Pacific getting ready to meet new Biodiversity targets

18,000 people from around the world gathered recently in Nagoya, Japan at the 10^th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP10). 

14 countries in the Pacific are members of the CBD and the “Pacific voice” was well represented in Nagoya.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) worked in partnership with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO’s) in the Pacific region to provide support and advice to the Pacific delegations at Nagoya.  

The meeting discussed how to address the dramatic loss of biodiversity currently occurring on earth. In fact one species is being lost every 38 minutes!

Delegates responded with a new commitment to “Live in Harmony with Nature”.

The conference agreed a number of outcomes, which have significance globally and for our Pacific region.

The Strategic Plan of the CBD or the “Aichi Target” was adopted at Nagoya. This is the new global plan to save the World’s biodiversity and includes a number of ambitious targets.

The “Aichi Target” includes a commitment to halve, and where feasible, bring close to zero the loss of natural habitats and also to protect 17% of terrestrial and inland water areas and 10% of marine areas. Also included are measures to control invasive species and to increase awareness of the values of biodiversity.

“We are pleased to welcome the Aichi Target as a guide for our region to work towards,” said David Sheppard, the Director of SPREP. 

“The targets are within our reach as the Pacific region has worked diligently to protect our unique biodiversity.  We can boast the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) in Kiribati - the largest marine protected area on earth - now a World Heritage Site.  In our Pacific region we also have the Micronesia Challenge, a commitment by the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau, Guam and the Northern Marianas to conserve at least 30% of the near-shore marine resources and 20% of the terrestrial resources across Micronesia by 2020.  The “Aichi Target” will help us strengthen our conservation work across the Pacific.”

Another key outcome from the conference was the Nagoya Protocol covering the access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from their use.

As an example, and hypothetically, if a pharmaceutical company from Switzerland discovered a plant in the Solomon Islands which could lead to a drug which cured cancer, then that company would now be obliged to share the profits arising with the country.

This historic agreement is of great importance to the Pacific region.

It ensures that balanced access to genetic resources on the basis of prior informed consent and mutually agreed terms.  The Nagoya Protocol also ensures the fair and equitable sharing of benefits while taking into account the important role of traditional knowledge. 

It is expected the Nagoya Protocol will be in force by 2015. The Global Environment Facility has offered financial support to assist with the early entry into force of this Protocol.

“We have seen history in the making,” said Fiji’s Ambassador to Japan, H.E Mr Isikeli Mataitoga the Head of delegation for Fiji. He added:

“The adoption of the ABS protocol is a major step forward in bringing equity and fairness in the sharing of the profits made by the developed world from the biodiversity resources of the developing world, including the small island developing states.”

The current challenge for Pacific countries is to translate these key outcomes into national biodiversity strategies and to secure support from the international community for their implementation.

Many substantial commitments were made by countries at Nagoya, including a commitment by the Government of Japan of $2billion US to help developing countries protect their biodiversity

“For us in this region, it means working towards identifying opportunities and innovative ways to take these outcomes forward. We have agreed to the Aichi Target now we need to see how and where we can incorporate the different objectives into work we are doing at the national and regional level in the Pacific,” said Easter Galuvao, the Biodiversity Adviser of SPREP.

“In some cases we are on track with the targets, in other cases we need to work harder in a concerted and holistic manner as a region so that by 2020, the Pacific region can once again showcase to the world what we have accomplished as part of our contribution to save our biodiversity.”

These are just several of the many achievements of the biodiversity conference in Nagoya.

There were many more for the Pacific region.  Representation from the region ensured a strong Pacific presence was felt and heard as they were a vocal part of the negotiations. 

A communications campaign – “The Pacific Voyage” helped ensure Pacific visibility was high and our voices heard at the gathering of 18,000 participants with promotional materials and events which highlighted conservation successes in the Pacific as well as an event which promoted the different types of communication and awareness raising activities on nature conservation.

For SPREP the meeting has helped provide the guide for future work with the different member countries as the region strives to meet the Aichi Targets to help save global biodiversity.

