuro Declaration on Climate Change declaring key issues regarding global, regional, sub-regional and bilateral action to address the adverse impacts of climate change... read text of Majuro Declaration - http://www.sprep.org/att/irc/ecopies/pacific_region/462.pdf

Policies for Enhanced Mitigation of Climate Change
The Presidents endorsed recent submissions by FSM to the Montreal Protocol and the UNFCCC Ad-Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA), which include: the proposed amendment to the Montreal Protocol calling for the urgent collection and destruction of “banks” of ozone-depleting and climate-forcing gases; the proposed amendment to the Montreal Protocol calling for the regulation of production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Protocol; and the submission to the AWG-LCA of the UNFCCC calling for a Program of Work on Opportunities for Rapid Climate Mitigation to complement Long-Term Climate Mitigation and Stabilization: Such opportunities include addressing short-lived climate forcers such as black carbon and tropospheric ozone as well as implementing technologies for biosequestration in order to draw down atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide... read entire communique

Palau’s President calls for transition to renewable energy
PacNews - 21 July 2009
Palau’s President Johnson Toribiong said climate change has become a real and present danger facing the island nations of the Pacific and coastal states, that it needs international attention and support. Marianas Variety reports President Toribiong in his speech before the Micronesian President’s Summit in Majuro said that climate change fight cannot be won by the Pacific island nations alone but it should also be a fight of other nations...more

Settlements bring in $600,000-plus [Cook Islands]
Contributed by Ana Tiraa - 21 July 2009
Marine resources successfully pursue owners for illegal fishing. Government received almost $650,000 over the past six months in settlements from three South American purse seine vessels that illegally fished in the country’s waters between 2006 and 2007. The ministry of marine resources took administrative action with each case because it was not able to actually take them into custody and take them to court. The settlement amounts negotiated by the ministry were figures based on penalties previously delivered by the high court for similar offences including the case of the seized long liner FV Adelita in 2006 that received a fine of $450,000. While secretary Ian Bertram is satisfied with the outcome of the three separate illegal fishing cases, he says the country needs to start making the settlements much higher to serve as a real deterrent.

At risk from rising seas, Tuvalu seeks clean power
Reuters - 19 July 2009
The Pacific island state of Tuvalu set a goal on Sunday of a 100 percent shift to renewable energy by 2020, hoping to set an example to industrialised nations to cut greenhouse gases it blames for rising sea levels. Tuvalu, a string of coral atolls whose highest point is 4.5 metres (15 ft) above sea level, estimates it would cost just over $20 million to generate all electricity for its 12,000 people from solar and wind power and end dependence on diesel. "We look forward to the day when our nation offers an example to all -- powered entirely by natural resources such as the sun and the wind," Kausea Natano, minister for public utilities and industries, said in setting the 2020 target. Tuvalu and many other low-lying atolls in the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean fear that rising sea levels could wipe them off the map. They want governments to agree a strong new U.N. deal in Copenhagen in December to slow climate change...more

GUAM GETS $88 MILLION LOAN FROM U.S. FOR LANDFILL: Also receives $15 million federal grant
Pacific Islands Report - 17 July 2009
Guam can count on US$104 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to contribute to the cost of opening a new landfill in Malojloj. The loan amount is US$88.536 million along with US$15.019 million in grant funds, said Tony Blaz, Guam Economic Development Authority administrator... more

Pacific Youths tackle climate change
PacNews - 16 July 2009
The climate change adaptation workshop at the University of the South Pacific (USP) yesterday was a chance for Pacific Island youths to address climate change, reports Fiji Times
Priscilla Meto of Vanuatu said it was an important issue for Pacific youths. “I learnt a lot because we learnt how to address the issue of climate change to people in the community, especially at the grassroots level,” she said...more

Pacific representative selected to represent indigenous peoples of the Pacific region for climate change meetings
PacNews - 16 July 2009
A non governmental organisation executive in Samoa Fiu Mataese Elisara, has been selected along with Malia Nobrega of Hawaii, to represent all the indigenous peoples of the Pacific region in the series of climate change meetings leading up to the global conference on climate change scheduled in Copenhagen Denmark in December. Fiu is the Executive Director of Ole Siosiomaga Society . Society president Tofilau Tepa Suaesi said “This is absolutely wonderful. “There will be many issues that I am sure Fiu is well familiar with but one of my personal interests is the issue of the grassroots right of being part of the whole process so they can directly be involved in formulating the global frameworks that affect them, an issue of enabling principles and processes” ... more

