Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
• 26 Member countries and territories
• Four Divisions:
- Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management
- Climate Change
- Waste Management and Pollution
- Environmental Monitoring and
Governance
• Currently 90 staff, based in Apia, Samoa
SUSTAINABLE OCEANS - A PACIFIC VOYAGE
COASTAL FISHERIES - THE FORGOTTEN HEART
OF PACIFIC LIVELIHOODS
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IMPORTANCE OF COASTAL FISHERIES TO
PACIFIC HOUSEHOLDS
- 50% Pacific Islands households rely on fish as primary or
secondary source of income;
- Many in remote islands with unreliable or no internet
connection and little contact with government agencies;
- Data on coastal fishing is extremely patchy;
-
PRODUCTIVE FISHERIES NEED A
HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT
In which fish, iconic species, and all the other
elements of the marine ecosystem can exist
together.
Coastal environments degraded by inappropriate
coastal developments, over-fishing and run-off from
poorly-managed catchments… plus climate change.
Ecosystem-based Management
1.
“Pacific Integrated Island Management” - Case
Studies, Lessons Learned & Guidelines
2.
Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) - regional and
national scale
3.
Ecosystem-based Management and Adaptation
projects – eg, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Vanuatu
and Kiribati
4.
Global Ocean Acidification – developing a regional
response for coastal and marine ecosystems
5.
Regional and National Biodiversity Strategic Action
Plans and targets
WASTE MANAGEMENT AND POLLUTION CONTROL
- A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR PACIFIC ISLANDS
• Space needed for landfills
• Pathogens
• Hazardous wastes
• Leachate
CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON RESOURCES,
INFRASTRUCTURE AND LIVELIHOODS
….AND LIVELIHOODS, HOMES AND CROPS
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AS WELL AS ON FISHERIES,
ESPECIALLY ON CORAL REEFS
 Sea temperature increase of 1.5 degrees, small islands will
encounter severe climatic stresses – coral reefs will bleach and
eventually die at 2 degrees
Global mean temperature will increase in a variable manner, so
localised impacts may be more intense than just 2 degrees increase
FUTURE-PROOFING through Ecosystem, Social And
THANK
YOU