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Pacific Environment Information Network [PEIN] Digest

PEIN Digest: A digest of Pacific environment news and developments

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

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

** PLEASE NOTE that the December 2010 PEIN Digest will be the final PEIN Digest compiled by Peter Murgatroyd. I will be relocating with my family to New Zealand after four very enjoyable years working with SPREP in Samoa. It has been a great pleasure and privilege working with colleagues around the region and I wish each of you best wishes for your endeavours in the future. * SPREP will soon be advertising for a new PEIN Coordinator / IRC Manager.

December 2010
November 2010

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

Articles of note - a selection of recent academic literature

see also PEIN Digest archive

December

New reports of interest: Reviews of marine turtle legislation in Samoa, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu
SPREP - 30 December 2010
These reviews document existing legislation and policies as well as countrys' participation in international/regional agreements and conventions relevant to marine turtles. They attempt to identify gaps and then make recommendations for relevant legislation to improve and/or clarify existing ones and improve protection/management of marine turtles. To help with the identification of legislation gaps, a team at SPREP constructed a matrix of legislation from existing legislation in the region dealing with turtles as well as creating new ones based on available information...download documents from http://www.sprep.org/publication/pub_list.asp?int_pub_cat1=7&Submit=Go

New report of interest: Our sea of islands, our livelihoods, our Oceania: framework for a Pacific Oceanscape - a catalyst for implementation of ocean policy
SPREP - 30 December 2010
This report: Provides a (baseline) review of the Pacific Island Region’s ocean policy environment and the status of its institutional and operational framework; Provides a summary of progress in implementation of the ocean related policy and in particular the Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Policy (PIROP)6, identified as a key priority initiative under the Pacific Plan in 2005, as well as key issues that need to be addressed; Presents a Framework for a Pacific Oceanscape drawing on the PIROP, its principles and aspirations, identifying critical and emerging, priority issues and opportunities of strategic significance for ocean management and conservation. The Framework will highlight when and why political leadership and commitment will be required, and why urgent attention and immediate action should be given to the initiatives that are identified...download the full report and brochure from http://www.sprep.org/publication/pub_detail.asp?id=937

Contamination found on Tinian housing project site : Former military installation left toxic chemicals in the ground
Pacific Islands Report - 29 December 2010
In the Northern Mariana Islands, the long-awaited homestead project on Tinian will be delayed or relocated because the public land it occupies is contaminated with various types of hazardous chemicals besides petroleum... more

Am. Samoa to host climate change conference: The U.S. territory experiencing negative effects
Pacific Islands Report - 28 December 2010
Efforts are being made in American Samoa to raise awareness of the effects of changing weather conditions and provide ideas on how the territory can prepare for them. The territory is already experiencing the effects of climate change such as coral bleaching, flooding during heavy rains and sea level rise. Next year the Department of Commerce, the Coral Reef Advisory Group and the Coastal Zone Management Programme plan a conference to deal with these issues...more

Goats pose threat to endangered Fiji iguanas
RNZI - 22 December 2010
A few rogue and cunning goats on Monoriki Island in Fiji stand in the way of saving the islands endangered iguanas.
The feral goats have completely destroyed the understory of the forest on the island, with no regeneration occurring, leaving no food plants for the iguanas to survive on. The iguana population has declined markedly in the time the goats have been there. The National Trust of Fiji has been working to rid the island of the goats, with locals from the Yanuca island mustering and capturing about 150 goats for live removal since June...more

SPC Climate Change Bulletin [December]
SPC LRD - 21 December
Useful articles and resources. Download from the SPC LRD website - http://www.spc.int/lrd/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=208&Itemid=48

Joint Pacific-EU Initiative On Climate Change
Voxy - 21 December 2010
The Pacific Islands Forum and European Union last week launched the "Joint Pacific-EU Initiative on Climate Change". The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, during his visit to the European Union in Strasbourg, France (13-17 December 2010), met with European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, on 15 December 2010 and through signature of a Memorandum of Understanding, launched the joint initiative...In welcoming the joint initiative, the Secretary General noted that Forum Leaders had proclaimed climate change as the "great challenge of our time". Mr Slade welcomed this cooperation with the European Union and its member states as a practical and effective way forward to respond to the dangers of climate change and to the concerns of our Pacific communities...more

Hawaiian Senator stumps for shark-fin ban in CNMI
Pacific Islands Report - 21 December 2010
Hawaiian State Senator Clayton Hee, the author of the bill that became the strongest anti-shark fining law in the nation, is drumming up support for a similar Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) House bill pending at the Senate. Hee and WildAid shark campaign project manager Stefanie Brendl met with Governor Benigno R. Fitial yesterday afternoon to push for the enactment into law of CNMI House minority leader Diego Benavente's (R-Saipan) House Bill 17-94, which bans the sale and distribution of shark fins in the Commonwealth... more

Small islands’ huge move toward renewable energy, global carbon market pioneering model for world
Worldcarbondatabase.org - 21 December 2010
A historic agreement will help small island states in the Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific Island regions, which are particularly vulnerable to climate change, make a giant leap in clean energy, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and begin work on adaptation to the effects of climate change. The agreement was signed on Dec. 8 by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), the government of Denmark, the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program during the U.N. climate negotiations in Cancún.

Known as “SIDS DOCK”, the agreement will help these small island developing nations:

Access technology by assisting SIDS with developing a sustainable energy sector, increasing energy efficiency and developing renewable energy resources ; Receive technical assistance by providing a vehicle for mobilizing financial and technical resources to catalyze clean economic growth ; Participate in global carbon market by providing SIDS with a mechanism for connecting with the global carbon market and taking advantage of the resource transfer possibilities that will be afforded ; Access financing by serving as a mechanism to help SIDS generate the financial resources to invest in climate change adaptation ...more

New publication of interest: Why I love my tabu area!
FLMMA - 20 December 2010
Available in both English and Fijian ...

New report: “Invasive species management in the Pacific: a review of national plans and current activities”
PII - 17 December 2010
This review was prepared by the Pacific Invasives Initiative (PII) on request from the Pacific Invasives Partnership
(PIP). It was undertaken to examine the invasive species management components within the National Biodiversity
Strategy and Action Plans of twelve Pacific island countries (PICs): Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia,
Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
The results of the review show that invasive species management is included as a component in eleven National
Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans, Marshall Islands being the only country not to include invasive species
management. Five countries have also developed National Invasive Species Action Plans: Federated States of
Micronesia (for Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap), Kiribati (for Kiribati and Line Islands), Marshall Islands, Palau and Samoa;
to support their National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plans and to provide a framework for invasive species
management.

Management activities identified in the National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plans and National Invasive Species Action Plans were then analysed and compared with the nine thematic areas identified in the Guidelines for Invasive
Species Management in the Pacific to identify any gaps within the invasive species management components of each
PICs. Some common omissions from the strategic plans include: post-treatment restoration measures, pre-export
control procedures, political support, best practice standards, baseline information gathering, monitoring,
prioritization, and research on priority invasives.

download it from the PII website - http://www.issg.org/cii/information.html

EU and Pacific Islands Forum Launch Joint Climate Initiative
Climate-l - 15 December 2010
Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Development, and Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, launched a "Joint Pacific-EU Initiative on Climate Change" to mobilize EU member States and international partners to jointly support the reinforcement of Pacific countries' capacity to address the impacts of climate change more efficiently. The initiative aims to ensure that a fair share of international climate change funding is channeled to Pacific countries. It will build on a Memorandum of Understanding, followed by a joint plan for action that is expected to be elaborated by the European Commission and the Forum Secretariat together with their respective member States, institutions, civil society and private sector. The joint plan of action is expected to be discussed at a regional high-level climate change conference in 2011...more

PNG government touts dumping mine waste at sea: Recommendation dovetails with Ramu Nickel’s controversial plans
Pacific Islands Report - 15 December 2010
The Deep Sea Tailings Program (DSTP) is the best recommended method for mines in the country, the Department of Environment and Conservation has said. DSTP, a method currently used by the Lihir gold mine and the new Ramu nickle project, involves dumping tailings from mines into the sea. DEC assistant secretary Gunt-her Joku said the DSTP has been used widely in the country. Mr. Joku said PNG’s landscape and rainfall could affect the tailing if dumped on land. He said the high rainfall and flooding could affect the dams in which tailing are kept... more

Industrial nations agree to help Pacific with funds: Familiar ring from polluting nations yet to ante up
Pacific Islands Report - 15 December 2010
Contrary to the expectations of many, a deal has been hatched at the Cancun Climate Summit, and it's set to benefit the nations in the Pacific that are among the most at risk from the consequences of climate change. The developed nations have pledged to contribute to a multi billion dollar green fund which is designed to help developing countries deal with the impact of global warming and promote alternative energy sources... more

Pacific nations hope to benefit from forest protection agreement
PacNews - 15 December 2010
Indigenous groups are being offered limited protection from one of the key agreements from the Cancun climate summit - a deal to pay developing countries to protect their forests from logging. The agreement is known as REDD which stands for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation. It's still unclear where the funds will come from and details will be worked on over the next year. Fiji is aiming to be ready to participate in Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation by 2012, with the recent drafting of a national strategy and action plan. And last month Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and PNG also helped draft a preliminary plan for a regional REDD programme. Greenpeace spokesman Ben Powless from the Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change welcomes the deal, but says the language on safeguarding indigenous people's rights, is weak...more

