Revamped strategy a useful tool for conservation groups

Peter Thomas - Terra Mar Consulting Director

6 December 2013 Suva Fiji - By Steve Pogonowski:- Local community organisations should use the refined Action Strategy for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas in the Pacific Islands Region 2014- 2020 to frame their conservation programs and aspirations, the review's architect said.

Pacific Island country and territory representatives, non-government organisations and other attendees at the 9th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas have given input into the review in line with common themes from this week's sessions.

Members of the consultation meetings had suggested the strategy be renamed as the Regional Framework for Nature Conservation in the Pacific Islands Region.

Tierra Mar Consulting director Peter Thomas, who is leading a review into the strategy, said strategy objectives have been updated to reflect conference topics such as traditional knowledge and biodiversity awareness.

Objective 1 reaffirms awareness of biodiversity and conservation across the region and Objective 6 strengthens the linkage between science, policy and indigenous knowledge.

Mr. Thomas said community conservation groups on the ground in the Pacific should see the strategy as a guiding document.

"At that level, they would use (the strategy) to try to ensure that any partnership they went into took into account the values they hold strongly. In the hands of a local organisation, it's a very powerful tool," Mr Thomas said.

"What they may well need is someone to interpret it for them, to show them the important principles that apply to their project or program."

Mr Thomas said the feedback sessions during the conference and in previous meetings across the Pacific countries and territories had been invaluable.

Some of the messages the review committee heard throughout the week included: the protection of cultural heritage and traditional knowledge, broadening of conservation paradigm to include faith-based groups and the private sector, and the need to ensure conservation programmes contribute to improving food security and help alleviate poverty.

"The new 9th principle has been added to call on national and international partners to promote resilience and sustainability of biocultural resources," Mr Thomas said.

Review committee members will also ensure the strategy is in line with the Convention on Biological Diversity Aichi Targets and would eventually marry with the five year review of the 2010-2015 Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme Action Plan.

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.