Logging activity in the Marovo lagoon, Solomon Islands.
Photo: Terence Titiulu

 Coastal erosion in Kosrae.
Photo: Abraham Simpson

Disturbances to a mangrove area in Kosrae.
Photo: Abraham Simpson 

Coastal erosion in Kiribati.
Photo: Mike Foon

In recognition of the importance of sustainable land management and the need to address land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought, all 14 independent Pacific Island Countries have become Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Parties to the Convention are required to develop a National Action Programme (NAP) to address land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought.

In the process of developing and implementing NAPs, Parties are encouraged to address the underlying biophysical and socio-economic causes of land degradation in a participatory, integrated and coordinated manner and promote the active participation of resource owners and land-users.

National governments are urged to mobilize resources to support the implementation of NAPs and to have them mainstreamed into national sustainable development planning processes.

Table 1: Status of NAP development and implementation in the Pacific Region (as at August 2007).