Notes:

To read the full 2020 Headline Targets – Advance Unedited Text please visit Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, 2011 - 2020: http://www.cbd.int/nagoya/outcomes/

The 14 Pacific island parties to the CBD are Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga Tuvalu, Vanuatu.

Our core partners who worked closely with us as part of the Pacific Voyage in Nagoya are The Secretariat of the Pacific Community, WWF South Pacific, Greenpeace Pacific, Wildlife Conservation Society, IUCN Oceania. 

Support was also provided from GLISPA the Global Island Partnership, Ms. Neva Collings on ABS and Article 8)j) and Ms. Mae Adams from TNC.

Update on Biodiversity talks in Nagoya

As of midnight, the morning of Saturday 30 October, the plenary discussion for the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity was still underway.

The Pacific Voyage Media Team are preparing to return home and an update of the final outcome will be provided to you next week, along with final stories concluding The Pacific Voyage at the Biodiversity talks in Nagoya.

To view the webcast of the final plenary, please visit:  http://webcast.cop10.go.jp/player.asp?id=2921&type=live

COP10 heads for tense finish

Pacific Voyage Media Team 29 October Nagoya Japan -

The negotiations on targets to preserve the environment will continue until the last second, the Chair of COP10 told the media today, as the Nagoya Biodiversity talks wrap up.

Japan’s Environment Minister Ryu Matsumoto said governments –including a strong representation from the South Pacific – were all keen on an agreement.

"Everyone is saying that they want to wrap up a deal, that they don't want to go home from Nagoya empty-handed," he told reporters. "We will work until the last second."

Delegates from nearly 200 countries have been negotiating for two weeks goals to protect oceans, forests and rivers.  But the negotiations on how ambitious the targets should be are divided over a number of issues.

Developing nations for example are have refused to sign up to 2020 goals without agreement on a new U.N. protocol that would give them a fairer share of profits made by companies, such as pharmaceutical firms, from their genetic resources.  The protocol could unlock billions of dollars for developing countries, where much of the world's natural riches remain, but countries are split on the scope of the framework and how to check where a genetic resource comes from.

Following two days of intense discussions among 50 delegates, led by eight facilitators appointed by Japan, to help reach an access and benefit-sharing protocol (ABS), an update was presented to all delegates.

"We have made progress, but we have not finished," said Timothy Hodges, co-chair of the group working on the ABS agreement.

Broad consensus was reached on introductory language related to traditional knowledge of the use of plants and organisms in medical or biological products.   Still on the table were issues that have divided ABS negotiators since the conference began Oct. 18. Topping the list was how to include derivatives of genetic resources in a final agreement.

Meanwhile, the World Bank has announced it will begin a project to help developing countries integrate the economic benefits of nature into their state policies.  Introducing ecosystem valuation into national accounting systems will help governments make better decisions about the way their nature is managed, World Bank Group President Robert Zoellick.

"We need to give top decision-makers the tools they need to make the right decisions," said Zoellick.

The World Bank President gave an example of how a country could change its nature calculations.

"For example, in clearing mangroves for shrimp farming, the calculation will no longer simply be the revenue from profit on shrimp farming minus the farming cost,” he said.  “It would now deduct the loss of coastal protection from cyclones, and the loss of fish and other products provided by the mangroves from its calculations.”

Pacific Ocean for your children and all of us

The Pacific Voyage Media Team 29 October Nagoya Japan -

The Pacific Ocean 2020 Challenge needs a body like the Pacific Ocean Commission to achieve its goals.

The point was raised by H.E Isikeli Mataitoga, Ambassador of Fiji to Japan, during a side event at the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) on the Convention of Biological Convention (CBD) at the Nagoya Congress Centre.

“You need a body that can bring together all the issues under sustainable development,” Mr Mataitoga said.

“One that will run and keep this important Challenge in the forefront of politicians and senior democrats in the region.  This body should be able to front up to politicians and say, look guys, the Pacific Ocean is for your children, your children’s children and for all of us and we need to keep it sustainable. It won’t be a Pacific Ocean if it is not sustainable in the long term.”