Cover report: Our Oceanic guardians : Eight Pacific states assert destiny on tuna
Islands Business - 13 December 2010
If the PNA Secretariat’s Director Dr Transform Aqorau has a white board on the walls of his office in wind-swept Majuro, it should be filling up fast with achievements by now. January 2010, the secretariat of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) opened in the Marshall Island capital. February 2010, the PNA held its first Presidential Summit where six presidents, two prime ministers and two cabinet ministers attended the high level meeting at Koror, Palau. That summit rolled out several landmark decisions... more

ENVIRONMENT: Pacific biodiversity under threat : Development pressures blamed
Islands Business - 13 December 2010
As this is the last column for 2010, I would like to wish ISLANDS BUSINESS readers all the best for Christmas and a peaceful and enjoyable 2011. In this column, I would like to discuss the recent Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nagoya, Japan. It was an important event with 18,000 people from around the world gathered to discuss ways in which the international community could work together to preserve the real values we all place on global biodiversity. What is biodiversity? It is a word coined to refer to the variety of all living things on Earth—all the species, genetic resources and ecosystems on the planet and how they function and interact. Biodiversity is the cornerstone of life in the Pacific—our plants, animals, and ecosystems are essential for livelihoods of Pacific people. It has helped shape our cultures and traditions. As we have said throughout 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity, “Remember to Value Pacific Island Biodiversity—It’s Our Life”. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) worked in partnership with non-governmental organisations to provide support and advice to Pacific delegations at Nagoya. The Pacific was well represented at the CBD meeting, with 14 countries participating.
Pacific input was showcased under the theme: “The Pacific Voyage”, developed by SPREP, countries and partners to showcase our unique biodiversity and approaches used in this region... more

BUSINESS: PICs to lessen natural disaster risks : Project aims to predict future catastrophes
Islands Business - 13 December 2010
The Pacific region has not been spared in the spate of natural disasters that hit the globe in recent times.
Its own share of disasters has brought about as much destruction, injury, displacement, death as economic loss and huge bills to pay in order to get back on track as a developing region that, even during normal economic times, struggles frustratingly along. There is a way that tiny islands nations in the region could avoid all that and actually plan around future natural disasters, said Michael Bonte-Grapentin, a scientist at the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC). He is heading a team of scientists who, under a joint initiative by SOPAC, the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank on Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing , are collecting various forms of data from 15 Pacific Islands Countries (PICs) and building databases to help strengthen their responses to natural disasters.
The intention is to process these data and package them in such a way that each country can instantly get, based on scientific modelling, information about its exposure to future natural disasters, be it floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions or severe tropical cyclones and the associated economic costs... more

POLITICS: 21 years and the environment is in trouble : ‘Everyone needs to play a part’: Tuilaepa
Islands Business - 13 December 2010
This year, Samoa commemorates 21 years of its National Environment Week. It’s been that long since the country established a week for all its inhabitants to promote and endorse their commitment to the grave problem of environment conservation and protection. This year, this particular week is remembered on the first anniversary of the most devastating natural disaster to ever hit the country, the tsunami of 2009. The campaign this year focuses on the whole biodiversity and how it’s been badly affected from such a disaster and while the loss of life would often determine the seriousness of many disasters, last year’s tsunami destroyed every living thing in its path... more

WE SAY: Perilous affairs of the world’s biodiversity
Islands Business - 13 December 2010
The recent Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nagoya, Japan, has once again brought under sharp focus the perilous state of affairs in the world’s biodiversity including that of the Pacific Islands region—often considered to be unspoiled, pristine and pure, if one is to go by tourist brochures.
The vital importance of biodiversity to the intricate web of life can never be overstated... more

New web resource of interest [video] - 'Modern Day Uab'
This video from the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) team in Palau, Roll' Em Productions Palau and SOPAC shows how an ancient folktale from Palau is unfolding again in today's world of GHG emissions and changing climate... view the video

Solomons says Cancun deal followed Pacific sacrifices
RNZI -13 December 2010
A Solomon Islands negotiator at the climate change conference in Mexico says Pacific small island states made sacrifices in order to reach agreement at the talks. The Cancun conference made little progress on how to extend the Kyoto Protocol, which commits developed countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions. But it did set a target of limiting a rise in world temperatures to below two degrees Celsius. Solomon Islands United Nations Ambassador Collin Beck says that falls short of small island states demands of a rise of less than 1.5 degrees... more

Pressure on Durban to produce a legally binding global pact on climate change
PacNews - 13 December 2010
espite Bolivia's attempt to block the final decisions at the global climate change talks in Cancun, which concluded in the early hours of Saturday, the draft decisions from the two ad hoc working groups - long term co-operative action (LCA) and Kyoto Protocol (KP) were passed on majority voices. The set of agreement, now dubbed the Cancun Agreement, will now be forwarded to Durban, in the hope that a legally binding agreement will be formalised in 2011.
Mexican President, Felipe Calderon made a brief appearance at the end of the COP plenary to congratulate all the 190 nations that sacrificed some of their national positions to reach a compromised agreement... more

Solomons village claims dolphin funds misdirected: Earth Island Institute says money should be evenly divided
Pacific Islands Report - 13 December 2010
Earth Island Institute’s (EII) negligence and failure to recognize the mandated committee to deal with the save dolphin project has forced ANZ bank to halt all transactions. This was claimed by a prominent figure of the Honiara-based Fanalei community in Solomon Islands. The spokesperson, who wanted anonymity, said the process has reached a stage that funds were no being held back by the bank because EII ignored to deal with the rightful authorities...more

Cancun Climate Change Conference Concludes with Agreement on Package of Decisions
Climate-l - 13 December 2010
The UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun, which took place from 29 November-11 December 2010, concluded with agreement on a package of decisions. The Cancun Agreements include decisions under both the Convention and Protocol negotiating tracks, and contain provisions on adaptation, REDD+, technology, mitigation and finance... read a summary of the major decisions

SPC and GTZ Assist Fiji on REDD+ Strategy
SPC - 13 December 2010
The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) convened a planning workshop for the Fiji REDD+ Strategy from 25-26 November, in Suva, Fiji. Attended by stakeholders and representatives of government departments, the workshop resulted in the drafting of Fiji's strategy and action plan for REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and the role of conservation, sustainable use of forests and enhancement of carbon stocks) ... more

Samoan climate change research efforts aided with a new tool
MNRE - December 2010
A team from the Australian Government's Pacific Climate Change Science Program (PCCSP) were in Apia
from the 22nd - 26th November working with the Ministry's Meteorology Division to install and train staff
in the use of a new climate database management system and meet with stakeholders. PCCSP scientists have been researching past and current climate trends and natural variability, as well as developing climate and ocean projections for 14 Pacific nations and East Timor. A key part of the program was to develop a computerbased tool to support the role of national meteorological services. This has included the development of a customised climate database management system called CliDE (Climate Data for the Environment).

$80 million climate funding for Pacific nations
PacNews - 10 December 2010
The Australian government has announced $80 million of support measures to help Pacific nations threatened by climate change. Climate Change Minister Greg Combet made the announcement at United Nations climate change conference in the Mexican city of Cancun. “Australia is fulfilling our commitment made at climate change talks last year to ensure adaptation funding is prioritised to the most vulnerable developing countries,” Mr Combet said in Cancun. Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said the funding made a significant contribution to responding to the needs of small island developing states...more

U.S. Republicans cloud climate mitigation funds : Solomons ambassador worries U.S. will renege
Pacific Islands Report - 10 December 2010
Solomon Islands' lead negotiator at the climate change summit in Cancun says he's worried that the United States will not give the climate adaptation money it promised to vulnerable nations. Solomon Islands Ambassador to the United Nations, Colin Beck, says with Republicans gaining a majority after midterm elections, the U.S. will not commit to funds for climate change because of the country's domestic economic situation. Ambassador Beck says that disagreement over the future of the Kyoto Protocol is also frustrating Small Island States. ...more

Draft outcomes fall short of AOSIS expectations
Pacific Scoop - 10 December 2010
A day before the conclusion of the global climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, there is still no clarity on major issues pushed forward by Pacific Island Countries and their small island counterparts in the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean.
Chief among them is the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal to stay alive, the position that the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) has been lobbying for two years since the Conference of the Parties in Poznan in Poland.
The draft outcome of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long Term Co-operative Action (AWG-LCA) released Wednesday still has 1.5 degrees bracketed with other options of and 1 and 2 degrees Celsius. Any hope of inscribing the 1.5 goal looks increasingly dim as the United States leads the attack to stay with the below 2 degrees subscribed to in the Copenhagen Accord...more

Pacific leaders say climate change at crisis level
RNZI - 9 December 2010
Pacific leaders have told a media conference at the United Nations talks in Mexico that the impacts of climate change have reached a crisis stage in their countries and urgent action is needed. Leaders and representatives from Kiribati, Tuvalu, Nauru, the Federated States of Micronesia and Samoa addressed the international media in Cancun. They called for direct and easy access to funding for adaptation and mitigation, and for agreements to extend the Kyoto protocol and reach a long-term deal on climate change...Listen to the statements on Climate Pasifika

