Island and Ocean Ecosystems
The Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation grew in membership as Birdlife International and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fÜr Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ (GmbH) formalised their commitment to the Framework for Nature Conservation in the Pacific Islands Region 2014-2020 and the Principles and Code of Conduct outlined in the Framework. With this signing, the official PIRT Members now stands at eleven.

Birdlife International helps implement conservation projects across the Pacific region, with a particular focus on restoring oceanic islands to their former glory by removing invasive species.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft fÜr Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ (GmbH) has been working in the Pacific for 35 years, with focal areas being climate protection through forest conservation in the Pacific Islands.

PIRT 3L-R: Mr. Donald Stewart, Director Birdlife International, Mr. Taholo Kami, PIRT Chair/Director, IUCN ORO, Mr. Kosi Latu, SPREP Director General, and Dr. Wulf Kilmann, Programme Director, GIZ, after the signing of the PIRT Membership Agreement. 

"The support of these organisations for nature conservation work across the Pacific islands region has brought about a positive impact for our environment, we are heartened by their signing of the PIRT agreement and we look forward to continued work with them," said Taholo Kami, PIRT Chair.

The signing took place during the 19th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Islands Roundtable in Nadi Fiji on July 15, 2016.

About the Pacific Islands Round Table for Nature Conservation (PIRT) is a coalition of nature conservation and development organisations, governments, inter-governments, donor agencies and community groups created to increase effective conservation action in the Pacific Islands Region. It was established in 1998 at the request of Pacific island countries and territories which was voiced at the 6th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas in 1997. The forum enables those organisations working on nature conservation in the Pacific to improve their collaboration and coordination towards effective conservation action. It is the key coordination mechanism for the implementation of the new Framework for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas in the Pacific Islands region 2014-2020 which was adopted at the 9th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas and was subsequently endorsed at the 25th Annual SPREP Meeting in September 2014.