The Ambassador said the Pacific Ocean 2020 Challenge also needs a framework that’s going to make everybody happy.

“But there will be obstacles,” he warned.

“There are regional frameworks that already exist in law and practise that may be considered in the long term but that has to take its shape and provision from the CBD because it is the only convention at the UN level that has a wide acceptance in this point of time."

Bernard O'Callaghan, Regional Programme Coordinator of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said part of the challenge is the fact the Pacific ocean is big.

“It’s the biggest geographical feature in the world. Governments have a number of interests. The bigger challenge is getting on the agenda of the larger countries,” he said.  “The Pacific Ocean is under resourced. People tend to use it for transport, for fish it’s all about extracting resources from the Pacific.”

The Pacific Ocean 2020 Challenge sets out to protect the Pacific Ocean.

“There is a whole lot of endangered species [in the Pacific Ocean],” he said. “Tuna is vitally important for the community, vitally important for the economies of the Pacific islands. Appropriate attention needs to be paid to ensure these tuna stocks stay viable for the long term.”

The Pacific Ocean, he said, is very important to the world.

“Two out of three fish in the world come out of the Pacific ocean so it’s important that the Pacific Ocean is managed sustainably for the long term,” said Mr O'Callaghan.

The challenge involves working with a number of governments in the Pacific region where they are asked to work together to manage the ocean.

“This is so we can firstly share good long term sustainable governance for the Pacific ocean, share research, share education, share training, identify additional financial resources for cooperation,” he said.  “Some of these changes take time; it’s not going to happen very quickly. We need to build momentum over the next two to three years.”

The Challenge was discussed at the Pacific Islands Forum this year.

According to the Challenge’s website, The Pacific Ocean 2020 Challenge aims to forge partnerships with sectors of ocean users who have not previously been fully engaged in ocean governance initiatives, and spanning geographic areas beyond the traditional ‘Pacific region’.

Working with Pacific Ocean-wide coalitions for action will enable the Challenge to complement and enhance stakeholder-engaging activities already established by intergovernmental regional agencies and NGOs around the region, thus avoiding duplication of activities.

In doing so, it is envisioned that a holistic and practical approach to ocean governance in the region will become a reality, and that the region will have a sustainable and healthy Pacific Ocean by 2020.

According to the Pacific Ocean Synthesis report, the Pacific Ocean is faced with major threats of “pollution, habitat destruction, overfishing and harvesting and climate change.” 

The Pacific Ocean accounts for half of our planet’s total ocean area and a full one-third of the planet’s surface, making it the largest single geographic feature on our planet.  This vast region supports many complex ecosystems and ocean-based economies, producing a wealth of resources for local and global consumption.  However, sustainably managing these natural and economic resources presents an enormous challenge.

Making sure gender has a place at the Nagoya biodiversity talks

The Pacific Voyage Media Team 29 October -

Marie Khan

Marie Khan, Gender Focal Point of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) says they are  hoping that gender issues win a place on the development agenda here in Nagoya.  To date, the parties to the CBD have agreed and supported that gender equality is a cross cutting issue.

“We cannot ignore that 60 percent of women are the guardians of our environment, so it is normal that we should be include a gender mainstreaming perspective at the biodiversity negotiations,” Khan stresses.

The aim of gender mainstreaming, which focuses on shifting the existing power relationships, and bringing the roles and needs of women and men high on the development agenda.  Khan says that it is the goal to  bring forth gender equality through advocacy, technical support  and  capacity-building.

Nature is  important to all of us, women and men use it in different ways, have different knowledge about it and have access to different natural resources.  However women are still the less empowered and their voices are rarely heard when decisions are made on  the environment. 

Khan says that at the CBD nations are also supportive of the implementation of the gender plan of action.  However, they would want the gender focal point position to be permanent at the Secretariat of the CBD.   Currently Khan’s position is being funded by Finland for which the funding will cease next year

Ongoing talks are still being conducted at the last day of the negotiations.