Large corals may survive: researchers
PacNews - 16 July 2009
A study of reefs off French Polynesia has found some coral species are likely to survive climate change, reports Radio Australia. The study was conducted by a group of international marine researchers. They included scientists from the Australian Research Council centre of excellence for coral reef studies, at James Cook University, in Townsville, Queensland . Researcher Dr Lucie Penin said even if the larger types of coral survive global warming, there will still be consequences for the ecosystem. “These ones are massive; they are like huge boats and they don't have branches,” she said. “So it's harder, for example, for little fish. “Fish can hide between branches of the branching coral but they can't do that with the massive ones. “Some fish, as well, have very precise targets in terms of food. Some butterfly fishes eat only one kind of coral.”

GUAM JUDGE WANTS ACTION ON ENDANGERED SNAIL: Search for new home as work halts on critical bridge
Pacific Islands Report - 16 July 2009
Progress on the Ylig Bridge reconstruction project in Yona will not move forward - even at a snail’s pace - until a colony of the slimy critters finds a new home. District Court Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood issued two orders yesterday to ensure the speedy relocation of the recently discovered colony of rare tree snails. The judge ordered the federal government and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to assist the Department of Public Works in expediting a solution for the transfer of about 150 snails...more

Micronesian leaders reaffirm commitment to conservation goals
PacNews - 15 July 2009
Micronesian leaders confirmed their commitment to the Micronesia Challenge and stressed the urgent need to address climate change at the opening of the 11th Micronesian Chief Executives Summit in the Marshall Islands, reports Marianas Variety. Marshalls President Litokwa Tomeing urged the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Guam and Palau to use the summit to work on climate change issues because of the devastating effects of sea level rise on Pacific islands. Many islands are already seeing the effects of global changes and leaders fear the future will be worse without immediate and drastic action. “If the analyses are correct… we will be drowning in our backyards,” said President Emanuel Mori of the Federated States of Micronesia. He emphasised the need for cooperation and coordination, suggesting the Micronesia Challenge as an effective way to address the issue and to carry the message to a wider global audience...more

TUVALU MANGROVE PROJECT GETS TAIWAN SUPPORT
Pacific Islands Report - 15 July 2009
After donating funds for approximately one hundred mangrove seedlings to Japanese Not-For-Profit Organization (NPO) Tuvalu Overview in 2008, the Republic of China (Taiwan) Embassy to Tuvalu this year is donating enough for an additional 500 seeds. The sprouting seedlings will then be collected and transferred to Funafala where they will be planted to protect the environment. In his remarks, Ambassador James Tien revealed that climate change and global warming are forms of non-traditional security issues and that many countries must cooperate to battle against these threats. Tuvalu is renowned for being affected by climate change, sea level rising and sinking land. [PIR editor’s note: Mangroves, which provide raw materials for atoll residents, also help protect coastal areas from tidal erosion.] ...more

CNMI LAWMAKERS MULL FATE OF NATIVE BIRD: Resolution to take warbler off endangered list deferred
Pacific Islands Report - 17 July 2009
A Saipan lawmaker’s attempt to remove the Nightingale Reed-Warbler from the federal list of endangered species was blocked by his colleague, who said the issue should be considered carefully. Representative Stanley T. Torres, R-Saipan, introduced House Joint Resolution 16-98 which is asking CNMI Congressman Gregorio C. Sablan to support a move to remove or declassify the bird from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife endangered species list. But Representative Diego T. Benavente, R-Saipan, who chairs the House Committee on U.S. and Foreign Relations, said any resolution about the removal of the Reed-Warbler from the endangered species list should be given much thought...more

EPA WANTS SHELL OIL TO CLEAN UP ON GUAM: Oil company wants to sell contaminated land
Pacific Islands Report -17 July 2009
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered Shell Guam Inc. to put in place cleanup procedures of hazardous waste at its fuel terminal facility in Piti. The EPA order also directs the company to continue its work and activities necessary to clean up any spills and prevent any releases of hazardous waste into the soil or groundwater. "For many years now, Shell has voluntarily conducted cleanup of their facility with regulatory oversight from both the U.S. EPA and Guam EPA," said Jeff Scott, director of the U.S. EPA’s Southwest Region Waste Management Division. "Currently, we are satisfied with Shell’s response activities at the site, but with the impending sale of the facility, it is time to formalize cleanup responsibilities to ensure that site work continues into the future." ...more

