Biodiversity in the Pacific islands

Forum leaders guidance on conservation and sustainable livelihoods

In recent years the Forum Leaders have taken a number of decisions concerning the financing of conservation and natural resource management in the Pacific. These decisions are based on the leadership being shown by Pacific island countries and territories such as those involved in the Micronesia Challenge, Kiribati and Fiji.
These are found in the Pacific Plan:

Pacific Plan initiative 5.6 – Facilitate international financing for sustainable development, biodiversity and environmental protection and climate change in the Pacific including through the GEF. In endorsing the Pacific Plan Leaders highlighted this particular initiative as important for implementation in their Forum Communiqué 2005.

And in the decisions of the 2006 Fiji Forum:

Forum Communiqué 2006 – Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the sustainable management of natural resources and the use of locally managed and protected areas as a mechanism to enhance and contribute to the sustainable development of Members and as such to the implementation of the Pacific Plan. They encouraged Members to consider … substantial and specific commitments to the conservation and sustainable management of marine and terrestrial resources. To help implement these commitments Leaders … called on the international community to support members’ efforts in determining the value of conservation to sustainable development and livelihoods; to match financial commitments already made to conservation and sustainable livelihoods in Forum member countries; and to assist in the development and resourcing of realistic financial plans in support of the conservation and sustainable use of their natural resources.

The Forum Secretariat was asked to work with relevant CROP agencies, international organisations and NGOs to identify the value of conservation to the region’s sustainable development, and report on the progress of this initiative and steps taken to finance conservation commitments to the 2007 Forum Officials Committee and Leaders Meeting.

A report has been prepared for the Forum Officials Committee and Leaders meeting (by TNC, SPREP and the Forum Secretariat) as requested and will focus on valuing conservation and the financial planning required for rational investment in conservation commitments. This report will assist countries to make informed decisions concerning the allocation of domestic sources towards conservation and natural resource management as well as and where international support is required to help bridge the gap.\

Further information, contact Kate Brown-Vitolio, Action Strategy Adviser.