“We are hoping that decision on the budget provision will be made,” Khan cites and notes that progress on their aim at the CBD is much better than elsewhere.

“CBD is the only one with gender plan of action in the global level, “ she says.

The Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) and other members of the Global Gender and Climate Alliance are attending  the 10^th meeting of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity coordinating daily women and gender caucus for gender mainstreaming advocacy.

In an  earlier interview WEDO Advocacy Coordinator Rachel Harris says their presence here is to make sure that the perspective of  both men and women are being put forward within  all new agreements at  COP10.

Solomon Islands to protect forest and plants

The Pacific Voyage Media Team 29 October 2010 -

Joe Horoku, Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands wants its forest and plants covered by protection under the  Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) framework at the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention of Biodiversity here in Nagoya, Japan.

The 10th Conference of Parties (COP) will be concluding its negotiations, as representatives of 193 countries are expected to forge a  new global agreement on ABS for the use of biological or genetic resources.

Joe Horokou of the Solomon Islands Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Meteorology says his country is hopeful that under the ABS, bio-resources obtained by developed countries will share the benefits with local people.

Horokou cites that in the Solomon Islands, pharmaceutical companies are coming to the country and conducting research on medicinal plants that are found in their forest.

“Solomon Islands have potential for resources,” Horokou says.

The ABS framework is expected to benefit those communities from whom the pathogens or disease-causing organisms are sourced by pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs.

One company, he notes is doing research on a tree in Solomon Islands that may contain a cure for AIDS.

On the domestic front, Solomon Islands have already existing agreements that cover certain areas at present under the framework for access and benefit sharing.

The mechanism now exists for development of appropriate legislation on ABS.

Existing agreements cover some research work on agriculture and forestry.  Some proposed agreements are being examined for other researchers but still the lack of relevant expertise is a constraint. Most efforts in this field are being assisted through programmes of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) and other international government organizations and  non-governmental organizations.

He also says that Solomon Islands is interested in biofuel which could improve biodiversity.

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.

Ford calls for action from the United States

The Pacific Media Voyage Team, 28 October Nagoya Japan - 

Photo courtesy of Reuters

A famous face graced the Nagoya Congress Center today, urging the world to save the

environment as the 10th Meeting of the Conference to the Parties (COP10) of the Convention on Biological Diversity winds up.

Hollywood actor and environmentalist Harrison Ford joined the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Ahmed Djoghlaf, to urge world leaders to come up with new ambitious strategies to protect biodiversity.

Government ministers – including Ministers from the Pacific countries – are gathering in Nagoya for the final stages a meeting to preserve natural resources.

For two days, leaders from over 100 parties to CBD delivered statements outlining their commitments to protect the environment during the high-level segment of the meeting.

Today, hundreds of negotiators were still locked on talks which are aimed at setting new 2020 targets to protect plant and animal species, a protocol to share genetic resources and more funding to protect nature, especially forests.

During his press conference this morning, Ford, a film legend and long-serving vice chairman of Conservation International, urged the United States ratify the CBD.

Ford said pressure on political leadership was needed to save forests, oceans and rivers that are home to nature's rich diversity of species underpinning livelihoods.

"We have to create a kind of undeniable groundswell of public opinion, a kind of movement-level effect, something like the Civil Rights Movement or the Women's Rights Movement," Ford told the world media.

"One of the reasons I've come is because I want to urge the United States government to sign the treaty.”

Ford said the United States is here as an observer.

“The United States is here as a source of funding, but we're not a voting delegate, and we need to take that responsibility, to have that opportunity and to show leadership," he said.

The United States has signed but not ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Ford, who has had the ant species Pheidole harrisonfordi named after him in a nod to his work as a conservationist, said nature was indispensible to everyday lives.

"Nature provides us with fresh water, a way of healthy soils, foodstuffs, future pharmaceuticals and food crops," he said.