Scientists ponder a plan to clean up the Pacific Ocean’s giant plastic blob
Kelowna - 15 July 2009
It has been described as the world’s largest rubbish dump. Deep in the northern Pacific Ocean, the bottle tops, plastic bags, discarded nets, toothbrushes, toys and myriad other objects that make up what has been dubbed the “plastic vortex” cover an area twice the size of Texas. Just over a decade after it was discovered, some conservationists believe that it is now too large to ever be removed. Yet an audacious scheme could clear up the six million tonnes of plastic estimated to have collected in the swirling currents. It would utilize a floating “processing plant,” a ship anchored next to the vortex, that could convert some of the plastic into diesel to power the plant. If the conservationists’ initial experiments, which will be recorded for a National Geographic documentary, prove successful, they hope to build a prototype and eventually export the idea to other oceans and rivers clogged with plastic debris... more

Fiji to suffer more droughts and cyclones with climate change
Fiji Broadcasting Corporation - 15 July 2009
Fiji will likely experience more droughts and more intense cyclones if its sea temperature keeps getting warmer as El Nino is likely to occur more frequently. Pacific climate change authority Doctor Tony Weir says temperature in Fiji’s sea water rose by 1 degree in the last 50 years and El Nino and cyclones occur more in these conditions. “El Ninos are quite a tricky thing to predict. Many of the computer models do in fact suggest that El Nino will become more common and in fact conceivable if climate change get strong enough, that it may become the normal state. Well, if there is an El Nino on and an El Nino-like condition, that means there is a drought in the Western Pacific and most certainly in Fiji.” Dr Weir also says that cyclones can become more frequent and increase in intensity of sea temperatures get warmer. “Because the sea water gets warmer and cyclones form over warm sea-water, we can expect to see more intense cyclones in the future. What I’m saying is that not necessarily means that next year’s cyclones is going to be more intense that this year’s but statistically, that’s certainly been the trend.” Dr Weir was one of the speakers at the Pacific Youth Festival currently being held in Fiji and climate change was a concern for many pacific youths.

Pacific a 'waste disaster'
New Zealand Herald - 14 July 2009
Neighbouring Pacific states are turning into environmental disasters, amidst their own waste and pollution, Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey claims. He was part of Prime Minister John Key’s four-countries-in-four-days Pacific junket and claims the trip left him fearing for the future of some of the Pacific’s most pristine tourist destinations. Unchecked pollution and poor management has left many beautiful spots in jeopardy, he says. He singled out Tonga and the Cook Islands in particular, saying these places should be seen as world heritage sites, but their government officials were failing to give attention to the rapid degradation of their environment. “Failure to meet just basic requirements for sewerage and commercial as well as farm run-off is ruining paradise,” he said... more

CNMI politicians defend plastic bags
PacNews - 14 July 2009
While much of the world has embraced the idea of reusable shopping bags, politicians in the tiny American island chain of the Northern Marianas are opposing the idea, reports Radio Australia. A bill making the use of recyclable shopping bags compulsory has hit a snag for the third time in the senate of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)...more

CNMI REPRESENTATIVE UPS EFFORT TO DELIST BIRD: Endangered status of bird preventing development
Pacific Islands Report - 14 July 2009
Rep. Stanley T. Torres introduced yesterday a joint resolution asking CNMI Rep. Gregorio Sablan to support the removal of the nightingale reed warbler from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s endangered species list. Torres said economic development in the CNMI is being blocked since many private and public lands are the bird’s habitat... more

GUAM NATIVE RIGHTS GROUP WANTS FISHING ACCESS: Traditional subsistence fishing clashes with marine preserves
Pacific Islands Report - 14 July 2009
The Taotaomona Native Rights Group is preparing to go up against the Guam Legislature later this month in an effort to amend a public law relating to the native fishing rights of the Chamoru people. On May 24, the group submitted a new set of rules and regulations to legislators, specifically regarding indigenous fishing rights. According to Trini Torres, a member of the native rights group, the new set of rules stems from years of frustration over the Department of Agriculture’s current regulations governing the island’s marine preserves... more