Nauru leaders fears death by jargon
PacNews - 9 December 2010
As small island nations fret over rising sea levels linked to climate change, one of their leaders voiced fear at being submerged by another force -- negotiators' jargon. Marcus Stephen, president of Nauru and leader of the group of Pacific Small Island Developing States at international climate negotiations, voiced regret that many nations did not see the same urgency to global warming. “The Pacific has a rich cultural and linguistic tradition. Hundreds of distinct languages are spoken in homes throughout our 14 countries," he told the talks in Cancun, Mexico. “However, none of our words are quite so exotic as the ones spoken by the climate change negotiator. The people who inhabit these walls communicate in acronyms: QELROS, LULUCF, and NAMAs: letters that carry the power to determine which of our nations may thrive and which may vanish beneath the waves.” “The gravity of the crisis has escaped us. It has become lost in a fog of scientific, economic and technical jargon,” he said. ... more

Fiji ‘denied voice at climate meet’
PacNews - 9 December 2010
Fiji has been denied its rights and voice at the United Nations Climate Change meeting in Cancun, Mexico with the refusal of US visas to Government representatives. Permanent Secretary for Information, Sharon Smith-Johns made the comment adding that, “It is nothing but shot of squeezing the life out of every Fijian”. Environment minister Samuela Saumatua was to have led a delegation to the 2010 Climate Change meeting from 29 November to December 10. The team was scheduled to have transited through the US into Mexico. Ms Smith-Johns said the denial by the US Government for Fiji’s voice at this very important United Nations Meeting begs the question of the United States international obligation to the UN Charter...more

Malaita villagers reach deal to end dolphin hunt: Conservation group to fund alternate source of income
Pacific Islands Report - 9 December 2010
After months of the hotly debated issue over funds for a project to save dolphins in South Malaita, two communities reached an agreement on Sunday. In a ceremony held at the Mendana Hotel in Honiara, community members in Fanalei and Walande have agreed to share the save dolphins fund equally amongst themselves...more

Roadmap Developed for New Regional Programme on Climate Protection
Solomon Times - 9 December 2010
Deforestation and forest degradation account for 17 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Although Pacific Island countries (PICs) contribute very little to emissions, the larger forested PICs can play an important role in reducing global carbon emissions. There are opportunities for these countries to benefit financially from maintaining and establishing forest areas to mitigate climate change through a REDD (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) carbon financing mechanism. The sustainable management and conservation of forest areas for climate change mitigation will also have ecological, social, cultural and economic benefits. At the 2009 Pacific Regional Heads of Forestry Services (HOFS) meeting in Nadi, Fiji Islands, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) member countries and territories called for the development of regional and national policies and institutional frameworks for the implementation of REDD and capacity development in this sector. In response to the HOFS recommendations, German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), in partnership with SPC, secured funding support from the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety for a regional project titled 'Climate protection through forest conservation in the Pacific Island countries'. The project will have funding of EUR 4.9 million over a four-year period from November 2010 to the end of 2014 and will address REDD+, which includes conservation, sustainable forest management and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in addition to deforestation and forest degradation...more

Environment a priority: Cook Islands PM
PacNews - 8 December 2010
Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna has reassured the public that the new government would take protection of the environment seriously. He was responding to Te Ipukarea Society plans to lobby government to place a 15-year moratorium on any further tourist accommodation development on Rarotonga and place urgent focus on infrastructure development. “There is and there should be widespread concern from the public that the apparent focus is on numbers and yet we know that our environment is showing signs of stress. I think it’s important to ensure our economy or tourism is not just focused on numbers but also on ensuring that we have the infrastructure capacity in place to support the increased numbers,” Mr Puna said... more

Compromise order of negotiations, as Parties debate a proposed negotiating text
PacNews - 8 December 2010
There appears to be consensus amongst negotiators here in Cancun that the text introduced by the chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long Term Cop-operative Action (AWG-LCA), Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe that provides additional input into the outcome. The informal session of the AWG-LCA was convened Saturday afternoon to gauge Parties views on the text, which was originally introduced as a conference room paper. “There is a general feeling of a high degree of transparency from the chair and Parties appear to be happy. This is probably the spirit of compromise that Parties are moving towards, said Ambassador Luiz Figueiredo. Most of the Parties in their intervention praised the chair for the transparent manner in which she has engaged with Parties in trying to reach an outcome that is acceptable. “It’s now time to negotiate amongst Parties and not with the chair or co-facilitators, said a representative of Bolivia. Tuvalu, the only Pacific Island Country to speak on the debate said after five days, Parties should ‘take the text and start negotiations.’ ... more

Climate change forum coming to close in Cancun: Worldwide hopes for reduced carbon emissions
Pacific Islands Report - 8 December 2010
Tuvalu is talking up the United Nations Climate Change conference which is drawing to a close in the Mexico city of Cancun. Over the next three days the delegates to the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun Mexico, will try and forge agreements, which many there hope will ensure set the framework for binding carbon emission reductions, and the future of the Kyoto Protocol. The head of Tuvalu's delegation, Enele Sopoaga says after the disappointment of Copenhagen last year, a lot has been achieved this year...more

New research plan provides a blueprint for addressing shark issues in the western and central Pacific
SPC - 8 December 2010
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) has taken a major step toward addressing concerns about shark populations with initial approval of a three-year Shark Research Plan by its Scientific Committee. The plan will be led by the Oceanic Fisheries Programme of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and will contain assessment, research coordination and fishery statistics improvement components... more

EU, UNICEF Launch Water and Sanitation Project in Kiribati
SIDS-L - 8 December 2010
The EU has approved a 3.4 million euro project, to be implemented by UNICEF, for increasing access to safe and sustainable water and sanitation, and reducing water-related diseases in Kiribati. The project will target the small and remote outer islands of Kiribati, focusing on conducting hydro-geological assessments of groundwater resources, assessing existing water and sanitation infrastructures, repairing faulty structures and installing new rainwater harvesting systems with safe storage facilities... more

If an island state vanishes, is it still a nation?
NZ Herald - 7 December 2010
Encroaching seas in the Pacific are raising the salt level in the wells of the Marshall Islands. Waves threaten to cut one sliver of an island in two. "It's getting worse," says Kaminaga Kaminaga, the tiny nation's climate change coordinator. The rising ocean raises questions, too: What happens if the 61,000 Marshallese must abandon their low-lying atolls? Would they still be a nation? With a UN seat? With control of their old fisheries and their undersea minerals? Where would they live, and how would they make a living? Who, precisely, would they and their children become? ...more

Tuvalu urges capacity building from Adaptation Fund Board
SPREP - 7 December 2010
Tuvalu’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Enele Sopoaga has urged the climate change Adaptation Fund Board to provide greater capacity building for islands that are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. “The issue of capacity is real and should be addressed seriously,” Sopoaga told Board chairman Farouk Khan. “I urge the Board to conduct workshops training and awareness development at regional and national level to enable these countries to draft and come up with proposals that can be submitted for consideration. “ ...more

Solomons call for greenhouse gas cuts at Cancun meeting
RNZI - 7 December 2010
A Solomon Islands negotiator at the climate change conference in Mexico says there must be a renewed commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Cancun. Developing countries want to extend the Kyoto Protocol on reducing emissions beyond 2012, but some industrialised nations, including Japan, Russia and Canada, want a separate new agreement that regulates the emissions of all nations. China has just stated it is prepared to make its voluntary carbon emissions target part of a binding United Nations resolution. But the Solomon Islands UN Ambassador, Colin Beck, says the stance of countries such as Japan is worrying given the latest research from the United Nations environment programme...more

PNG panel set up over Watut river pollution
RNZI - 7 December 2010
An advisory panel is being set up in Papua New Guinea after protest action alleging environment destruction by a major gold mining operation in Morobe Province. The NGO Act Now says it began a campaign to raise awareness over pollution of the Watut River system by the Hidden Valley Joint Venture after being approached by concerned landowner groups... more

Climate change adaptation funding scarce, says SPREP
RNZI - 7 December 2010
A Pacific environmental advisor says the region has so far seen little funding for climate change adaptation but he’s hopeful it will receive special recognition at the United Nations conference in Mexico.
Espen Ronneberg from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme says fast start financing was promised at the Copenhagen conference but so far little of that has been delivered in the Pacific.
He says a lot of donor countries say they will give priority to funding for small islands because they are the most vulnerable, and the least responsible for climate change. But he says its not a straight forward issue ...more

Environmentalists put brakes on Cooks tourism: Group seeks 15-year moratorium on hotel development
Pacific Islands Report - 6 December 2010
A leading environmental group is urging the government to place a 15-year moratorium on any further tourist accommodation development on Rarotonga and place urgent focus on infrastructure development. Te Ipukarea Society (TIS) says the country also needs to refrain from setting policies to increase visitor numbers and current accommodation capacity for the next five years until environmental infrastructure has at the very least, caught up... more

PEC Fund PMU Established
Solomon Times - 6 December 2010
A project management unit (PMU) has been established at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva, Fiji to manage and monitor the multi-million dollar PALM 5 Pacific Environment Community (PEC) Fund negotiated by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders with the Government of Japan in 2009. The PEC Fund is a US$67 million contribution by Japan to support Forum island countries' (FICs) projects in solar power generation and sea water desalination. "In addition to the Joint Committee established under the PEC Fund Guidelines, the Fund's governance structure has now been fully implemented with the establishment of the Project Management Unit and the Technical Advisory Group," says Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat...more

Climate smart agriculture and Pacific views
Climatepasifika.blogspot - 5 December 2010
Food security struggles of the Pacific islands caused by climate change, and how we are altering our way of life to meet them was showcased during the Cancun Climate Change Talks. “Is climate-smart agriculture possible?” was the heading of the event organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The Pacific examples of work were presented by Dr Netatua Pelesikoti, Programme Manager for Pacific Futures of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). One of the main features of the popular event was the work done under the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Project (PACC) which focuses on three priority areas - food security, coastal processes and water...more

