Samoa leads the way

L - R: MNRE CEO Taule’ale’ausumai La’avasa Malua, ACEO Faleafaga Tony Tipama’a, Easter Galuvao of SPREP, Dr Posa Skelton of SPREP and Editor of Samoa Observer, Mata’afa Keni Lesa.

“We don’t just sit around and wait for the world to make up its mind. We are trying our best to find help. If for some reason we cannot find help, we have to look to ourselves to help ourselves” – Taule’ale’ausumai La’avasa Malua

The Pacific Voyage Media Team, 27 October Nagoya Japan

Samoa is not waiting for the world to make up its mind over whether to protect the environment in the next ten, twenty or however many years.

That’s what the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), Faumuina Tiatia Liuga will tell the world when he addresses the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nagoya, Japan.

“Even though judging from the reports that the world has failed to meet the biodiversity targets, individual country progress varies,” Taule’ale’ausumai La’avasa Malua told the Pacific Voyage Media Team at the Nagoya Congress Centre.

“For us, we have started a programme to plan a million trees. Everyone is planting trees; even little kids are planting trees.”

Taule’ale’a is the Chief Executive Officer of MNRE. He is accompanying the Minister at the high level discussions involving hundreds of world leaders. Faleafaga Tony Tipama’a, an ACEO at MNRE, is the third member of the Samoan delegation.

Taule’ale’a said efforts to conserve the environment are being spearheaded by Samoa’s leaders.

“Even the Minister has planted 600 trees and I’ve also planted some trees,” said the CEO. “Students from one school, Vaiala Beach School, planted 360 trees at the national park. So everyone has been encouraged to play their part.”

The challenge for Samoa is land mass.

“So if legislation could open the opportunity for people to plant everywhere, that will be vital,” said Taule’ale’a. “Planting trees is important because it doesn’t only assist with mitigation of climate change, from the biodiversity perspective, it’s important we plant native trees and trees that are not invasive.

“So the Minister’s message is that we are not sitting there waiting for funds. We know there is a problem and we are moving to do something about it.

“That’s how our people work, that’s what we do. We don’t just sit around and wait for the world to make up its mind. We are trying our best to find help and if for some reason we cannot find help, we have to look to ourselves to help ourselves.

“We have to go back to the way we were before where we planted in the forest and work our land with our hands.”

Samoa believes it is important to promote and what’s been achieved so far.

“If you take protected areas for instance, we have a number of protected areas in the country, we have national parks,” said Taule’ale’a. “We have also worked to protect our coastal and marine environment. Fish is very important to us and they are under these protected areas and we have to ensure our protected area laws are firm to make sure they are fully protected.

“There are some cases where there are protected areas but you have to look at the administration to ensure there is enough money, know-how and human capacity for implementation.”

Money and the link to climate change are key factors in negotiations, said the CEO.

“Up until now, even though they are saying there is money for this and that programme, there doesn’t seem to be a lot.

“The only sure funding at this stage is from the Global Environment Facility which we have approached and are using for a number of our programmes. But there is not a lot of money, the most is probably about $5milion or $10million when these programmes should cost far beyond $10m, perhaps $50m or $1billion for one country.”

Samoa and other Pacific countries, however, should continue to persevere.

“Judging from the behaviour of the big countries, it seems they are not willing to increase funding. The European Union (EU) for example has said that they will not add anything further.

“EU’s focus in Samoa is on energy and water. Biodiversity in Samoa is mainly addressed through bilateral agreements with big countries such as with Japan where we have projects such as national parks and protected areas. We are also working with organisations such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for conservation areas, marine conservation and wetlands.”

One of the biggest challenges for biodiversity in Samoa is invasive species.

“An easy example is the myna bird,” said Taule’ale’a. “There are also the merrenia peltata grass (fue lautele) in the forest and the African snail.

“There are foreign species that have been introduced such as many different types of exotic flowers and different plants.

“We have to be careful that we do not allow species we introduce to solve existing problems to become problems in the future.

“An example of this is the myna bird, look at what’s happening now. We have to be very careful.”

Plans to develop energy sources must be made with conserving nature in mind, warned the CEO.

“There are plants that can be used for biomass classifications but we have to look at their invasiveness and how they can be controlled,” he said. 

“We have to look at how we can control these plants and that’s vital. We have to strike a balance. There were species that weren’t available before because the climate conditions weren’t favourable for their growth but now the weather has changed, some plant species are finding it more favourable than others.”

The issue of animals is an interesting one, the Samoan delegation noted.

“We have to tread carefully because what’s regarded by other countries as invasive are not necessarily invasive to us,” said Taule’ale’a. “For example, pigs are considered by other countries as invasive yet they are a key part of our diet so we have our own culling method. Besides the pigs do not go hungry in our country because we have a lot of coconuts to feed them.”

Biodiversity conservation can also be good for tourism, if its done right, said the CEO.

“We value our tourism for what it means to our economy,” said Taule’ale’a.  “There are many tourists who want to listen to birds, look at native plants and so forth, so it’s another tool to attract tourists to Samoa.”