Reviewing the Pacific Waste Management Strategy
SPREP - 13 July 2009
A 10 year solid waste management strategy for the Pacific region is currently under review. Adopted in September 2005, by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) members, this strategy is now under the microscope, being evaluated by Pacific countries and territories. The vision of the solid waste management strategy is “A healthy and a socially, economically and environmentally sustainable Pacific for future generations.” The goal of the strategy is for the “Pacific island countries and territories to adopt cost-effective and self sustaining solid waste management systems to minimise the negative effects on public health, the environment, the economy and way of life.” There is the focus to help speed progress to reach this goal. The challenges faced is what the Solid Waste Officer of SPREP, Esther Richards, is hoping to identify and address, so good waste practices become the norm for the region...Over the month of July SPREP Member countries and territories will meet to appraise the strategy through 4 different meetings. The Micronesia group of islands met in Guam in early July. This week the Atoll islands of the Pacific have come together in Apia, Samoa for 3 days to assess the strategy. They will be followed by a gathering of the Polynesian and then Melanesian group of islands...more

New resource: Guidelines for invasive species management in the Pacific : a Pacific strategy for managing pests, weeds and other invasive species
Contributed by Alan Tye - 13 July 2009
This document lists the essential components of a comprehensive and effective invasive species management programme. It has been compiled in consultation with Pacific island countries and territories, to support them in developing their invasive species work, and to guide regional and international agencies in providing assistance to them. In order to facilitate reference and planning, the objectives are grouped into a logical arrangement of nine main Thematic Areas in three sections. All nine Thematic Areas must be taken into account in order to achieve an effective invasive species programme, whether national or regional...download from http://www.sprep.org/att/publication/000699_RISSFinalLR.pdf

UNEP and the EU to Support MEA Implementation in ACP Countries
Climate.org - 13 July 2009
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is coordinating multiple partners under a four-year multi-million euro capacity enhancement programme for implementation of Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs) in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. The European Commission (EC) ACP MEAs Programme is funded by the EU and aims to support and strengthen three existing regional institutions with environmental mandates to assist ACP countries in implementing their obligations under environmental agreements. The African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will house the African Hub of the EC ACP MEAs Programme. The Caribbean Hub will be hosted by the Caribbean Community Secretariat, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme will host the Pacific Hub. Programme activities will be centered around the three regional hubs, with the aim of increasing national capacity. The Programme will include: training for negotiation and lobbying skills; project design and management; harmonized and streamlined national reporting to MEAs; and improved information management...more ... see also EU ACP MEA Newsletter. Iss.1

Rising tides, declining fish worry the northern Pacific
PacNews - 10 July 2009
Climate change and the future of fishing are key concerns of nations in the northern Pacific, says a visiting Australian politician. Beyond the immediate effects of the global economic crisis, “atoll countries like the Marshall Islands are very much focused on climate change” said Duncan Kerr, Australian parliamentary secretary for Pacific Island Affairs. “So they are very interested in the $150 million that Australia has committed to adaption programmes,” he told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat programme. ”They plainly want to encourage Australia to work with the Pacific in Advocacy International forums for climate change action." ... more

NATIVE GUAM TREE SNAIL SNAGS BRIDGE PROJECT: Contractor seeks to relocate colony of endangered ‘partula’
Pacific Islands Report - -10 July 2009
Progress on the reinforcement of Ylig Bridge in Yona has apparently been snagged by a colony of endangered snails. The repair of the bridge is part of the Department of Public Works efforts to strengthen the structure since it is an integral part of the route to the new landfill in Layon, Malojloj. The cost to widen and resurface the bridge is approximately US$5 million. Currently, work on the bridge has not started, and efforts are focused on the relocation of the slow-moving, endangered species, according to Parsons Transportation Group deputy project manager, Gene Niemasz. Parsons has been hired by DPW to oversee road construction projects around the island. The radiolate partula, or tree snail, is a species of gastropod in the Partulidae family. It is endemic to Guam and recognized as a critically endangered species. Niemasz tells Variety that Parsons is working with the Department of Agriculture as well as with local and federal environmental protection agencies on the matter... more

