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.

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.

Scene@CBD COP 11

13 October 2012, CBD COP 11, Hyderabad India - Snakes and ladders – conservation styles! A creative take on this classic game, land on a protected area and move forward 6 squares!

Scene@CBD COP11

13 October 2012, CBD COP 11, Hyderabad India - Below are some of the wonderfully hand drawn artwork celebrating Indian biodiversity scattered around the main conference hall.

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.

Vava'u, Tonga Mangrove Survey successfully completed using GIS

Mangroves, Vava'u, Tonga

11 October, 2012 - The Vava'u Mangrove Survey which used Geographical Information Systems (GIS) found the mangroves of the island of Vava'u, Tonga in generally good condition.

This is according to Environmental Monitoring Analyst, Mr. Paul Anderson, of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

"Despite the usual impacts, of cutting, burning and waste the mangroves were in generally good condition, meaning the mangroves are resilient and healthy in most cases," he said.

Mangroves are vital to island ecosystems as they provide habitats for fish and crabs, protect coastlines and keep the water clean.  Mangroves remain a major component of ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change.

Anderson was the lead trainer for the one week Vava'u Mangrove Survey, a project by SPREP in partnership with Mangrove Ecosystems for Climate Change Adaptation and Livelihoods (MESCAL) and Ministry of Lands Environment Climate Change and Natural Resources, Tonga. (MLECCNR).

"The project maps and assesses the conditions of the mangroves of Vavau and trains local staff and volunteers on mangrove monitoring methodology and technology," Anderson said.

Field Team and trainer on the seaward edge of a mangrove stand, Vava'u, Tonga.

The technology used during the training included GIS, Geographical Positioning Systems (GPS) and the Pacific Mangrove Monitoring Manual produced by SPREP.   

Vava'u currently hosts 30% of Tonga’s mangroves, covering approximately 381 hectares of land.

Anderson said: "As part of the training and survey, we visited the majority of the sites,

exploring first-hand the condition of the mangroves, and assessing the impacts of human activity and nature on the mangroves."

During the surveys, the team discovered a small leaf mangrove associate species, which was only recently discovered in Tongatapu Pemphis acidula.

Pemphis acidula

 "This was a significant find as it expands the range of this species to a new island group," said Mr Anderson.

In addition to the small leaf mangrove associate, the team also came across the largest recorded red mangrove in the Tongan islands measuring at 20cm in diameter.

The team installed permanent monitoring points to asses and monitor the condition of mangroves over time.

Anderson acknowledged the contribution of his MLECCNR counterpart Sione Tukia Latu, the assistance of the MLECCNR Vava'u and Tongatapu personnel and the support of the Vava’u Environmental Protection Association (VEPA) in the field monitoring and GIS work.