Asked what he would tell Samoans about biodiversity, Taule’ale’a responded: “I want to stress that our environment is very important. Trees provide us with fresh air and it’s a sanctuary for our birdlife.

“Our environment deserves to be respected.  Our ancestors enjoyed a pristine environment, our present generation – eventhough with a lot of challenges – still enjoy the environment and our future generations deserve to enjoy the same environment.

“Our children should be able to enjoy the same environment our ancestors gave us. That’s why we should all work very hard to protect and conserve it.”

The Pacific Voyage - Side Event

22 October 2010 Nagoya Japan -

Invitation to the Pacific Voyage Side Event:



Update on the Side Event from the ENB Bulletin :

Coverage of Selected Side Events at the Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Available in full with images at:
http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/cop10/enbots/ 
Date 22 October 2010

David Sheppard, Director, Secretariat for the Pacific Environment Regional Programme (SPREP), noted that SPREP is the main environmental organization in the Pacific region that focuses specifically on biodiversity, which he called the “lifeblood of the Pacific people.” To move forward with saving their lifeblood, Sheppard suggested the need to: build more effective and sustainable agencies for biodiversity management; create effective links between climate change and biodiversity; develop and encourage Pacific solutions to Pacific problems by building on traditional practices; and improve links between biodiversity conservation and sustainable development by building a strong economic case.

Eleni Rova Tokaduadua, Ministry of Local Government, Housing, Urban Development and Environment, Fiji, described the Locally Managed Marine Area Network, which was established primarily to address food security. She outlined a number of successes that resulted from the Network’s creation, including that species not seen in generations are returning and that there has been improved community organization and human wellbeing.

Ratita Bebe, Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agriculture Development, Kiribati, discussed the creation of protected areas on the Phoenix Islands and Kiritimati Island. She said the goal was to protect the islands, which are home to globally important seabird populations and vital to migratory bird routes across the Pacific.

Faleafaga Toni Tipamaà, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Samoa, discussed restoration of Nu’utele and Nu’ulua, Aleipata Islands, through work to eradicate Pacific rats and control yellow crazy ants, one of the largest invasive ant species in the world.

Julien Calas, French Development Agency, discussed lessons learned from locally-managed marine areas in the South Pacific Island Region, emphasizing the need for collaboration and communication between those involved on all islands to ensure that best practices are shared. He also noted the need to provide sufficient time for the projects to develop, which is approximately 10-15 years.

Participants discussed, inter alia: the impact of using poisonous rat bait on non-target species; and climate change and environmental refugees in the Pacific islands.

Photos from the Pacific Voyage Side Event:



  



Presenters

Eleni Tokaduadua, Easter Galuvao, Ratita Bebe

 Papua New Guinea - Chair of the Pacific Voyage

Eleni Tokaduadua of Fiji making a presentation

Addressing the room

Attending The Pacific Voyage side event

 Faleafaga Tony Tipama'a from Samoa

Ratita Bebe making her presentation

Julien Calas, Agence Francaise de Developpement

Mr. David Sheppard launching a case study on Voices of the Ocean Lessons from the Whales for the CBD

Questions from the floor

Bilung Gloria Salii and Tiare Holm (Palau)

Questions from the floor

 Lessons from the Whales at the CBD

Learning from past experiences and building lasting partnerships was the underlying theme of a report launched on Friday 22 October at the Pacific Voyage side event during the tenth Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP10). 

The report, titled “Ocean Voices: Lessons from the Whales for the CBD” outlines the status and trends of humpback whale populations in Oceania and presents a story of conservation efforts to address the steep decline in population numbers due to whaling in the early 1960’s.

Stacy Jupiter of WCS at the launch of the case study

Due to the highly migratory nature of humpback whales, effective conservation requires active partnerships at international, regional and national and local level.

Oceania humpback whales spend their time traveling between the Pacific Ocean and the freezing waters of the Antarctic. They feed in the food-abundant but ice-cold waters of the Antarctic and then migrate to the Pacific waters where they can breed. The warm waters of the Pacific Ocean are far friendlier to new-born whale calves, which have little body fat at birth and would probably die in the Antarctic.

The report highlights the value of whales to many Pacific islands where they are a tourist attraction, bringing in significant economic benefits. The report notes that the Oceania humpback whale population remains low and states that this is limiting the economic opportunities for Pacific islands from whale-watching tourism.

Various threats to whales face as they travel between the Antarctic and the Pacific are highlighted. Other than “direct take” or whaling, threats include death of whales by drowning in nets and eating plastic and other rubbish. Collisions with ships and boats, noise and climate change were also listed as significant threats to the well-being of whales.  Further research is necessary to understand and address these threats.

The report discusses the efforts of several Pacific island countries and territories in establishing or declaring their exclusive economic zones (EEZ) as marine mammal sanctuaries. To date, these are American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tokelau and Vanuatu. The marine mammal sanctuaries total over 11 million square kilometres of ocean.

A brochure summarising the full report noted that long term partnerships, commitment and investment is essential to foster recovery of this species. 