EXPERT SEES DIRE WEATHER AHEAD IN PACIFIC: Atolls most at risk as life becomes difficult
Pacific Islands Report - 10 July 2009
A New Zealand climate expert has issued a bleak forecast on the impact of climate change in the Pacific. The manager of Pacific Activities at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Doug Ramsay, says the impact will come from extreme weather events, such as cyclones and drought, and will be exarcerbated by the rising level and temperature of the sea. He says this will affect the viability of some communities in the region. "Food security, water resources will become much more harder to sustain, particularly if temperatures increase beyond one, two degrees centigrade. So if we’re getting up to some of the more higher projections by the end of the century it will become increasingly difficult for Pacific island communities to maintain a viable population there." Doug Ramsay says atoll communities are most at risk and it will be up to individual communities and people to judge whether to stay or leave.

CNMI REPRESENTATIVE WANTS BIRD OFF FEDERAL LIST: Says Saipan’s reed warbler no longer endangered
Pacific Islands Report - 9 July 2009
Representative Stanley T. Torres is asking the federal government to remove the nightingale reed warbler from the list of endangered species, saying its population on Saipan may have already grown out of proportion. Torres asked Patrick Souza, the chief of the U.S. Division of Endangered Species with jurisdiction in the Pacific, to conduct a study on the reed warbler and assist the CNMI in removing it from the list of endangered species... more

Participatory mapping workshop in Solomon Islands
Contributed by Frank Wickham - 9 July 2009
A PARTICIPATORY 3-Dimensional Modeling (P3DM) workshop had just ended last week in Chivoko village, North West Choiseul Constituency. This workshop was led by Catherine Siota of The Nature Conservancy, Solomon Islands field office and assisted by Jimmy Kereseka and Michael Zazu of Lauru Land Conference of Tribal Communities (LLCTC) and Thompson Miabule of Choiseul Provincial Fisheries. The 60 participants range from students, community youths, chiefs and elders from Chivoko village, as well as Live and Learn community participants from Sasamunga Village. P3DM is a Mapping tool, which integrates participatory resource mapping and spatial information to produce a stand-alone scaled relief model and have proved to be a user-friendly and relatively accurate research, planning and management tool in South East Asia and have proved to be successful there. During the workshop, Chivoko villagers were hard at work constructing the participatory 3-dimensional model of their land and sea. It spatially represented the Chivoko watershed; the surrounding rivers, land and coastal areas, and other important features demarcated were tambu areas, old places and the village infrastructures with the use of cardboards, glue, pins, paints and yarns.

Visualising the vulnerability of the Pacific Islands
SPREP - 8 July 2009
It’s been said that a picture can tell a thousand words. With this in mind, the opportunity for Pacific islands communities to share their climate change impacts with the rest of the World is presented. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has launched a Climate change photo competition so people world wide can visualise what Pacific islanders are up against. Our Century’s challenge is Climate Change and in this instance, our Pacific response is about showing the World how the Pacific is being affected. “At SPREP we recognise the importance of sharing images of what climate change means for the region. The Pacific is the most vulnerable region to climate change but has contributed the least of all to its causes,” said Espen Ronneberg SPREP’s Climate Change Adviser.” ...“It is important that we use this opportunity to showcase how devastating the impacts of climate change will be, and to bring those images to the negotiations at the international level. This will provide additional ammunition to the Pacific in their quest for stronger emissions reductions.” ..The deadline for all entries is 1 September 2009, and all photo entries must have been taken in any Pacific islands country or territory between 1 January and 30 August, 2009.

For more information and an entry form, please visit:
http://www.sprep.org/climate_change/PYCC/photocomp.htm

Pacific Islands urged to unite on climate change
PacNews - 8 July 2009
Climate change, health, socio-economic development and other issues are confronting Papua New Guinea (PNG) and other Pacific Island nations at an alarming rate and the region must stand united and collaborate to address these problems, reports The National. “In a diverse but very competitive world, Pacific Island nations and areas are confronted with major developmental challenges, including the health and well-being of our people,” PNG’s deputy Prime Minister Sir Puka Temu said yesterday...more

