Our Pacific, Our Future: Pacific Island Leaders discuss what’s next after World Parks Congress

L - R Prime Minister Henry Puna of the Cook Islands, President Tommy Remengesau Jnr of Palau,
President Anote Tong of Kiribati

14 November 2014, Sydney, Australia -  Regional solidarity, committed international partnerships, education and the need to look beyond the perceived barriers to successful conservation, were at the forefront of an informal dialogue between Pacific island leaders at the World Parks Congress in Sydney today.

The Prime Minister of Cook Islands, Mr Henry Puna; President of Palau, Mr Tommy Remengesau Jr; and President of Kiribati, Mr Anote Tong, highlighted these issues in the context of effective leadership for ocean conservation and protection of Pacific island fisheries.

The informal talanoa (talk) session, co-hosted by the IUCN Oceania Regional Office and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), aimed to encourage open conversation and sharing of leaders' perspectives on conservation. All three leaders are well respected for their commitments to protected areas and sustainable resource use. The country leaders shared inspirational stories on how they had been driven to make their conservation commitments and decisions and what this means for the future of their island nations.

President Remengesau, who is a recent recipient of the Champions of the Earth award from the United Nations' Environment Programme (UNEP), explained his country's decision to restrict commercial fisheries in its entire 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone. He outlined food security, equitable resource sharing and the obvious need to address the depletion of ocean resources as Palau's main reasons for this decision. The President noted that currently only six percent of the region's six billion dollar fishing industry actually makes its way back to the region, and added that Palau also relies greatly on tourism for its economic security.

He added that protected areas provide a safe haven where marine life can thrive and reproduce. The benefits from this "rest area" or safe haven have spill-on effects to the non-protected areas of the ocean. Mr Remengesau noted that recent research suggested that setting aside one-third of an area for conservation had positive effects on the rest of the area.

President Tong noted that the Phoenix Island Protected Area (PIPA), an area of 408,250 square kilometres, is a major spawning ground, which will contribute to the long term sustainability of the country's ocean resources. He shared his own perspective on the challenges of bringing climate change issues and the needs of small islands to the international arena. He noted with great satisfaction the recent accords between the United States and China over greenhouse gas emissions, calling it a milestone in the negotiations with clear ramifications for the upcoming UNFCCC Conference of Parties in Paris. He reiterated the fact that advocacy on climate change should continue.

Prime Minister Henry Puna said that while his country depends more on tourism economically than fisheries, there is a need for Pacific solidarity. The government had further responded to the calls of its people to establish a marine protected area as part of efforts to ensure better management of ocean resources. The Cook Islands Marine Park spans over 1,065 million square kilometres – an area more than twice the size of Papua New Guinea.

On the theme of solidarity, the Prime Minister spoke on the "Polynesia Promise" - an initiative to be presented to the Polynesian Pacific Leaders to build synergies around marine protected areas in Polynesia extending from Aotearoa New Zealand to Hawaii. This has potential to be the most significant partnership on protected areas and will build on recent initiatives around conservation.

Overcoming barriers to effective management of these protected areas will be the major challenge for all the leaders as they strive to meet their conservation goals. The call for significant and lasting partnerships was a resounding theme throughout the discussions and resonated with the call for a particular focus on passing on the message to the children and young adults. Great support from the three heads of State was given for the vakas and their young crew to be champions of this message.

It is expected that these discussions will feed into the Sydney Promise declaration document, a draft of which is available on the World Parks Congress website.

For more information, contact: 
SPREP - Seema Deo seemad@sprep.org ph: 61 4511 09052
IUCN - Fei Tevi Feiloakitau.Tevi@iucn.org    ph: 61 4504 39490

194 governments unite to save global biodiversity

6 October 2014, Pyeongchang Korea, CBDCOP12 - Traditional Korean drums set an exciting pace this morning at the opening of the 12th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the fast pace symbolic of the urgent need to save global biodiversity. 

The World Wide Fund for Nature's Living Planet Report 2014 found that global wildlife populations have declined on average by 52% in the 40 year period since 1970. 

Over the next two weeks thousands of representatives of governments, non-governmental organisations, indigenous peoples, scientists and the private sector are gathered to accelerate the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011 - 2020 and its 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets which are to be achieved by the end of 2020.

All of which contribute to halting biodiversity loss across the planet.

The collection of decisions to be taken at the CBD COP 12 is referred to as the Pyeongchang Road Map and is anticipated to include a resource mobilisation strategy expected to significantly increase the resources available for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.

"There has been increased financial investment and policy action to protect biodiversity, yet, studies show that it will be difficult to reach the full set of the Aichi targets if we remain within the current trajectory, due to accumulated and increased pressures on the natural world," said UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner at the opening of the CBD COP 12.

"We need to do more, and do it fast, to protect the very fabric of the natural world."

