Call for church leaders to embrace conservation

Tusani Joe Reti - Environment Consultant

6 December 2013, Suva Fiji - By Priya Chand, journalism student at USP:- Church leaders must be encouraged to integrate nature conservation into their spiritual work and evangelism, said environment consultant Tusani Joe Reti.

Speaking at the 9th Pacific Island Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas in Suva Tusani Joe said The Bible dictated that it was the responsibility of human beings and custodians of God's creations to respect and look after the creation for his own good and prosperity.

This belief provided a wide open door for conservation education and awareness to be fully embedded in the teaching of the religious faith, he said.

He said Christian leaders in his home country of Samoa had begun to do this with relative success.

"In a small number of villages in Samoa, church ministers have or are leading village efforts in the management of their natural resources," said Tusani Joe.

"Backed by the village councils, these efforts are often regarded as successful, firstly in terms of the number of village people participating and secondly in the least amount of resistance observed compared to other developmental projects and programs on village lands."

However, he said when asked to say an opening prayer for an environment-related activity, church ministers had not been successfully engaged to lead or support village based conservation projects and initiatives in Samoa.

"I believe the same is true of other Pacific island countries as well and it is tragic because we have this pool of skilled people whom we have not been able to fully utilise," he said.

He added that at times the failure was because of the mistaken belief that conservation work was below such respected members of society.

Tusani Joe emphasised that the conservation movement needed all the help it could get, and that every effort should be made to partner with community leaders like church ministers and village heads.

Several nature conservation leaders agreed with Tusani Joe.

Among them was Ms. Elise Huffer, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community's adviser on culture and human development.

Ms. Huffer said there was a disconnect between cultural views and how conservation workers worked.

"In the Pacific culture, many people put more emphasis and importance on what their church has to say," she said. "Church plays a huge role so we need leaders to say that nature and biodiversity needs to be looked after."

She added that the need to engage with faith-based groups in working to achieve conservation goals should included as one of the guiding principles for conservation in the action strategy being drawn up.

Priya Chand is a member of the Media Team providing coverage of the 9th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas from 2 to 6 December in Suva, Fiji. This is a partnership between the Fiji National University (FNU), University of the South Pacific (USP), SPREP and Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) whereby a team of 10 journalism students are mentored by senior reporters as they cover the conference. This activity is funded by the Pacific Assistance Media Scheme (PACMAS).

SPREP and UN relationship strengthened through Agreement

L - R David Sheppard SPREP, Achim Steiner UNEP

16 October, CBD COP 11, Hyderabad, India - Ties between the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme were rejuvenated today with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

The 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity was the backdrop for the event which brought together Pacific island countries and territories to commemorate.

The  also attended the event, meeting with the Executive Director of UNEP, Mr. Achim Steiner.

L - R Hon. Tufuga Gafoa, Associate. Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Samoa, Achim Steiner UNEP

 

“This is a stepping up of what we have always called a very special relationship.  The Pacific region represents a very significant part of the planet and this relationship reaffirms and further develops our relationship between SPREP, the Pacific region and UNEP,” said Mr. Steiner.

“Small Island Developing States have in the United Nations, found one of the places where their voice is heard louder and clearer than in some of the other for a that we have for our geo-political meetings and I would like to commit our MoU that we have signed today, to strengthen that voice".

The last MoU signed between SPREP and UNEP took place in 2005, the new agreement is to cover the next five years.  It will help ensure increased cooperation in mutual areas of work and expertise.  Environment information will be exchanged and there will be an increased in capacity of Pacific islands to access and manage environment and climate change resources.

 

“We suffer major issues of isolation, biodiversity loss, major challenges and we must have good partners.  Since coming to SPREP we have had a reform process, focused on delivery to members, improved our systems and built better partnerships.  Partnerships are fundamental,” said Mr. Sheppard.

“We see UNEP as a partner of choice, this MoU is very important, and SPREP is committed to making this agreement in the future."

Present at the signing event today were delegates from the Cook Islands, FSM, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu with staff from SPREP and UNEP.

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.

Samoa at Wetlands Conference in Romania

Talie Foliga, MNRE, Samoa at the Ramsar COP 11 plenary

9 July, 2012, Bucharest, Romania – Samoa is lending its voice to that of over 100 countries attending a global conference on wetlands in Romania this week.