The report was produced through a joint partnership between the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium (SPWRC) and Conservation International and funded by the European Commission through its project on Capacity Building for Multilateral Environmental Agreements.

Further information or to obtain the full report, contact: Lui Bell. luib@sprep.org



Pacific partnerships combat invasive species

The Pacific Voyage Media Team

21 October Nagoya Japan - The Pacific region is home to more endemic species than anywhere in the world, all of which is potentially under threat from invasive species.  The region is working together with partners to protect Pacific biodiversity from this risk.

During the 10^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Kiribati took the floor on behalf of the Pacific island parties to stress the importance of partnerships.

“Considerable progress has been made through regional partnerships in addressing invasive species at island and community levels,” stated Ms. Ratita Bebe of Kiribati during the Pacific statement.

“Madam Chair, these partnership initiatives came about because of the challenges that we face spread across a large ocean region with limited capacity and resources.”`

The strength of partnerships in addressing invasive species is a success story for which the Pacific island parties are showcasing and willing to share lessons learnt with other global regions.

“We wanted to highlight to the rest of the world the great initiatives undertaken by the region, having regional and international organisations working together well coordinated so that everyone is aware of what is happening and there is no duplication of effort or waste of resources,” said Dr Posa Skelton, the Pacific Invasives Learning Network Coordinator

Dr Skelton has been working with the Pacific island parties, providing technical advice and support at the CBD COP 10

One of the agenda items on the table at the CBD COP 10 is the “Aichi-Nagoya Statement” which is to provide an international plan that will help stem the loss of biodiversity, taking into account the lessons learnt from the 2010 Biodiversity target.

The Nagoya biodiversity negotiations have provided the Pacific island parties with the opportunity to remind the world that island countries are vulnerable to both marine and land based invasive species.   Further to this Climate change and invasive species together is a deadly duo to Pacific biodiversity, which must be addressed at all levels.

“The Pacific Island Parties urge Governments and partners to address Invasive Alien Species as a significant driver of biodiversity loss in the CBD Strategic Plan and post-2010 targets, and to allocate adequate and timely funding to prevent, control and manage Invasive Alien Species,” read Ms. Bebe in making the Pacific statement on Invasive Species.

“Needless to say, Climate Change and Invasive Species are the Deadly Duo to biodiversity and must be addressed at all levels and in particular regional and inter-regional collaborations. Management of both threats is also critical for successful implementation of the CBD’s island biodiversity program of work.”

Invasive species a growing problem for the Pacific

Invasive species are a rapidly increasing problem across the Pacific islands region and countries are calling on the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to assist with raising public awareness and increasing government engagement in addressing the problem.

A working paper presented by New Caledonia at the 21^st SPREP meeting recently held in Madang, Papua New Guinea, highlighted issues relating to invasive species and their impact on livelihoods and ecosystems of the Pacific. The main aim of the paper, titled “Mainstreaming Invasive Species and Biodiversity,” was to inform members of the risks to livelihoods and ecosystems posed by invasive alien species and their predicted interactions with climate change.

Photo: Mont Panié Reserve, site of pest animal management by local communities, North Province, New Caledonia by Dr. Alan Saunders

Dr Alan Tye, SPREP’s Invasive Species Officer, explained that more emphasis on public awareness and government support for invasive species management should be given.  The paper sought the Meeting’s approval for SPREP to undertake a programme to increase public awareness of the value of biodiversity and healthy ecosystems in the Pacific.

He said that, during discussions at a workshop titled “Helping Islands Adapt” in Auckland earlier this year, the Pacific group determined that the fundamental problem which currently prevents adequate investment in managing the impacts of invasive species is lack of political support.

“This is compounded by the fact that modern society does not value biodiversity highly enough and does not understand the magnitude of the impacts of invasive species on economies, livelihoods and the environment,” he said.

The working paper explained that invasive species are recognised as a major driver of biodiversity loss worldwide and that island ecosystems were particularly fragile and vulnerable to invasive species. Although islands cover only 5% of the Earth’s land surface, they are home to about 20% of all known terrestrial species and almost half of all endangered species.

According to the paper, more than 70% of the world’s terrestrial species extinctions have occurred on islands, and most of these were caused by invasive species.

Dr Tye added that invasive species management represents an effective form of ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change and that every effort should be made to secure the financial resources necessary to build political support and inspire environmental stewardship. 

Some of the recommendations outlined by the working paper at the 21^st SPREP meeting included: reaffirming the importance of healthy ecosystems in helping Pacific islands to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change; reaffirming that invasive species constitute a primary threat to livelihoods and ecosystems; fully supporting SPREP in its search for resources to address the invasive species threat; and requesting SPREP to develop a social marketing strategy and programme that emphasises both political mainstreaming and environmental inspiration for the very young. 

For more details please contact SPREP’s Invasive Species Officer Dr. Alan Tye at alant@sprep.org

Notes:  The Pacific Group at the “Helping Islands Adapt” workshop in Auckland comprised of representatives of Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands, and several international and regional organisations.