AOSIS proposals receive overwhelming support at Cancun talks
SPREP - 3 December 2010
Overwhelming support at the Cancun talks for two proposals by the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS).
Led by Grenada and Tuvalu, the AOSIS group was given the green light for its proposals to set up two separate contact groups to discuss a legal form to the new agreement likely to be in place by 2011 and resolving a gap that will be created after the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. Ambassador Dessima Williams of Grenada said the small and vulnerable countries that make up AOSIS want a ‘space’ to freely discuss the architecture and legal form of a new legally binding agreement to be formalized in Durban, South Africa in 2011... more

Pacific concern over pledged climate change funds
ABC - 3 December 2010
Representatives of Pacific Islands states attending international climate change talks in Cancun, Mexico, say other developing countries are competing for access to funds pledged to address the problem. Some Pacific states have raised concerns that the billions of dollars promised by developed countries have yet to make their way to nations most vulnerable to climate change. In Copenhagen last year, $US10 billion in fast-track financing was pledged. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program has highlighted the issue in its recent report, titled 'Mobilising Climate Change Funding'. ... more

Quitting Kyoto Protocol seen as threat to Pacific
RNZI - 2 December 2010
The non-government organisation Oxfam New Zealand says the refusal of Japan and the United States to renew the Kyoto Protocol on reducing emissions could have severe consequences for the Pacific. Japan has announced it won’t extend the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012, joining the United States in seeking a new agreement. The head of Oxfam New Zealand Barry Coates says that could take a few years and the science indicates that delay in reducing global emissions could lead to severe impacts in the Pacific... more

Palau President vetoes bill that seeks to establish fishing season for parrot fish, wrasse
PacNews - 2 December 2010
Palau President Johnson Toribiong vetoed on Monday the Senate bill which intends to establish a three-month fishing season for adult parrotfish (kemedukl) and adult wrasse (maml). In his letter to the Olbiil Era Kelulau, President Toribiong stated that the legislative findings for Senate Bill No. 8-16 contain no scientific basis or justification for lifting the current ban. In addition, he also stressed that the lifting of the ban has no cultural basis either...more

Solomon High Court orders company to halt logging in Kolombangara
PacNews - 1 December 2010
The High Court on Friday delivered a judgment in favour of the Kolombangara Island Biodiversity Conservation Association (KIBCA) to enforce environmental laws in the Solomon Islands and help protect land above 400m on Kolombangara Island. The case was brought against Success company which operates in Kolombangara. The winning of the case means Success company would have to halt its operations in some of the areas on the island...more

Poaching threatens endangered Pacific turtles: Green sea turtles are traditional foods in CNMI
Pacific Islands Report - 1 December 2010
Poaching remains the biggest threat to the continuing decline of turtle populations in the Pacific, including the Northern Mariana Islands, where no single person has ever been prosecuted despite stricter laws. According to fishery biologist Irene Kinan Kelly of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the best way to combat this problem is to re-instill in the present generation traditional practices, along with proper enforcement... more

November 2010

New report of interest: 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
SPREP - 30 November 2010
A report prepared by the Secretariat outlining key outcomes achieved at the 10th Conference of the parties (COP10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in Nagoya, Japan 18-29 October, 2010. The report also contains suggestions on possible actions for the Pacific to take to implement the COP10 outcomes and decisions. The report also outlines some key lessons learnt for the Pacific to strengthen engagement and participation in future COP meetings...download the report - http://www.sprep.org/att/irc/ecopies/pacific_region/676.pdf

New report of interest: Pacific food security toolkit: building resilience to climate change: root crop and fishery production
SPREP - 30 November 2010
The toolkit is divided into a series of modules, so as to accommodate future changes or additions. It includes an introductory module that looks at climate change in the Pacific, a module on key Pacific food production systems and two applied modules on Pacific root crops and Pacific fisheries. The toolkit also contains 55 “adaptation steps” that are designed to provide ideas and, in some cases, practical measures that can be used and, with time, adapted to help maintain and strengthen food security in the face of climate change. Importantly, the toolkit provides its readers a list of existing tools and resources that present more detailed information on climate change adaptation measures, food security and related issues... download the toolkit - http://www.sprep.org/att/irc/ecopies/pacific_region/677.pdf

Climate change worsens disaster impact, says Oxfam
RNZI - 30 November 2010
An Oxfam report says climate-related disasters killed 21,000 people in the first nine months of this year, more than double the number in 2009. Timed to coincide with the start of international talks tackling climate change in Mexico, the report cites sea level rise in Tuvalu as an example of the deadly consequences of climate change. The new round of UN climate negotiations aims to agree on a narrow range of issues dividing rich and poor economies, specifically on funding, preservation of rainforests and preparations for a warmer world. The report says sea-level rise and soil salinisation in the Pacific continues to harm coastal agriculture. It says people in Tuvalu are now finding locally-produced fresh food increasingly limited, and locals are now relying more on imported processed foods to survive. It says medical problems like diabetes and hypertension - previously little known in the country - are now on the rise.

NGO says binding agreement not likely at Cancun climate talks
RNZI - 29 November 2010
The environment organisation Greenpeace says climate change talks in Mexico will not bring the legally-binding agreement vulnerable Pacific countries need, but it will be a step forward. The United Nations climate change conference begins early tomorrow morning in Cancun. Greenpeace International’s climate policy director Wendel Trio says the meeting could make decisions that would have direct impacts on Pacific Islands. 'Governments are pretty close to agreeing on the establishment of a climate fund that would provide financial assistance to developing countries and in particular for vulnerable countries with funding for adaptation, so for preparing themselves to avoid the most dangerous impact of climate change.”

Pacific prepared for climate talks in Cancun
SPREP - 27 November 2010
The Pacific region is preparing their stance in cooperation with all Small Island States at the climate change negotiations in Cancun, Mexico next week. While the possibility of a new global agreement on climate change is being downplayed, it has not dampened the efforts of the Pacific as they ready themselves for the final round of negotiations for 2010. There is strong representation from the Pacific region in Cancun with Heads of State, Environment Ministers and Ambassadors of the Pacific in attendance with their officials. The 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework for the Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 16) is bringing the World together for two weeks of climate change negotiations. The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) coordinated a meeting of the Pacific islands countries to assist them in preparing for the two weeks of intense discussions. “I think judging from the dialogue in the Pacific meeting there is a strong desire to see some tangible outcomes from Cancun,” stated SPREP’s climate change adviser Mr. Espen Ronneberg. ...more

Web resource - Climate Pasifika Blog
Keep up with all the news and views from the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework for the Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 16) beginning in Cancun on 29 November in the Climate Pasifika blog - http://climatepasifika.blogspot.com/

Bougainville Atolls’ refugees to move in 2011
PacNews - 20 November 2010
Papua New Guinea’s first climate change refugees on atolls in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville would by next year relocate to their new home on mainland Bougainville, as planned by the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG). ABG deputy administrator for policy Raymond Masono said yesterday that 40 families from impacted atolls, including Cartaret, Tasman and Fead Island, would be relocated each year for a period of 12 years.
And that exercise would commence next year. “These atolls are fast sinking, as sea level continue to rise, destroying food gardens, water wells and disrupting the livelihood of the 3000-strong inhabitants,” Mr Masono said... more

INVASIVE CATERPILLAR WORRIES MARSHALLS BIOLOGISTS: Critter poses threat to native vegetation
Pacific Islands Report - 29 November 2010
We discovered a new species of caterpillar," states Chief of Agriculture Henry Capelle. This new species might have a dangerous impact on the Marshallese environment. "We've seen it causing damage to one of our local trees the Kaar and it destroys the flora, says Capelle. More studies will be conducted as soon as we get the relevant information from the experts in Fiji Suva office." ... more

New report of interest: Outlook Report on the State of the Marine Biodiversity in the Pacific Islands Region
SPREP - 26 November 2010
A Report prepared for the United Nations Environment Program’s Regional Seas Program Nairobi, Kenya and the United Nations Environment Program’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre’s Marine Assessment and Decision Support Program Cambridge United Kingdom by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Progam, Apia ,Samoa . August 2010. Major marine environmental issues have been identified in the Pacific Islands region, and these include potential (and perceived) impacts from environmental change (including climate variability and climate change), habitat loss and the effects of coastal modification, the introduction of invasive species, fishing pressure (including destructive practices), increased sedimentation and nutrient loading from land-use practices (including coastal mining), solid waste and liquid effluents, and other sources of land and marine pollution.This report provides a summary of current information regarding pressure, state and responses to these threats for the Pacific Islands region, as well the responses by PICTs in addressing, alleviating and/or mitigating these threats... download a copy of the report - http://www.sprep.org/att/publication/000890_Kinchetal_2010_MarineBiodiversityOutlookReport_SPREP_UNEP_WCMC.pdf

Fiji mangrove losses pose financial threat
RNZI - 26 November 2010
Fiji stands to lose 17 million US dollars a year if it doesn’t look after its mangroves. According to the Fiji Times, a report commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund says over 60 per cent of Fiji’s commercially important fish and 83 per cent of subsistence fish species depend on mangrove areas for some phase of their life cycle. The report says the value of mangrove associated fisheries products harvested commercially and for subsistence consumption is in the vicinity of 17 million dollars... more

Moruroa contamination fears as test site sinks, says veterans group
RNZI - 26 November 2010
French Polynesia’s nuclear test veterans organisation Moruroa e tatou says it’s concerned of possible contamination because part of the test atoll is sinking. Its head, Roland Oldham, says a section of Moruroa, which was the main French weapons test site in the Pacific for 30 years, has subsided. Mr Oldham says he fears that radioactive waste is seeping into the sea. “The problem today is because one part of the island is going down, all this is under water and the water is one of the worst enemies of stocking all these dangerous things.”