The 11^th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has over 1,000 delegates, donors and partners meeting to discuss ways to strengthen the wise use of wetlands around the world, as one of the contracting parties to this convention Samoa’s presence is important.

“We want to ensure Samoa has contributed to the discussions of the draft resolutions that will guide the work of the Convention in the next triennium,” said Talie Foliga of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Samoa.

“Being here is also an opportunity for us to learn from other parties about their success stories, challenges and the problems they have faced and overcome when implementing activities under the Ramsar Convention.”

Lake Lanoto’o National Park, consisting of 500 hectares was established in 1971.  Nearly 10 years later in 2005 the Park was established as the Ramsar Wetland site of importance in Samoa.  Managing the site over the years has provided its challenges and it’s here in Romania that Foliga hopes he can take lessons learnt from other countries and apply those at the national level in Samoa.

The national park lives in the central highlands of Upolu and consists of three small crater lakes which support fringing herbaceous marsh and swamp forest.  The lakes are among the few remaining near-pristine lakes in Samoa and are critical to maintaining the health of the watershed of the capital city, Apia.  The forests of the National Park contained threatened endemic bird species including the Tooth Billed Pigeon, the Mao and the Samoan Triller.

Right now the main challenges faced in managing the national park are the lack of resources along with those that come with having different owners of the land in the park. 

“We plan to bring all landowners and stakeholders together to discuss ways forward to continue conserving the land within the Lake Lanoto’o National Park, here at the Ramsar meeting we hope to gain some guidance as to how we can sustainably finance the park.  Right now it is funded by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and we seek partnership from regional organisations and outside donors.”

Samoa received funding under the Ramsar Small Grants fund to improve and strengthen the trails as well as develop signage for the park.  The next steps will include preparing project proposals to seek funds to help manage the park, finalise the Ramsar Information Sheet, confirm the Management plan of the Park and complete the progress report required under the Ramsar Convention.

Samoa is one of seven Pacific nations that make up the Oceania group under the Ramsar Convention - others include Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau and Papua New Guinea.

Oceania presence at global conference on wetlands

5 July, 2012, Bucharest, Romania - The Pacific island region boasts six wetlands of international importance with more on the horizon.

Fiji, Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Samoa are Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which will be holding its 11th Conference of the Parties in Romania over the next two weeks.

A key pillar of this Convention is to strengthen the wise use of wetlands around the world.  It has 162 contracting parties of which the Pacific Islands are grouped with Australia and New Zealand under the Oceania region, one of the six Ramsar regions.

Lake Ngardok, a Ramsar Wetland site of Importance, Palau

12% of the Earth’s land surface is made up of wetlands.  In the Pacific region Mangroves and coral reefs are the two main wetland types, containing 3% of the world’s mangroves and about 25% of the world’s coral reefs.

Right now there are seven members of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) that are contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands with other members such as Kiribati, Tonga and Vanuatu, in the process of joining.

 “We are often asked when you join, what can the convention give them?  We often find that it’s up to the parties to utilize the Ramsar convention and brand to raise funds for their Ramsar Sites,” said Lew Young, the Senior Regional Adviser for Asia – Oceania.

Japan is an example of how the Ramsar Convention is used to promote sustainability of their wetlands.  In Japan there are approximately 46 Ramsar sites, all of which have clear logos identifying them as wetlands of international importance, these are usually driven by the local community to help attract development and tourism.  Within this there is often the opportunity to promote sustainable use of the wetlands such as organic rice farming, which then leads to the selling of organic rice that can attract a higher price so local farmers then benefit.

Lew Young addresses Oceania delegates at regional meeting

“This really takes on board the spirit of the Convention,” said Young, “so it’s not just about conserving wetlands for the birds it’s about getting communities involved, helping rural developments and so on  - this is part of the bigger, broader concept.”

There is over 190 million hectares from 2,000 wetland sites around the world, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance.

In the Pacific the Marshall Islands are working to add their second Ramsar Site  – the Namdrik Atoll, Fiji plans to add two more sites - Nasoata Islet  and Lake Tagimoucia.

“It will be really good to see the Pacific develop some strong projects on the ground so decision makers can see the benefits of wetland conservation.  Hopefully partnerships between the Oceania parties and between some Asian parties, will provide support where there are gaps to bring this about; and help share ideas of possible ways forward.”