ENVIRONMENT: GUIDING LIGHTS AGAINST THE WINDS OF CHANGE : Shortage of skills prevail in the region
Islands Business - July 2009
Once every two years there is an important gathering of the heads of national meteorological services in the Pacific islands countries, territories, as well as Pacific Rim countries New Zealand, Australia and the United States. This meeting is one of the longer running regional meetings coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
Its purpose is to provide a forum for the heads of Pacific National Meteorological Services (NMS) to highlight challenges and opportunities relating to weather and climate operational work to both SPREP and other partners in the region. A great many diverse subjects and topics were discussed, reflecting not just the variety of issues and the roles NMS have to deal with, but also the complexity in the nature of their operations. It is a field of work that requires background qualifications in a variety of sciences, and with work that often takes its practitioners outdoors to study the elements of the weather and climate. Some meteorology colleagues hold romantic views of their past work with NMS, harkening back to the days of manual measurements of temperature, rainfall, wind speeds and direction and cloud cover and the like. Truly, their realised goal then as is ever more so now, was to make measurements or observations about the weather and to record them for various comparative analysis. These analyses taken all over the world and most certainly here too in the Pacific is what we use today to reaffirm our conviction that climate change is real and happening now...more

POLITICS: BUMPY ROAD TO COPENHAGEN : Environmentalists decry gas emission targets
Islands Business - July 2009
With the Copenhagen summit only five months away, the Pacific has joined other regions of the world in the rush to have a new treaty on climate change adopted by then.
Some progress was made by countries who are members of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at their meeting in Bonn, Germany, on June 1-12.
That is if you termed the amalgamation of positions and changes to the proposed treaty’s text by members that had swelled the document size to 200 odd pages or so, progress.
Successor treaty. But with the expectation that the Copenhagen meeting in December will see the signing into a treaty of a successor to the Kyoto Protocol by UNFCCC members, the outcome of the Bonn meeting to Espen Ronneberg is development nevertheless. He is the climate change adviser at the Samoa-based Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and in that capacity, adviser as well to AOSIS (Alliance of Small Island States) of which SPREP members in the Pacific are all members. “The text that emerged from the Bonn meeting is a compendium of positions and textual proposals,” Ronneberg said in response to our emailed questions. “It is a complicated process to analyse the text and to seek to narrow down the options and remove duplications...more

PACIFIC UPDATE: Pacific islands face up to environmental challenges
Islands Business - July 2009
Little by little, children and adults in tiny Pacific islands nations which contribute less than one percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions are losing their homes, lands and their livelihoods to rising tides linked to climate change. “Even the dead are no longer safe,” said Joe Konno of the Federated States of Micronesia’s National Office of Environment and Emergency Management, as he showed photos of a washed out graveyard in what used to be one of the highest atolls in Yap and other disappearing coastal areas because of higher tides, to drive home his point. Pohnpei-based Ben Namakin, executive director of the Pacific Islands Climate Revolution, said islands nations are “paying the price” even though they contribute less than one percent of greenhouse gas emissions. “Our very existence lies upon sea and land resources. We are still here. We can do something about it. It’s never too late,” he said, as he stressed the need to engage the youth on the issue of climate change. Konno and Namakin were among the 73 panelists, speakers and facilitators at the 26th Pacific Islands Environment Conference held on Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) from June 23 to 25 with the theme, “Climate of Change: Energising a Sustainable Future for Pacific Islands.” The conference was co-hosted by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the governments of CNMI (Northern Marianas), Guam and American Samoa...more

WE SAY: Commitment to protect marine resources
Islands Business - July 2009
‘...the countries have demonstrated to the world the virtues of working together for the sustainability of the entire planet. Such an initiative must be supported at all costs and must serve as a shining example in all existing and future initiatives of cooperation in the otherwise all too fractious policy practices of the collective Pacific islands’ The Coral Triangle Initiative on coral reefs, fisheries and food security, signed during the World Ocean Conference in Manado, Sulawesi in Indonesia, last month, is perhaps the most significant programme in recent times in relation to the home environments and ecosystems of millions of people who traditionally live in marine and littoral zones including all coastal, island and atoll populations. The area known as the Coral Triangle comprises a 75,000-square-kilometre area straddling Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Timor Leste and Indonesia. It makes up just a puny one percent of the earth’s surface but contains as much as 76 percent of the world’s coral reef species and 37 percent of its reef fish species. The area supports the lives and livelihoods of over 100 million people living in these countries and beyond. Leaders of the six Coral Triangle countries concluded the summit with state members and donors pledging some US$120 million in funding for coral conservation activities in the Coral Triangle area. This is a welcome development and is a praiseworthy initiative especially since this has been fostered in a spirit of safeguarding the common interests of people across political borders and even more so because it is non-binding and not even a treaty but purely a commitment between each of the participating countries... more