New report of interest: Forests and Climate Change in the Asia-Pacific Region
FAO - 26 November
The study examines the major issues and developments related to climate change impacts and responses in the region as regards forests and highlights related opportunities for regional action to address gaps and needs. This publication is intended to provide a point of departure for identifying and catalyzing regional action to complement and enhance national efforts...download the report

Australia moves to protect southern bluefin tuna
PacNews - 25 November 2010
The Australian government has announced it will formally protect the southern bluefin tuna by listing it as a threatened species. The species has been categorised as "conservation dependent", which means it can still be fished. But the Government and fisherman will have to establish a plan of management to stop its decline and support its long-term recovery... more

GUAM FINDS BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS IN CARGO FROM HAWAII: Other invasive species discovered on Christmas trees
Pacific Islands Report - 25 November 2010
A female Black Widow spider with tons of her babies were discovered in a cargo from Honolulu, Hawai?i Wednesday morning and another ship carrying Christmas trees was also found to be carrying an unidentified invasive species. Officials warned more invasive species can be expected as the military buildup progresses as more construction materials will be brought on island... more

New resource of interest - The Pacific Solution Exchange
UNDP - 24 November 2010
The Pacific Solution Exchange is a facilitated email based network that hosts e-discussions to strengthen development effectiveness in the Pacific. The Pacific Development Effectiveness Community is the first community to be set up as part of a six month trial to see if this approach will be successful in the Pacific. During this period, e-Discussion around key issues affecting the Pacific will be hosted, such as ‘Acceleration of achievement of MDGs’ and ‘Climate Change Resourcing’. The Pacific Solution Exchange has launched a discussion on “Effective Resourcing to Address Climate Change”. If you would like to join the discussion, you can sign up at http://www.solutionexchange-un.net/pacific/dec/decsignup.html. This is a facilitated discussion, so you will only receive approx one email per day. At the end of the discussion, a consolidated reply will be issued... - http://www.solutionexchange-un.net/pacific/dec/index.html

New reports of interest from the SPC/GTZ Pacific-German Regional Programme on Adaptation to Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region
SPC / GTZ project - 23 November 2010

- Adaptation to and mitigation of climate change in the agriculture and forestry sector: Collection of best practices.

- Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region (CCCPIR). Sector Report: Sustainable Tourism and Climate Change - GTZ Appraisal Mission.

- Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region. Sector Report: Energy Component - GTZ Appraisal Mission.

- Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region (CCCPIR): Sector Report: Adaptation to Climate Change related to Marine- and Land-based Natural Resources - GTZ Appraisal Mission.

- Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region (CCCPIR): Institutional and Donor Coordination Framework - GTZ Appraisal Mission

- Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region (CCCPIR): Main Report - GTZ Appraisal Mission

.. go the SPC / GTZ website for more details and to download the reports

Palau botanical garden, cultural center underway: 4 hectares converted in Ngardmau State for project
Pacific Islands Report - 23 November 2010
A project that will convert 4 hectares of land into a botanical garden and cultural center is underway in Ngardmau State, Palau... Sugiyama further disclosed that they conceptualized the project with the aim of preserving endemic plant species in the country. "The garden will feature trees, shrubs, ornamental, medicinal and other kinds of plants that can only be found in Palau," she pointed out. Those plants include the Ongael, Kirrai, kukiu, delalakar and kelschedui... more

U.S firm to conduct climate change study in Pacific
Islands Business - 19 November 2010
A United States-based engineering firm, KBR, yesterday announced that its Australian-based Infrastructure and Minerals (I&M) business unit has been selected by the Asian Development Bank to execute a climate change adaptation study. KBR will work to identify the risks of potential climate change to five Pacific island nations, enabling the countries to better plan for and respond to related climatic risks. KBR's Australia-based project team will work with the governments of East Timor, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Palau and Solomon Islands. The goal of KBR's work is to provide tools that enable better identification and mitigation of possible environmental threats ... more

U.S. group joins Guam suit against military range: National Preservation Trust fights Pagat training site
Pacific Islands Report - 19 November 2010
Federal and local entities that oppose plans for a Marine firing range in Guam's Pågat area have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense in a Hawaii federal court. The Guam Preservation Trust has partnered with the National Preservation Trust and protest group We Are Guåhan in filing the 86-page lawsuit...more

EIB Supports Climate-resilient Water Projects in Samoa
Climate-L.org - 19 November 2010
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide technical support for sustainable and climate-resilient water projects in Samoa. EIB support will target the rehabilitation and upgrade of independent water schemes in Samoa under a EUR 250,000 technical assistance programme, which will also ensure community participation and improve drinking water quality and climate resilience... more

Google offers new look at Tuamato atolls: New aerial photos taken by kites bring new clarity
Pacific Islands Report - 18 November 2010
Frank Taylor, author of the Google Earth blog, recently supplied Google with aerial imagery that's much higher-resolution than the usual fare obtained from cameras in orbit. The imagery arrived a few days ago on Google Maps and Google Earth, cnet reports on its website... more

Study: PNG mine would cost $5.3 billion: Feasibility study looks at Frieda River deposits
Pacific Islands Report - 18 November 2010
A pre-feasibility study for the massive Frieda River copper and gold project in Papua New Guinea shows it would take an investment of US$5.3 billion to get the project up and running. Swiss mining giant Xstrata Copper is fast-tracking Frieda River. Its 1,500 page pre-feasibility study says the project would produce 264,000 tons of copper and 379,000 ounces of gold a year. A mine life of at least 20 years is expected, with low operating costs. John Gooding, The Managing Director of junior partner Highlands Pacific, says that places Frieda River in the top 15 copper mines in the world. A total investment of US$5.3 billion dollars would be needed, US$803 million of which would be used to build a hydro-electricity plant. Mine tailings and waste rock would be placed into a specially built reservoir rather than into the sensitive Sepik River system. A full feasibility study is due January 2012.

Palau hosts meeting to protect marine resources: 6 countries meet to strengthen maritime surveillance
Pacific Islands Report - 17 November 2010
Six countries, including Palau, and two Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) met yesterday at the Ngarachamayong Cultural Center to discuss measures to strengthen the maritime surveillance capacity in the Micronesia Region. The meeting, co-organized by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and the Nippon Foundation, aims to develop a maritime perspective and promote international cooperation and partnership for the preservation and security of the Pacific seas... more

Pacific turtle dies after 2,000 kilometer journey: Hawksbill last seen in Vanuatu
Pacific Islands Report - 17 November 2010
A Hawksbill turtle has covered over 2,000 kilometers in a journey from Vanuatu to Australia's east coast. Andrew Lugg, from Australia's National Parks and Wildlife Service, says the turtle was last seen nesting on a beach in Vanuatu more than a year ago. He says the internet was used to track it. "We used the power of Google, and just did a Google search, and then straight away came to the site that is managing this program and let them know via the internet that we'd found this turtle with the tag and they gave us a response with all the details of the turtle straight away," he said...more

Climate change Funding in the Pacific - SPREP issues draft report
SPREP - 16 November 2010
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has issued a draft report on the future of funding for climate change in the Pacific region. This report is now being circulated for review comments, the link to this report is as below. This is a major issue in the Pacific region given the commitments at the Copenhagen Climate Conference in 2009 to increase funding for climate change actions in the most vulnerable developing countries. For example, the Copenhagen Accord commits developed countries to a goal of mobilising $100 billion US$ per year by 2020 for climate change in developing countries. The draft SPREP report reviews the future of climate change financing in the region. It identifies options for more effective delivery of climate funds to Pacific countries, including a possible Pacific Regional Fund for Climate Change...more ... download the report - http://www.sprep.org/att/publication/000912_Final_PICCAFReport_2010.pdf

Kiribati welcomes U.S pledges on Climate Changes funding
islands Business - 15 November 2010
Kiribati President Anote Tong has welcomed the US$21million pledge by the United States to help regional efforts to combat climate change. President Tong said low lying atolls like Kiribati and Tuvalu depend on this funding to adapt and mitigate against the impact of climate change in the islands... more

Environment: pushing environment message out there: SPREP works on sharing the knowledge
Islands Business - 15 November 2010
Throughout Pacific's history, the power of storytelling is imbedded deep in our culture. It has helped ensure that customary legends, chants and traditional knowledge are still a vital part of life in today’s Pacific communities. Communications is a core foundation of the work of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). Sharing our knowledge and the work we do at SPREP is our way of helping to bring about a well informed Pacific, contributing to a more sustainable and healthy environment.
SPREP has worked for many years with communicators in our Pacific region and has helped to strengthen the knowledge about the environmental impacts which are facing us. The challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss will dramatically affect the Pacific way of life and we must make people at all levels aware of the impacts and what can be done to address them. Campaigns undertaken by SPREP to promote particular environmental issues in the Pacific region are underpinned by communications... more