At the opening today the Presidency of the Conference of the Parties was handed over from the Government of India to the Government of Korea.  The last Conference of the Parties to the CBD was hosted in Hyderabad, India in 2012.

The CBD COP 12 is from 6 to17 October in Pyeongchang, Korea.  14 Pacific island countries are party to the Convention on Biological Diversity with Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu currently in Korea attending the CBD COP12.  Soon to arrive are the Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea.

To read the full CBD Secretariat press release on today's opening event please visit:  http://www.cbd.int/doc/press/2014/pr-2014-10-06-cop-12-en.pdf

UN meeting agrees on decisions to advance the implementation of the International Agreement on the safe use of living modified organisms

Pacific delegates attending the Cartegena Protocol on Biosafety to the CBD,
L - R Kiribati, Palau, Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Fiji.

CBD Press Release

Pyeongchang/Montreal 3 October 2014. Governments attending a United Nations meeting on the safe use of living modified organisms have agreed on various actions to advance the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity as a global tool contributing to the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms (LMO) that may have negative effects on biodiversity.

Among the most significant outcomes was a decision inviting governments and other stakeholders to use the Guidance on Risk Assessment of Living Modified Organisms developed by an expert group that was established by governing body of the Protocol in actual cases of risk assessment and as a tool for capacity-building activities in risk assessment. A mechanism for revising and improving the Guidance was also agreed with a view to having an improved version of the Guidance by the eight meeting of the Parties in 2016.

The Parties also agreed to continue to identify living modified organisms intended for direct use as food or feed, or for processing that are subject to transboundary movement, by incorporating the information identified in decision BS-III/10 into existing documentation  accompanying living modified organisms.

Socioeconomic considerations were discussed extensively and a decision to re-convene a group of experts to further develop clarity on this issue and to develop an outline for guidance on this subject was adopted.

In a decision on improving the efficiency of structures and processes under the Convention and its Protocols, Parties agreed to hold subsequent meetings of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol concurrently with the other meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols, and also agreed that any Subsidiary body on Implementation established by the Convention should also serve the Protocol.

Parties also called upon countries that had not yet done so to ratify the Nagoya Kuala-Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress, and called upon the Executive Secretary to produce materials that would expedite its entry into force.

Pacific delegates attending the Cartegena Protocol to the CBD, L - R Mr. Joe Horokou (Solomons),
Mr. Puta Tofinga (Kiribati),  Ms. 'Eleni Tokaduadua (Fiji), Ms. Lupe Matoto (Tonga), Mr. Rahul Chand (Fiji)
and Mr. Fred Sengebau (Palau) 

Other decisions were reached on, inter alia, the Biosafety Clearinghouse, compliance, the financial mechanism and resources, monitoring and reporting, contained use of Living Modified Organisms and assessment and review of the effectiveness of the Protocol and the Protocol budget for the 2015 – 2016 biennium.

The meeting was closed by Mr. Lee In Ho, of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Government of the Republic of Korea, and Acting President of COPMOP7. 

He said: “All efforts made by the delegates over the past 5 days will pave the way for the effective implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the Korean government will spare no effort for the development of the Protocol as the hosting country. In particular, the Republic of Korea has created the “Korea Biosafety Capacity Building Initiative” for the implementation of the Protocol and capacity building, and the initiative has been adopted by the agreement of the Parties. I am looking forward to the cooperation between Korea and all Parties for the achievement of the initiative.”

Braulio Dias, United Nations Assistant-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said of the meeting: “I congratulate the Parties on their hard work, and their spirit of compromise that they demonstrated this week. Their work has advanced the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol, and in so doing, not only ensures  biosafety, but also contributes to the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its important role in the global agenda for sustainable development.”

The meeting was the first of a series of three meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity scheduled to take place in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea. The 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity opens on Monday 6 October 2014.

Notes: 

1. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Its objective is to contribute to ensuring the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms that may have adverse effects on conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health. 

2. The Protocol was adopted on 29 January 2000 in Montreal, Canada and entered into force on 11 September 2003. To date, 167 countries and the European Union have ratified or acceded to it. 

3. The Protocol is named after the Colombian city of Cartagena where the final round of its negotiations was launched.

Kiribati raising voice at UN Biodiversity Conference

L - R Nenenteiti Teariki- Ruata Kiribati, Warwick Harris RMI

 17 October, CBD COP 11, Hyderabad India - There is talk that the next Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity could be held in three years time.  The CBD COP meetings are usually held on a biannual basis with the last held in 2010 in Nagoya, Japan.

The next meeting will be hosted by Korea, as to when, that will be agreed upon by the end of this week.

“For us it could delay the progress of island biodiversity work in Kiribati,” said Nenenteiti Teariki-Ruatu, the Acting Director of Environment and Conservation Division, Ministry of Environment Lands and Agriculture, Kiribati.