ENVIRONMENT: WATER DATA CRUCIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT : But hydrological information lacking in region
Islands Business - July 2009
In January this year a slow moving tropical depression passed over Fiji dumping three to four times the average monthly rainfall on the country’s Northern and Western Divisions. It was, according to Fiji’s Meteorological Director Rajendra Prasad, the wettest January in over 100 years. Over three days from January 9-11, periods of intense rain saturated catchment areas. As more rain fell, it had nowhere to go and rivers swelled and eventually flooded. Nadi bus station was under approximately 3.7 metres of water and Nadi International Airport was closed for 48 hours, stranding hundreds of tourists. It also claimed 11 lives. The flooding caused over F$100 million worth of damage to infrastructure and homes. Damage to businesses, the post-flood relief effort and clean-up costs caused widespread disruptions across Fiji and continued to have long-term effects on the country’s economy. The floods also brought to light a lack of hydrological data needed to help government and town planners make informed decisions and weigh all available options in planning for and mitigating against future flooding events. According to Llyod Smith of the Pacific Hydrological Cycle Observing System (HYCOS) project, the lack of hydrological data is a Pacific-wide issue... more

WE SAY: Water source of life, force of destruction
Islands Business - July 2009
‘It is imperative that a regional organisation not less in stature and importance than the Pacific Islands Forum take up the issue of data collection, collation and analyses of matters that affect Pacific Islanders most vitally, particularly like weather and the environment, is taken up seriously. For as can be seen from the Fiji incident as well as others around the Pacific, planning without adequate data is impossible’ One of the more frustrating occurrences for anyone who is researching data and information anywhere is coming across those two letters “N.A.” which simply means “not available”. For a researcher or for that matter anyone who wants to make an informed decision based on the data they are looking for, it is like coming up suddenly against a blank wall in the labyrinth of their enquiry. And this is an all too common occurrence when it comes to research or statistical data and information in the Pacific Islands. Look up any comparative charts against almost any data for the Pacific Islands and it would be easy to lose count in the number of places that the letters that are the bugbear of researchers and decision-makers—“N.A.”—pop up...Yet, huge gaps still exist in the knowledge bases of such areas vital to the survival of fragile environments like the Pacific Islands such as weather patterns, forecasting and climate change remain quite glaring. This severely constrains any activities such as disaster scenario simulation and planning for infrastructure and processes to reduce the toll on life and property in the event of natural disasters and in the longer term, climate change. One classic instance of such a disaster that caught both the government agencies and the people completely off guard because of the lack of critical data and analyses is the unprecedented flooding that happened in Fiji that inundated large tracts of land for days on end...more

New resources: Adapting to Coastal Climate Change: A Guidebook for Development Planners
USAID - 8 July 2009
Provides a detailed treatment of climate concerns and adaptation options in coastal areas. The new Guidebook will assist practitioners and development partners to understand the diversity of climate change impacts expected to affect coastal zones in the developing world, and the options that exist for coastal planners and manager to assist coastal communities worldwide to begin to adapt to these impacts. The document is both a tool itself and a link to other resources valuable for assessing vulnerability, developing and implementing adaptation , and integrating options into programs, plans, and projects... The team is currently applying the tools and methods in a pilot activity in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and delivering training in a variety of venues in collaboration with NOAA and other host country nationals.

The Guidebook is now available at:

http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/cross-cutting_programs/water/news_announcements/coastal_climate_change_report.html

Political inaction threatens Paradise
Greenpeace - 7 July 2009
International — As leaders from the eight richest and most polluting countries in the world gather this week in Italy, our ship, the Esperanza, is witnessing the direct impacts of climate change on Pacific Islands. People of this beautiful and culturally rich region are at the front line of climate impacts. As Ulamila Kurai Wragg, a mother of four living in the Cook Islands, explains, this is not a problem they caused, but they are amongst the first to suffer the consequences, their voice must be heard, their way of life must be protected and their environment saved. "We are living with the impacts of climate change"... "to the global leaders that will be meeting this year in Copenhagen - please act and please listen!" ... "you know can you can stop it - please give us a good deal! Please give us a chance!" ...more