Environment: are coral reefs a good investment?
islands Business - 15 November 2010
Kiribati, Vanuatu, New Caledonia show the way. As of August 1, 2010, Kiribati’s Phoenix Islands Protected Area has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. This sanctuary, the largest marine protected area in the world, encompasses 410,500 sq km of virtually untouched coral reef ecosystems.
The UNESCO designation is a source of great satisfaction for the Coral Reef Initiatives for the Pacific (CRISP) programme of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), which partnered with the Government of Kiribati, Conservation International and the New England Aquarium in supporting the creation of this protected area. It is a victory for conservationists, ushering in a new era of large-scale ocean protection. It is also a victory for the people of the remote archipelago, who, it is hoped, will be preserved from the devastation of large-scale fishing and will be able to enjoy the fruits of the ocean for a long time...more

Coral Reef Conservation Fund Announces Request for Proposals.
NFWF - 12 November 2010
Administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in partnership with the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, the Coral Reef Conservation Fund provides grants to public-private partnerships working to reduce and prevent degradation of coral reefs and associated reef habitats (e.g., seagrass beds, mangroves, etc). Funding is available for conservation projects in Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Projects must implement watershed management plans and local action strategies designed to improve water quality, enhance coral reef ecosystem resilience, and improve the management of protected marine areas that harbor key coral reef ecosystem components and functions...apply

Kiribati President disappointed with U.S and EU no show at climate change meet
PacNews - 11 November 2010
Kiribati President, Anote Tong is disappointment with the no show from two of the world’s largest industrialised nations, the United States and the European Union (EU) representing its 27 members, at this week’s Tarawa Climate Change Conference. President Tong said the conference was a great opportunity for bigger nations to witness first-hand the effects of climate change on his people. “I guess I’m not surprise and remain disappointed that they didn’t come and discuss but merely observe...more

Kiribati delegates issue‘Ambo Declaration’: Climate change must be addressed now
Pacific Islands Report - 11 November 2010
Delegates at the Kiribati Climate Change Conference in Tarawa have issued a declaration. The Ambo Declaration is slated to be a non legally binding agreement between the nations to present at the upcoming United Nations climate change summit in Mexico. After drafting the declaration at the 19-nation Tarawa Climate Change Conference yesterday, 13 officials spent more than two hours deliberating the document, led by resistance from China. The declaration covers the urgency of addressing the immediate effects of climate change, the need for fast funding to combat these concerns in vulnerable nations, and agrees upon an aim to make concrete decisions at the meeting in Cancun...more

UNFCCC Holds Asia and Pacific Regional Workshop on Technology Transfer
Climate-l.org - 11 November 2010
The UNFCCC Secretariat has held a regional training workshop on 26-28 October 2010 in Singapore on preparing technology transfer projects for financing. Participants, which included representatives from Fiji, Maldives, Singapore, Palau, Solomon Islands and Samoa, were trained in preparing project proposals for financing, with special attention to risk management and financial structuring. The training was based on material in the UNFCCC guidebook on preparing technology transfer projects for financing. Participants also submitted draft project proposals that were presented and improved during the workshop ... see workshop website

New web resource: Pacific Ocean 2020 Challenge website
The Pacific Ocean 2020 Challenge aims to forge partnerships with sectors of ocean users who have not previously been fully engaged in ocean governance initiatives, and spanning geographic areas beyond the traditional ‘Pacific region’. Working with Pacific Ocean-wide coalitions for action will enable the Challenge to complement and enhance stakeholder-engaging activities already established by CROP agencies and NGOs around the PIRCTs region, thus avoiding duplication of activities. In doing so, it is envisioned that a holistic and practical approach to ocean governance in the region will become a reality, and that the PIRCTs region will have a sustainable and healthy Pacific Ocean by 2020... http://www.pacificocean2020.org/

Consensus on the plight of vulnerable states needed ahead of Cancun talks: President Tong
PacNews - 10 November 2010
Kiribati President Anote Tong is hoping the climate change conference hosted by the Pacific nation will support Kiribati’s bid to push for a legally binding treaty to promote long-term action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Mr Tong made the remarks as he opened the Tarawa Climate Change Conference (TCCC) Wednesday. “This will be the first real opportunity for countries on the opposite sides of climate debate to sit down and hopefully work things out. This will be an opportunity to talk rather than to negotiate. Talk about problems and may find some common grounds that why we initiated this meetings...more

Kiribati Church calls for international community to seriously look at forced migration
PacNews - 10 November 2010
One of Kiribati’s dominant church denomination, the Protestant Church has called on the international community to seriously consider the issue of forced climate migration and the resettlement of population affected by climate change. Delivering a statement at the State banquet to welcome delegates to the two-day Tarawa Climate Change Conference (TCC), Protestant Church finance secretary, Temaia McKenzie expressed concern about the critical threat of climate change to Kiribati and the vulnerable communities throughout the world...more

Adaptation policy and measures need to be gender positive
PacNews - 10 November 2010
Kiribati’s Ministry of International and Social Affairs (MISA) has called on delegates from around the world attending the Tarawa Climate Change conference to factor gender in its proceedings. “Poorly designed climate policy in countries most vulnerable to climate change will extend inequalities between women and men. “If women are perceived as victims, especially within the field of adaptation, this will keep women trapped in limited roles and further enhance gender disparities,” said Anne Kautu, the senior Women officer at Kiribati Women’s Unit ... more

Fiji empathize with Kiribati’s Climate Change vulnerabilities
PacNews - 10 November 2010
Fiji’s presence at the Tarawa Climate Change conference this week recognizes the importance of the Forum and its relations with small islands developing states (SIDS). That is the word of Fiji’s Environment Minister, Colonel Samuela Saumatua when he made his ministerial statements to the Climate Change Plenary in Kiribati today. “It is only when we are actually on the ground that we can truly appreciate the immensity of the challenges before you... more

NZ climate change expert says Kiribati is vulnerable to many environmental hazards
RNZI - 10 November 2010
A New Zealand climate change expert says Kiribati is at the moral heart of climate change negotiation.
Stephanie Lee who works for New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is one of 30 international delegates in Kiribati for this week’s climate change conference. Ms Lee told AAP Kiribati is so vulnerable to so many environmental hazards...more

PNG mine pollutes Morobe gardens, taints river: Villagers offered compensation for toxic runoff
Pacific Islands Report - 10 November 2010
Thousands of villagers are being offered compensation after sediment from a gold mine washed into a river in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Sediment washed into the Watut River during the construction of the Hidden Valley gold mine has destroyed food gardens and spoiled water supplies...more

Tarawa Climate Change Conference - 9 - 11 November
The Guardian [UK] is running a series around the climate vulnerable nations conference in Kiribati [see Tarawa Climate Change Conference - http://www.climate.gov.ki/tarawa_climate_change_conference.html ] , with bloggers from attending nations discussing how climate change affects their country – see the Guardian blog at http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/series/voices-from-kiribati

Pacific islands Red List project gets underway
IUCN - 9 November 2010
Following the production of “The Pacific islands: An analysis of the status of species as listed on the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™” (which can be downloaded here), key taxonomic and geographical gaps were identified. IUCN is now continuing to work towards increasing information on Pacific island species for inclusion on the IUCN Red List. Species identified as priority for assessment in the Pacific islands region include: reptiles, fishes (freshwater and marine), all invertebrates (except hard corals) and all plants and fungi (except conifers and cycads which are almost completely assessed globally). The Pacific islands Red List project will be an on-going process that aims to assess the conservation status of the fauna and flora of the Pacific islands region according to the IUCN Red Listing guidelines. Now with funding support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), and the Fonds Pacifique, assessments will begin on these priority species groups. Over the next 18 months, the project will assess freshwater fishes, reptiles and land snails. Assessments will involve convening experts at workshops and analyzing all available data on the species in question.

Polynesian Megapodes in dire straits
IUCN - 9 November 2010
IUCN Member, the Tonga Community Development Trust (TCDT), in association with the World Pheasant Association and IUCN Member, the Tonga Ministry for the Environment and Climate Change, recently completed the first survey since 1993 of the Endangered Polynesian Megapode, locally known as Malau, on the island of Niuafo’ou in Tonga. Early indications are of a substantial decline. Only ten nesting burrows at seven sites across the island remain active – there were 27 nests at 13 sites in the early 1990s. Possible causes of the decline include predation of chicks and egg-laying females by feral cats and/or impact of feral pigs on both feeding areas and potential nesting sites. Alternatively, geothermal activity may have changed, resulting in reduced egg survival.