While attending the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Oceania region will meet regularly to coordinate their presence at the different discussion threads at the Conference of the Parties.

The 11th Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention is from 6 – 13 July, in Bucharest, Romania. Delegates from Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau and Samoa are attending the conference.

5 Minutes with Samoa

19 October 2011, Changwon Korea -  The official delegation of Samoa at the 10^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is Ms. Filisita Heather and Ms. Faainoino Laulala of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.  In the absence of the Minister and Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Heather is the Head of delegation in her capacity as the Assistant Chief Executive Officer of Land Management.

Ms. Laulala is the Principal Land Policy and Development Officer of the Ministry and is Samoa’s official correspondant of the UNCCD Committee on Science and Technology, she has been responsible for implementing the Convention at the national level.

L - R Ms. Fa'ainoino Laulala, Ms. Filisita Heather

Q. What is the key issue for Samoa at the UNCCD COP 10?
Land degradation is important for us in Samoa, and we are encountering drought as well this month.  I think this convention is a good way for us to look forward for long term solutions and activities to help address these issues.

Q. Why is it important for Samoa to be part of the UNCCD?The convention has parties from all around the world, for Samoa it’s important as it is through implementing the requirements of this convention that we have activities on the ground to bring about sustainable land management.  By being part of this convention we can also have access to funds or financial support to improve our land quality.

Ms. Fa’ainoino Laulala
Q. How important do you think the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification is, on the global scale?

Desertification for Samoa can be clearly understood in the context of land degradation and drought, it is the main issue of consideration for us in this Convention.  Our thanks goes out to the UNCCD for trying to make ‘Land’ clearly visible as the most basic natural resource which essentially connects us to all other parts of our natural ecosystems upon which humans can survive.

If we don’t ‘care for land, for land is life’ everything we do to address climate change and restore the loss of biodiversity, fails. 

We must be mindful that land physically houses all other environmental natural resources such as water, forests, biodiversity and soil, only then can we fully understand the intrinsic value of our land in the context of the sustainable development framework especially aswe approach the Rio+20 meeting come June 2012 which we hope will further highlight the need for synergetic efforts of the three Rio Conventions to address the global environmental problems.

We all need to place ‘land’ as an important issue of the highest priority on the national agenda through mainstreaming sustainable land management practices into national plans and effective implementation of these plans through law enforcement. We small island states are relatively small in size and are vulnerable to climate change and have a fragile resource base, so we rely on our land for survival.  I call on all to give Land and this convention the priority and support it deserves.

Lessons learnt by the Pacific

16 May Nadi Fiji - In 2010 the One Pacific Voice was heard loud and clear at the International Biodiversity Conference which brought 18,000 people together to forge a path forward to help save and strengthen global biodiversity.  This week in Fiji, the Pacific region has regrouped to reflect on what was learnt while at the CBD COP 10 in Nagoya.  Day one of the meeting today, heard from five different Pacific representatives’ share their experiences with others.

“I gained personally and professionally.  Planning and prioritising on a daily basis is crucial when you attend the COP, you always need to be in good health as it’s a lengthy and can be a stressful process.  You need the energy to attend discussions during the days and nights.  It is a good experience but gruelling and you should try to be in all aspects of the COP – working groups, side events, plenary sessions and ministerial level meetings.” – Eleni Rova Tokaduadua, Fiji

“It was good to see that we had synergized issues so that what is said not only benefits your country, but the Pacific islands region as a whole.  It was also helpful that everyone shared information and resources – I was glad that we had people attending who were willing to share information with you on what happened at meetings in case you missed out so you can be kept up to date.” – Fale’afaga Tony Tipama’a, Samoa

“I think having at least one week for negotiations training would be helpful for the Pacific delegates so we can be confident and prepared at this level.  I also think we in the Solomon Islands should have a national workshop like Fiji so when we come together we can feed the results into the Pacific region.” – Joe Horokou, Solomon Islands

“I was fortunate and happy to represent my country, I learnt the value of a side event and how you can use it to raise your country profile.  We also found the half day meeting just before the COP where we learnt about the processes very helpful.  Another highlight for me was how once we had made the Pacific opening statement - it opened the door for support of our position from other regions.”  Solomona Lotoala, Tuvalu

“I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the pre-COP information, package so you are really well prepared for the COP meeting.  It’s also good if you look for the media for updates, visit the SPREP media releases and the Earth Negotiations Bulletin is also helpful to keep you updated.  There is also a wealth of information within the Pacific delegations, there are a lot of experienced people, it’s good if you can learn from them” – Joseph Brider, Cook Islands

"Talking the Biodiversity Talk":  COP = Conference of the Parties

Notes:The meeting is held from 16 – 20 May at the Tanoa Hotel in Nadi, Fiji.
Participants are from the Cook Islands, Timor Leste, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific International (FSPI), IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), WWF South Pacific Programme, University of the South Pacific.