Act now to counter the effects of climate change, ministers told
WHO - 7 July 2009
Decisive action has to be taken now to assist Pacific Island countries and territories to cope with the negative effects of climate change, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in a meeting here today. The island nations, already facing serious economic and health challenges, have to be equipped with the skills and tools needed to minimise the negative impacts of global warming on health and livelihood, the meeting of Pacific Island Ministers of Health was told. Climate change is among the key issues being discussed at the 7–9 July gathering, which is drawing up and implementing strategic plans to control and prevent escalating health consequences for the region. The meeting, the eighth since 1995, is in line with continuing efforts to improve people’s health in Pacific Island nations... more

Deadly warning as tropics advance
NZ Herald - 7 July 2009
A widening of the world's tropical belt that will turn Sydney's climate into that of Brisbane will hammer Aboriginal communities and the poor nations of Asia and the Pacific, new studies warn. The studies say there is already evidence that the tropics are moving further north and south in a trend that will also extend the range of sub-tropical climates, drying out present fertile regions with devastating effects on health and food production...more ... read study - http://www.jcu.edu.au/idc/groups/public/documents/media_release/jcuprd_048832.pdf

Outcome of the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation “Banking on Biodiversity”
PacNews - 6 July 2009
The members of the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation met in Honiara from 28 June to the 2 July 2009 to discuss the state of the Pacific Islands environment and review commitments to the Pacific Islands Action Strategy for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas. “Banking on Biodiversity” is the product of those discussions and a call to action in response to the growing threats to the Pacific Islands Region. For most Pacific Island communities and nations, biodiversity in the form of our marine, freshwater, forest and agricultural plants and animals is the main source of income, revenue and foreign exchange. In rural communities especially, our biodiversity is also the primary source of food, medicine and shelter. Thus, our island biodiversity is our most significant capital fund. It represents a living bank account, which, if managed well, will continue to grow and pay dividends in products and services that are critical for the survival of our island lifestyle, communities and nations. If this bank account is managed unwisely, our islands will be committing themselves to bio-bankruptcy and our people will suffer dire consequences to their health and livelihoods and our way of life. This issue has become increasingly clear in light of the current world economic crisis where nations, companies and communities mismanaged and squandered their capital...more

PNG's PM nephew 'pushing carbon deals'
PacNews - 6 July 2009
A nephew of Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Prime Minister Michael Somare is accused of pressuring remote villagers to sign away their land for carbon deals despite there being no carbon trade laws in place. Documents obtained by AAP show Pacific Carbon Trade has been offering villagers carbon deals throughout Somare's home province of East Sepik, in PNG's northwest. Pacific Carbon's Eric Komang, the prime minister's nephew, has been promoting a five-page Memorandum of Agreement that includes a breakdown of revenue where landowners receive 48 per cent royalties...more

Growing young scientists in Tahiti
Berkeley - 6 July 2009
A University of California, Berkeley, project to catalog nearly every living thing on the Polynesian island of Moorea is enlisting the help of the island's 5th graders and showing them that science is not for foreigners only.While conducting research for his thesis and for the Moorea Biocode Project, UC Berkeley graduate student Brad Balukjian has been teaching 5th graders at the Paopao Primary School about biodiversity and introducing them to the scientific study of the plants and animals they see every day...more

Pacific Small Island Developing States discuss climate change at UN
RNZI - 6 July 2009
The members of the Pacific Small Island Developing States or PSIDs are currently discussing in New York what action they would like the UN Security Council to take on climate change. A recent UN resolution recognises climate change as a possible threat to security. The measure may help put climate change on the agenda of the more powerful U.N. Security Council, which deals with threats to international peace and security. An NGO which has provided technical assistance to the small island states, is Islands First. Its CEO , Mark Jariabka, says a debate at the Security Council in 2007 on climate change and security didn’t not change a lot. “The Pacific Islands would like to advance the debate this next time around and begin to articulate clear roles and responsibilities for the security council as well as other UN organs and right now they are in the process of formulating exactly what they would like to see happen.”

PACIFIC FOCUS URGED FOR ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
Contributed by Bevan Springer - 5 July 2009