Fiji welcomes adoption of protocols and conservation targets in Nagoya, Japan
IUCN - 9 November 2010
Fiji joined 168 other Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity [CBD], in the early hours of Saturday morning 30 October, 2010, in adopting the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing of Genetic Resources [ABS] at the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10), held in the City of Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. The conference had been in session from 18 to 25 October, followed by a High Level Segment from 27-30 October 2010 at Ministerial level. The protocol will ensure that the people of Fiji retain rights over their genetic resources and traditional knowledge and that profit from these resources will be shared fairly with the Fijian people. It has taken 12 long years of negotiation (since the 2202 World Summit in Johannesburg) for the parties to finally reach agreement on what is considered by most at the conference as the single most important item to be negotiated at this COP...more

5 countries aim to safeguard mangroves
IUCN - 9 November 2010
Safeguarding mangrove ecosystems for their ecological, social and environmental value was the central topic of discussion amongst five Pacific Island Countries during an Induction Workshop of the Mangrove Ecosystems for Climate Change Adaptation and Livelihoods (MESCAL) Project undertaken in Suva last week from October 27th to 30th. MESCAL is a new regional project being implemented in Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands under the guidance of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)...more

Action against pollutants [Cook Islands]
islands Business - 9 November 2010
A project team is working to get rid of dangerous chemicals in the Cook Islands. The chemicals are present in lots of everyday items and can cause serious health problems as they fatten tissue in the body. The group of chemicals is known as Persistent Organic Pollutants or POPs... more

New Pacific tuna regulations to protect resource: Greater revenues, smaller catch envisioned
Pacific Islands Report - 9 November 2010
A new licensing system for long line fishing vessels in the Pacific will go into effect on January 1 the latest in a series of measures from the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) to generate more revenue for the islands while cutting catch levels...more

PNA moves to protect threatened whale sharks
FFA - 8 November 2010
The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) advanced their record of innovative conservation and management measures last week by advancing a proposal to protect whale sharks. Up to 12 metres long, whale sharks are the largest living fish species in the world admired for their distinctive spotted markings and gentleness towards divers. Being a long-lived species (70 years), and subject to fishing, their status has been classified by the IUCN as vulnerable. The PNA brings together eight Pacific Island countries to sustainably manage tuna. PNA members are Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. These countries own waters which supply 25% of the world’s tuna, an estimated $2 billion worth of fish every year. On Friday last week, the PNA secured support of all the 17 members of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency for their proposed conservation and management measure on whale sharks. The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee meeting agreed to support the PNA whale sharks proposal at this year’s annual session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), a body that sets legally-binding rules for fishing across the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. The PNA-proposed whale sharks measure bans purse seine fishing vessels in the region from setting nets around whale sharks (both alive and dead as some often bask motionlessly at the surface of the water). The measure also says if any whale sharks are caught in nets, fishing vessel owners must stop the net-haul and free the whale sharks.

Noted scientists, leaders champion Kiribati cause
Pacific Islands Report - 8 November 2010
Preeminent climate scientist and noted environmental leaders speak out on behalf of the Kiribati Nation, calling upon world leaders who will gather this month at the Economic Summit in Seoul and the U.N. Climate talks in Cancun to address the issue of water scarcity and its impact on food sources. James Hansen, world renowned climate scientist, Lester Brown, Founder and President of Earth Policy Institute, Rabbi Warren Stone, religious environmental activist who served as delegate at the U.N. climate talks in both Kyoto and Copenhagen, and Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network, call for bold action to alleviate this and other manifestations of global climate change...more

Kiribati to show the world effects of climate change
PacNews - 8 November 2010
About 40 officials from around the world will fly to the tiny atoll nation of Kiribati this week to take a look at the immediate impact climate change is having on the Pacific nation. Representatives from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, along with AusAid senior officials, will join delegates from 19 nations including New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, Cuba, the European Union and various Asian countries, at a three-day talkfest in the nation's capital Tarawa. The Tarawa Climate Change Conference (TCCC), starting Tuesday, hopes to amplify the need to address climate change concerns immediately, said Andrew Teem, a senior policy adviser to the Kiribati President...more

Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change: PACC Launches Online Helpdesk
SPREP - 5 November 2010
SPREP has launched a new service online as part of its support for the regional climate change adaptation project. The Online Helpdesk for PACC - Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change project - has the feature to now provide immediate communication access of the PACC participating countries to key personals that manage and execute the activities of the Project at the regional level. They include Mr. Taito Nakalevu, the Regional Project Manager; Mr. Peniamina Leavai – Project Officer; and Ms. Setaita Tavanabola – Communications Coordinator. The main objective of the online helpdesk is to cater for immediate request and assistance for information from the 13 Pacific member countries. Information ranging from technical that include climate change science, policy, socio-economic, vulnerability, adaptation approaches and methodologies; to administration-related that include operations, finance, logistics, networking, IT and communications...more

New web resource: film - ‘Oceanic Guardians’
FFA - 5 November 2010
A new film titled ‘Oceanic Guardians’ (http://www.youtube.com/pacificislandfish ) was launched today by the UNDP-GEF funded Pacific Islands Oceanic Fisheries Management Project (OFMP) at the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee meeting in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Celebrating the success of Pacific Islands’ negotiations to establish a tuna commission to set and enforce rules on tuna fishing, ‘Oceanic Guardians’ is shot in high definition video featuring the world’s first underwater footage of longline fishing in the Pacific Islands, traditional canoe racing in the Solomon Islands and Tongan-owned and crewed patrol boats and fishing vessels.

Japan 'ignoring laws' as it starts whale hunt
PacNews - 5 November 2010
Conservation groups have accused the Japanese whaling fleet of ignoring international law as the fleet prepares to head off on its annual whale hunt. Every November the Japanese whaling fleet heads to the Southern Ocean for its so-called scientific research program. This year the quota includes 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales. Three years ago, 50 humpbacks were added to that quota but are yet to be included in the cull. International Fund for Animal Welfare spokesman Patrick Ramage says humpbacks could be the target this year...more

Climate change bleaching Pacific coral, say scientists
PacNews - 5 November 2010
Marine scientists are linking human-induced global warming to widespread coral bleaching across Asia and parts of the Pacific this year. Beginning in May, extreme water temperatures caused what scientists say were the worst coral bleachings since 1998. The bleaching hit the Coral Triangle, an important ecosystem that includes Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. The scientists say the dead coral will have a flow-on effect for reef fish and eventually the fisheries and tourism industries of local communities...more

PNG should move ahead with REDD framework: Minister: Climate change demands protecting forests
Pacific Islands Report - 5 November 2010
A international reduced emission of degradation and deforestation (REDD) framework will allow Papua New Guinea to contribute to the global climate change efforts while ensuring that our trees and forests are valued more alive than dead. Minister for Environment and Conservation Benny Allan said this while addressing the Aichi-Nagoya ministerial meeting of the REDD+ interim partnership in Nagoya, Japan, last week...more

Clinton announces US$100m Climate change funding for Pacific
PacNews - 4 November 2010
The United States will provide more than US$100 million in climate-related funding to developing small island nations worldwide. Of this amount, “more than US$21 million will be targeted specifically for climate adaptation programmes and projects in Pacific Island countries over the next two years,” US secretary of state Hillary Clinton announced in Port Moresby yesterday. She said in recognition of the real dangers posed by climate change, the US was working to improve disaster awareness, including advance warning systems... more

PNG mine pollution triggers shareholder pullout: Norwegian government divests $196 million from Barrick
Pacific Islands Report - 3 November 2010
Barrick Gold Corp, operator of the world class Porgera Gold mine and other Canadian mining companies have been implicated for their involvement in alleged "sustained and flagrant violation of environmental protection" causing investors to withdraw their shares. The Montreal based Canadian online news The Gazette reported last Friday "heavy metal pollution, especially mercury buildup from Barrick's Porgera mine in Papua New Guinea, was an egregious case in point"...more

Fiji samaritan saves sea turtle from stew pot: A black market delicacy in face of hunting ban
Pacific Islands Report - 1 November 2010
In Fiji, a sub-adult green turtle which could have become someone's meal was mercifully released into the ocean by a good Samaritan on Saturday. Jordan Mar, 23, said he bought the turtle from fishermen at the Suva market on Saturday. He said the turtle was hidden elsewhere and only shown to him after he agreed to buy it ...more

Plant bank to preserve biodiversity of Pacific crops
SciDev - 1 November 2010
The giant swamp taro, the orange-fleshed Fe'i banana and a coconut that grows to half a metre in length are among the native crop species to be saved in a major project that has begun across small islands in the Pacific. The Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePaCT) is coordinating the project in which 1,000 unique varieties of staple fruit and vegetables from 7,500 Pacific islands are being collected to be grown in research institutes, with duplicates held at CePaCT...more

U.S. Development Agency to open office in Fiji: Clinton announces $12 million climate mitigation
Pacific Islands Report - 1 November 2010
The United States Agency for International Development will return to the Pacific next year by setting up a new office in Fiji. This was announced by the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in Honolulu at the start of a two-week tour. Mrs Clinton says the US will be working through the Pacific Island Forum to support the Pacific island nations as they strive to really confront and solve the challenges they face. Those challenges, she says, range from climate change to freedom of navigation. She says 21 million US dollars will be spent to support climate change mitigation...more

Marshalls seek funds for Majuro seawall: Low-lying atoll faces rising sea
Pacific Islands Report - 1 November 2010
A Pacific atoll that rises barely one meter above sea level is seeking $20 million in international donor funding to launch construction of three miles of seawalls to protect its most vulnerable shoreline from sea level rise and flooding. "We want to prevent erosion and stop flooding," said Marshall Islands United Nations Ambassador Phillip Muller who was in Majuro last week to move climate change funding plans forward. This nation of 29 coral atolls and five single islands stretches across about 800,000 square kilometers (500,000 square miles) of Pacific ocean but has only about 116 sq. kilometers (72 square miles) of dry land. And virtually all of that is not more than a meter above the high tide mark. Muller said the government is asking donors to put up climate change mitigation funding to help his country forestall floods like the one that hit the eastern shore of Majuro Atoll, the capital, in December 2008, causing several million dollars in damage and forcing dozens of islanders into temporary shelters...more

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

UNDP/SPREP Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Regional Meeting on Operational and Financial Requirements
4 – 8 October 2010. SPREP, Apia

ADB/WBG Pacific Regional Consultation on the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) Region-Wide Activities Component
Thu-Fri 14-15 October 2010 . Nadi, Fiji

Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10), 18 – 29 October 2010, Nagoya, Japan
see the SPREP MEA clearinghouse for the CBD for further details - http://www.sprep.org/publication/MEA/CBD.asp#ConferenceoftheParties

Global Eco Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference in Noosa from 25-28 October
see http://www.globaleco.com.au/index.php

NAPA training workshop for Pacific LDCs, Apia, Samoa, 3-6 November 2010

Regional Training on Mangrove Monitoring in the Pacific Islands 9-11 November Nadi, Fiji
For details on arrangements for participation and/or other logistical issues for this training, please contact Theresa Fruean-Afa, Programme Assistant (theresaf@sprep.org) or Vainuupo Jungblut, Ramsar Officer Oceania (vainuupoj@sprep.org).