“It’s at these meetings that we try to leverage either technical or financial assistance.  We have challenges in our office with trying to implement the Convention, due to our small administrations we are limited and have many other commitments to work and report upon.  We fear that if they delay the next CBD COP by a year, it could also mean that our work in country would also be delayed.” 

Kiribati plans to work towards implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2010 – 2020) striving towards achieving the Aichi Targets upon return from the CBD COP 11.  One of the first steps to this will be to review their National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan to align it with the internationally agreed goals.

This needs to go simultaneously with getting the Kiribati Integrated Environment Plan (KIEP) 2012 – 2022 approved at the Secretaries and Cabinet levels, which is an umbrella plan to address the many environment challenges that Kiribati faces, as a low lying nation in the Pacific region. These will see the commitments agreed to at the international level come alive at the national level in Kiribati.

“Biodiversity is the basis of livelihoods and income at? the village, island and national levels in Kiribati.    It is very important - we need a healthy and intact biodiversity because without this we would not be able to survive living on the atolls.  Our biodiversity is very valuable to Kiribati.”

The island has a delegation of four at the CBD COP 11, with Nenenteiti playing a key role amongst the Pacific delegates, chairing the Pacific briefings each morning.  Kiribati will also be presenting at the Pacific Voyage Side Event in Hyderabad, India, talking about Innovative Financial Mechanisms on Protected Areas.

“This meeting here is a really important one for us.  We try to make the most of these global processes as we learn how to link the international programme of work to our national level.  It is also the place that we can interact, meet new people, share information about Kiribati and our biodiversity work as well as build new partnerships that help to strengthen and increase our technical and financial resources.”

The Kiribati delegation is made up of Mr. Manikaoti Timeon: Secretary & CBD National Focal Point – Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agriculture Development (MELAD); Mrs. Nenenteiti Teariki-Ruatu: Ag. Director – Environment & Conservation Division (ECD), MELAD; Mrs. Mikari Ooka: Economist (aid-multilateral), National Planning Economic Office, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development; Miss. Ratita Bebe, Wildlife Officer – Wildlife Conservation Unit – ECD, MELAD, they return home on 19^th October 2012.

Traditional knowledge valuable resource for the Pacific

 Article 8. In-situ Conservation

(j) Subject to its national legislation, respect, preserve and maintain knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and promote their wider application with the approval and involvement of the holders of such knowledge, innovations and practices and encourage the equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of such knowledge, innovations and practices;

12 October 2012, CBD COP 11, Hyderabad India - The value of traditional knowledge in the Pacific was acknowledged at the 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.  Known as Article 8J in the CBD, this strengthens the role of traditional knowledge in contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity.

Fiji presented a statement on behalf of FSM, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Nauru and Tonga:

“Traditional knowledge and culture are important components of biodiversity within these countries. The Pacific island countries including the stated countries are diverse in culture and traditional knowledge which are intricately linked to our livelihoods. Cultural practices and traditional knowledge have enabled the people of these nations to survive on the islands since time immemorial. It is for this reason that the Governments for these countries consider cultural diversity, an important component of the national biodiversity programmes implemented at the national, islands and village levels.”

While the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing pertains to the genetic resources and their use, Traditional knowledge is about the innovations, practices and knowledge of local communities around the world.

The Institute of iTaukei Language and Culture is undergoing a Cultural Mapping project working closely with the Department of Environment to look at linkages between Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity.

This project covers all villages within the 14 provinces in Fiji with research teams recording and documenting indigenous knowledge and cultural expressions.  A key objective of these activities is to retrieve important traditional knowledge from the elderly who are often the key repositories of knowledge.

L - R Sarah Tawaka Fiji, Rawlston Moore GEF, Easter Galuvao SPREP

“We proposed on behalf of these countries that we link the role of biodiversity and traditional knowledge to climate change, as traditional knowledge can assist with climate change adaptation,” said Sarah Tawaka of the Fiji delegation.

“We also asked that they consider how we can resolve repatriation of traditional knowledge before Article 8J came into force as countries have varying levels of traditional knowledge that was released before Article 8J, we would like to address this.”

For more information on Article 8J.

Pacific prepares plan of action at international biodiversity conference

7 October 2012, CBD COP 11, Hyderabad, India - Pacific delegates attending the 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity met in Hyderabad, India to prepare for the coming two weeks of negotiations.

The Convention on Biological Diversity is dedicated to promoting sustainable development and was signed by 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.  It has three key objectives - conservation of biodiversity; sustainable use of biodiversity; and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

The Pacific meeting was to strategise the plan of action to address the agenda items of common interest, with a united approach, some of which include the Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity, Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, and Financial Mechanisms.