"We can't afford to create mechanisms to provide those services for ourselves that nature gives us for free when nature is healthy and protected."

Save the Dugong

The Pacific Voyage Media Team, 28 October Nagoya Japan -

Photo of dugong by Richard W. Brooks

Next year the campaign to raise awareness of the dugong in the Pacific will start, with island countries taking more concrete and more comprehensive steps in dugong conservation.

Palau, during the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 10) announced the initiative to protect marine species by declaring the Palau waters as marine mammal sanctuary which include dugongs.

In his ministerial statement, Palau Environment and Tourism Minister Harry Fritz says that the country is committed to an agreement with the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) to protection the dugong population.

“We will protect our population of dugong, which is the most isolated population in the world,” says the Minister

“And, I am pleased to share that just last week, our President, with traditional and congressional support, declared Palau’s waters as sanctuary to all species of marine mammals,” Fritz says.

A Palau dugong awareness campaign is now underway to protect the marine mammal.

 The  dugong or  sea cow is Palau's most endangered marine mammal  and has  the smallest and most isolated dugong population in the world, with possibly less than 200 animals.

Proponents of the campaign say that Palauans still hunt and eat dugongs, and hunting remains a problem in spite of local laws protecting the dugong.

The awareness campaign, managed by Mandy Etpison aims to educate Palauans about the dugong, survey their feeding grounds and daily routes, and work with local government agencies to improve enforcement on illegal poaching.

Recently a 12 feet life-sized wooden statue of a dugong mother with two calves made by the Etpison Museum was presented to the Minister of State for display in August 2010. 

Dugongs are long-lived with low productive rates, low generation time and a high investment in each offspring.  

The dugong home range in the region includes the waters of Australia, Papua New Guniea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Palau.  

According to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) website, scientific information on dugong distribution and abundance is outdated or non-existent. The status of dugongs is unknown throughout the region. It is likely that dugongs are widely distributed in small numbers in much of PNG, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu and that larger numbers occur in the PNG waters of Torres Strait. Their reliance on relatively shallow water seagrass beds for food limits the ability of dugongs to travel between islands and continents that are separated by extensive areas of deep water.

For this reason, many island populations, including those around Vanuatu and Palau, are essentially isolated. Such isolation makes this group of dugongs especially vulnerable to extinction.

Recently the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Convention on Migratory Species conducted its first official signatory meeting for Dugong Memorandum of Understanding in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

 The SPREP website further states that an urgent issue is the need to address the conservation management of dugongs in the region.

Despite a comprehensive global review and excellent in-country activities, the status of dugongs remains largely unknown, few effective conservation measures exist and anecdotal evidence gives increased cause of concern for their future.

Realities of Conservation at the CBD COP

by Seema Deo, Education and Social Communications Adviser, 28 October Nagoya Japan -

While textual language is debated to determine the fate of the planet’s biodiversity in several rooms of the Nagoya Conference Centre, and environment leaders make statements in the high level segment, a different type of buzz is happening in other parts of the Centre, which is the hub of the 10^th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Side events featuring diverse conservation initiatives, presenters wearing colourful costumes reminding us of the great diversity of humans, displays with unique giveaways, movies, a massive bird carrying biodiversity messages and a host of other delights await those venturing into Building 2 of the Centre. More awaits just outside the Centre, where community groups and businesses are highlighting their work to safeguard the natural environment and the plants and animals in it.

Educational display

As I wandered around the various exhibits at the outdoor displays, I was struck by the commitment and determination of many of the people I spoke with. A group from Korea was highlighting concern about the destruction of resting spots for a migratory crane due to development; in Okinawa, a proposed military development is being opposed; a large corporate organisation has found ways to turn rubbish into resource while, next to their exhibit a small community group showcases how to plant native flowers in urban areas.

At the exhibits and at many of the side events, the underlying theme is action. People doing what they believe in and in whatever manner they are able, to make the world a better place for everyone.

A global agreement at Nagoya on working together to halt biodiversity loss will be the icing on the cake for many of these committed groups.