Tarawa Climate Change Conference 9-11 November 2011
His Excellency the President of Kiribati Mr Anote Tong is pleased to host the next session of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, designated the Tarawa Climate Change Conference, which will be held in Tarawa, the capital of the atoll nation of Kiribati, from the 9th to the 11th November. The conference will bring together selected representatives from the key negotiating groups within the UNFCCC process to attend a one day high level conference on climate change... see website for more details - http://www.climate.gov.ki/tccc_program.html

UNDP-GEF/SPREP Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Sub-Regional Training on Socioeconomics, 15th – 19th November 2010, Majuro, in the Marshall Islands
http://www.sprep.org/att/publication/000908_Circular10_90.pdf

Pacific Youth Environment Network Forum annual meeting. 22-25 Nov, Suva, Fiji

Fiji Participatory Project Management (PPM) Workshop, 23-25 Nov 2010, Suva, Fiji
Facilitated by the The Foundation for Development Cooperation (FDC) . see link for details:
http://www.fdc.org.au/files/training-events/Fiji_%20PPM_2010.pdf

Third Multipartite Review Meeting of the PIGGAREP: Apia, Samoa 23-25 November 2010
Contact Nixon Kua for more details

Regional Training Course (Level 2 & 3) & Regional Seminar for Decision Makers on the Ratification and Implementation of the OPRC-HNS Protocol - 29 November to 3 December 2010.
The training is being organized by SPREP. All correspondence relating to arrangements for this seminar should be addressed to: Anthony Talouli, Marine Pollution Adviser (anthonyt@sprep.org )

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

Regional training workshop on energy planning and energy project coordination and management (EP&EPC/M) - Suva, Fiji: 6th 17th December 2010

UNDP-GEF/SPREP Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change Sub-Regional Training on Socioecenomics, 13th - 17th December 2010, Koror, Republic of Palau

2011 Pacific Climate Change Roundtable (PCCR) will be convened from 14-18 March in Niue. The
theme for the 2011 PCCR would be 'Mobilising Climate Change Resources".

Reef Resilience and Responding to Climate Change training workshop. Koror, Palau. June 3-7, 2011.
For more information on the workshop, visit our website:
http://www.reefresilience.org/Training_of_Trainers.html . * Application Deadline: November 30, 2010

8th Asia Pacific Conference on Sustainable Energy & Environmental Technologies (APCSEET 2011). Adelaide, Australia, 10-13 July 2011
http://www.adelaide.edu.au/apcseet2011/

Articles of note - a selection of recent academic literature

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

- December

Micronesian Mangrove Forest Structure and Tree Responses to a Severe Typhoon / Kauffman, J. Boone; Cole, Thomas G.. Wetlands, Dec2010, Vol. 30 Issue 6, p1077-1084, 8p, 5 Charts, 2 Graphs; DOI: 10.1007/s13157-010-0114-y; *

Does use of tropical beaches by tourists and island residents result in damage to fringing coral reefs? A case study in Moorea French Polynesia / Juhasz, Allison; Ho, Ellen; Bender, Erika; Fong, Peggy. Marine Pollution Bulletin, Dec2010, Vol. 60 Issue 12, p2251-2256, 6p; DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2010.08.011; (AN 55394098)*

New Records of Butterflies from Yap Outer Islands, Micronesia: Fais Island and Ngulu, Ulithi, and Woleai Atolls / Buden, Donald W.; Tennent, W. John. Pacific Science, Jan2011, Vol. 65 Issue 1, p117-122, 6p, 2 Charts, 1 Map; DOI: 10.2984/65.1.117; (AN 55792718)*

Discovery of new species of New Caledonian Arsipoda Erichson, 1842 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and insights on their ecology and evolution using DNA markers / Gómez-Zurita, J.; Cardoso, A.; Jurado-Rivera, J. A.; Jolivet, P.; Cazères, S.; Mille, C.. Journal of Natural History, 2010, Vol. 44 Issue 41-44, p2557-2579, 23p; DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2010.499575; (AN 54419459)*

Excluding Nontarget Species from Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis (Reptilia: Colubridae), Bait Stations: Experimental Tests of Station Design and Placement / Mathies, Tom; Scarpino, Russell; Levine, Brenna A.; Clark, Craig; Savidge, Julie A.. Pacific Science, Jan2011, Vol. 65 Issue 1, p41-57, 17p, 3 Black and White Photographs, 3 Charts, 4 Graphs; DOI: 10.2984/65.1.041; (AN 55792712)*

Trace Metal Partitioning in a Nearshore Tropical Environment: Geochemistry of Carbonate Reef Flats Adjacent to Suva Harbor, Fiji Islands / Collen, John D.; Atkinson, Jane E.; Patterson, John E.. Pacific Science, Jan2011, Vol. 65 Issue 1, p95-107, 13p, 1 Black and White Photograph, 1 Diagram, 2 Charts, 1 Graph, 2 Maps; DOI: 10.2984/65.1.095; (AN 55792716)*

Solar-based rural electrification policy design: The Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) model in Fiji / Dornan, M.. Renewable Energy: An International Journal, Feb2011, Vol. 36 Issue 2, p797-803, 7p; DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2010.07.015; (AN 54101038)*

Validation of two tropical marine bivalves as bioindicators of mining contamination in the New Caledonia lagoon: Field transplantation experiments / Hédouin, Laetitia / Pringault, Olivier / Bustamante, Paco / Fichez, Renaud / Warnau, Michel , Water Research, 45 (2), p.483, Jan 2011 *

Relationships between heavy metals distribution and organic matter cycling in mangrove sediments (Conception Bay, New Caledonia) / Marchand, C. / Allenbach, M. / Lallier-Vergès, E. , Geoderma, 160 (3-4), p.444, Jan 2011
doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2010.10.015*

The diversity and radiation of the largest monophyletic animal group on New Caledonia (Trichoptera: Ecnomidae: Agmina) / Espeland, M / Johanson, K A , Journal of evolutionary biology, 23 (10), p.2112-2122, Oct 2010 *

Biodiversity conservation in tropical forest landscapes of Oceania / Woinarski, J.C.Z. , Biological Conservation, 143 (10), p.2385, Oct 2010 doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2009.12.009*

- November

Biology and impacts of Pacific island invasive species. 6. Prosopis pallida and Prosopis juliflora (Algarroba, Mesquite, Kiawe) (Fabaceae) / Gallaher, T., Merlin, M. Pacific Science, Oct 2010, Vol. 64 Issue 4 pp.489-526.*

Dangerous climate change in the Pacific Islands: food production and food security / Barnett, J. 2010 Regional Environmental Change , pp. 1-9 ( Article in Press )*

Improving social acceptability of marine protected area networks: A method for estimating opportunity costs to multiple gear types in both fished and currently unfished areas / Adams, V.M., Mills, M., Jupiter, S.D., Pressey, R.L. 2010 Biological Conservation ( Article in Press )*

Results of the first adapted design for sustainability project in a South Pacific small island developing state: Fiji / Lobendahn Wood, M.D.K., Mathieux, F., Brissaud, D., Evrard, D. 2010. Journal of Cleaner Production 18 (18), pp. 1775-1785 *

Southernmost distribution of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the eastern South Pacific / Olavarría, C., Acevedo, J., Vester, H.I., Zamorano-Abramson, J., Viddi, F.A., Gibbons, J., Newcombe, E., (...), Torres-Flórez, J.P. 2010. Aquatic Mammals 36 (3), pp. 288-293*

Law, custom and community-based natural resource management in Kubulau District (Fiji) / Clarke, P., Jupiter, S.D. 2010 Environmental Conservation 37 (1), pp. 98-106 *

New solomon Islands plants / Hemsley, W.B. 1891 Annals of Botany os-5 (4), pp. 501-508 *

Flora of the solomon Islands / Hemsley, W.B. 1891 Annals of Botany os-5 (3), pp. 407 *

Using local ecological knowledge to identify shark river habitats in Fiji (South Pacific) / Rasalato, E., Maginnity, V., Brunnschweiler, J.M. . 2010 Environmental Conservation 37 (1), pp. 90-97*

Crustose coralline algal diseases in the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands / Vargas-Ángel, Bernardo. Coral Reefs, Dec2010, Vol. 29 Issue 4, p943-956, 14p; DOI: 10.1007/s00338-010-0646-x; (AN 54864387)*

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

** more PEIN Resources:

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

Pacific Environment Databases and Recommended Internet Resources Directory

Pacific Environment Information Network [PEIN] Country Profiles Directory

Pacific Environment Information Network [PEIN] Regional Frameworks and Strategies

DirectoryPacific Environment Information Network [PEIN]

Directory of Pacific Environment Videos on YouTube

Pacific Regional Multilateral Environmental Agreements Clearinghouse Mechanism

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Compiled by Peter Murgatroyd. Last updated 4 January 2010.

© SPREP