Samoa to host reef protection meeting

Minister Faumuina Tiatia Liuga speaks during the high level segment of COP 10 in Nagoya Japan

The Pacific Voyage Media Team 28 October Nagoya Japan -

Samoa will host a high-level meeting to discuss coral reef protection and conservation.

This was announced by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), Faumuina Tiatia Liuga in Nagoya, Japan.  He was speaking during the high-level segment of the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) at Century Hall, Nagoya Congress Centre.

The meeting is the 22nd General Meeting of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). It is scheduled from 8th to 15th November.  Samoa will co-chair the meeting with France during which participants are expected to update the ICRI plan of work for coral reef protection and conservation.

“Samoa is among a group of small islands within the largest of oceans rich in marine ecosystems that are critical to our survival,” the Minister told leaders at COP10, who worked late into the night to deliver their country statements.  “The Pacific Ocean, the beaches and its coral reefs are home to a number of marine mammals particularly the green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles which are currently facing extinction.”

The meeting will focus on strengthening conservation programmes for such marine mammals.

“Samoa has in place a number of programmes and projects in the areas of biodiversity conservation and management, adaptation to climate change and promotion of renewable energy, community development in response to land degradation through country specific projects and regional programmes where biodiversity is an integral part,” the Minister said.

“We are continuing the partnerships with our development partners and partner organisations within the United Nations, International IGOs and NGOs, the World Bank and ADB to pursue these opportunities as they arise. On that note, we acknowledge all our development partners for their kind efforts and assistance.”

On biodiversity in general, Minister Faumuina said Samoa has taken active steps to address the loss of biodiversity.

“Because small islands are particularly vulnerable to species loss and extinction, we have to be creative ourselves, and develop innovative solutions so that shifts demonstrate that we are no longer dealing with biodiversity as business as usual,” he said.

“Hence I am pleased to inform that Samoa's pursuance of partnerships within the area of biological diversity, at the national level with communities, NGOs and private sector, regional level with fellow PIFS and SPREP members as well as international organizations, and at international level with our development partners, have enabled the progression of our programmes on Forest Conservation, Invasive Species Management, and Protected areas in marine and terrestrial locations.

“Closer relations with communities and farmers will be strengthened through national agro-ecosystem and agro-forestry projects under the GEF and government of Australia, where Samoa is at the forefront in promoting organic farming in the Pacific.”

The protection and conservation of mangrove ecosystems is an integral part of Samoa’s efforts. The mangroves’ resilience to storm surges and tidal waves provide protection against rising waves. Further, they provide natural breeding ground for marine life which people's livelihoods depend on.

“Samoa places great importance on synergistic implementation of programmes, where common objectives and activities exist,” he said.  “This provides for more effective service delivery to the public, a coherent approach to sustainable biological diversity management, reduce human and financial constraints, and contribute to achieving.”

The protection of biodiversity plays a major role in climate change adaptation, the meeting heard.

“Samoa acknowledged the commemoration of the International Year of Biological diversity this year with the promotion of Samoa to be carbon-neutral by the year 2020,” said Faumuina.

“Our national Samoa challenge to plant a million trees within our very small islands commenced in November 2009 for three years. The youth, (and children included) have already made some real contributions to this mission with plantings by young students of trees in our national reserves.

“Energy trees are also being assessed for further exploration of energy generating technologies. Ensuring these are properly designed and implemented to avoid adverse environment impacts on the biodiversity is of essence.

“That is because we believe that an investment in climate change mitigation and adaptation can also be a significant investment in biodiversity.”

Minister Faumuina urged world leaders to work together to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss.

"We should not be discouraged by the level of achievements being tabled, because within our small islands much progress has been made,” he said.