L - R Nenenteiti Teariki-Ruatu Kiribati, Ratita Bebe Kiribati, Sarah Tawaka Fiji

"It is crucial for Pacific Islands to really work together, considering the crucial items of pertinence to our islands and people within our region, which will be discussed in this global CBD level,” said Ms. Nenenteiti Teariki-Ruatu, the Acting Director of Environment and Conservation Division, Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agriculture.

“Teamwork, coordination, communication but above all, commitment; is key to effective participation of Pacific Island Country delegates, this will ensure that the global process will have positive impacts at our regional and national levels in the terms of meeting the three objectives of the CBD”

The Pacific delegates will also be working with the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) at the CBD COP 11, with preparation and input into a statement at the opening meeting to be read by Kiribati on behalf of the SIDS.

This meeting is the first of many to come.  The Pacific delegates will be meeting in the mornings on a regular basis during the conference, and also hope to meet with other Small Islands Developing States to prepare each day before joining the Asia Pacific morning briefings.

L - R Asterio Appi Nauru, Warwick Harris Marshall Islands, Stuart Chape SPREP, Easter Galuvao SPREP

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is providing technical, coordination and communications support at the CBD COP 11 to Pacific delegates.

Attending the first Pacific preparatory meeting were delegates from Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Nauru, other Pacific delegates are still en route to India.

Ramsar Convention to remain at IUCN

13 July 2012, Bucharest, Romania - DR1 was the buzz word during the 11^th Conference of the Parties on the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the issue being ‘Draft Resolution One – Institutional hosting of the Ramsar Secretariat.’  After much deliberation and negotiation during the 11^th Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, a consensus was agreed.

“The Conference of the Contracting Parties decides to renew its confidence to IUCN and continue its hosting arrangement for the Ramsar Secretariat”

In continuing to do so, the Ramsar Standing Committee, through a working group of contracting parties will explore; the accommodation of UN languages into the Convention; elevation of Ramsar visibility and stature including enhancing high level political engagement in the work of the convention at national, regional and global level; enhance the synergies between the Ramsar Convention and other multi-lateral environment agreements (MEA's); increased involvement of Ramsar in UNEP’s initiatives and programs regarding biodiversity-related MEAs to  enhance cooperation and synergies between the Ramsar Convention and UNEP.

Nicola Scott, NZ Delegation

“It has been a hard week and I think that we were on tender hooks right until the end of the meeting there were a number of items that were extremely controversial,” said Nicola Scott, head of the New Zealand delegation.

“Right up until the 99^th hour we didn’t see how we were going to get though and find concensus but we did, the positive thing is that the meeting did not come to a formal vote on the hosting procedures.”

The majority of the Pacific parties to the Convention preferred to keep the status quo, keeping the Ramsar Secretariat hosted  by  IUCN.

The spirit of Ramsar is concensus, that contracting parties negotiate until they come to an agreement instead of formal voting to make decisions.  In the history of the Ramsar Convention, the contracting parties have never had to make a formal vote to come to an agreement.

Photo courtesy of Diane Klaimi, UNEP

While there is some work ahead to strengthen the Ramsar Convention, for the Oceania region it is hoped that there will be new contracting parties from the Pacific by the 12^th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention.  Kiribati, Tonga and Vanuatu are in the process of becoming contracting parties with support from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

“I think there were some very good outcomes for all out of this COP.  The issue of Insitutional hosting, while an important one, took up too much time and diverted attention away from the core business of the Convention – the conservation and wise use of wetlands,” said Vainuupo Jungblut, Ramsar Officer Oceania.

”Nevetherless, I am quite satisfied with the outcomes and am thankful that Ramsar’s spirit of consensus has prevailed once again, given those hard issues that were deliberated upon. With further Pacific Countries joining the Convention very soon, I look forward to having an even stronger Oceania delegation and voice at COP12 in Uruguay.”

Kiribati seeks support for waste problem at UN Conference

11 October 2011, Changwon, Korea - Land degradation in caused by waste and pollution is an issue Kiribati hopes the 10^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification will address.

A two member delegation from Kiribati is attending the UNCCD COP 10 in Changwon, Korea hoping that the outcomes of this meeting will lead to programmes of work to help Kiribati carry out national activities to address the waste and pollution issue.

L - R Mr. Puta Tofiga, Mr. Rui Tabutoa

“We already have a National Action Plan (NAP) that will focus on land degradation caused by pollution and waste on land and in water”, said Puta Tofinga the Environment Impact Assessment Officer of the Kiribati Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development.

“Somehow we cannot really implement our actions at the national level without support and financial assistance.”

Rui Tabutoa, the Assistant Secretary of the Kiribati Ministry of Environment, Lands and Agricultural Development is hopeful the voice of Kiribati will be heard and outcomes will address their priority issue.

“Kiribati is a party to the UNCCD and it’s our obligation to comply with this convention, land degradation caused by land based pollution is a problem we hope we are closer to resolving with help from this Convention.”

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