The increased demand for high quality products in export markets, coupled with Pacific Island Countries (PICs) national desire to protect the environment, biodiversity and family farming structures, lead to assume that organic agriculture could offer good prospects for PICs development. Besides market opportunities, organic agriculture could increase PICs food self-reliance and thus, contribute to reducing the alarming trend of dependency on food imports, as well as improving nutrition.
Nauru is a small country of around 10,200 people located on a single island in the Pacifi c Ocean. Per capita gross domestic product was estimated to be A$11,540 (approximately $10,500) in 2012 (Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacifi c 2013).1 The country is divided into 14 districts with the seat of government in the Yaren district, which also functions as the country’s de facto capital. T
At the request of the Government of Nauru, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) through the European Union-supported Global Climate Change Alliance: Pacific Small Island States project, together with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) through the United Nations Development Programme – Global Environment Facility funded Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change project commissioned NRW Specialists Pty Ltd (Australia) in association with NRW Macallan (Fiji) Ltd to prepare the Nauru Water Supply and Sanitation Master Plan covering the planning horizon of
Nauru’s water resources are limited and under stress with an expected increase in prolonged dry periods due to climate variability. There are no fresh surface water sources and Nauru relies mostly on rainwater for its potable water needs. Desalinated water is currently supplying about 20% of the population water requirements but during period of prolonged drought, where rainwater is limited, the communities reliance on desalinated water can increase to more than 90%.
This document is a record of an in-country technical survey mission to Nauru, completed from 13th February to 23rd February 2007 by the following SOPAC staff:
• Mr Stephen Booth (EDF8/9 Senior Advisor – Water);
• Ms Elizabeth Lomani-Whippy (EDF8/9 Project Intern);
• Ms Arieta Navatoga-Sokota (SOPAC Project Officer – Water); and
• Ms Vilisi Tokalauvere (EDF8 Fiji Country Intern).
Nauru island, near the equator in the central Pacific Ocean, has been mined for phosphate since 1907 and over 80 million tonnes of phosphate have been exported to Australia, NZ, Britain and other overseas markets. Although superphosphate, prepared from the Nauru rock phosphate has considerable value as an agricultural nutrient, it also contains high concentrations of the toxic metal cadmium. Nauru phosphate deposits have a cadmium content between 100 and 1,000 times the average lithosphere concentration.
From time immemorial it has been the ambition of every Nauruan youth to excel in the snaring of the 'iti', or frigate bird. In the old, far-off days, before the coming of the white man, prowess in capture of the iti was one of the many strenuous tests which marked the transition from youth into manhood, and failure to acquit oneself creditably meant disgrace.
This brochure demonstrates how measures and policies can be shaped to simultaneously address climate change, biodiversity loss and poverty. It identifies opportunities for synergies and mutual enhancement of the objectives of international agreements, particularly the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), as well as decisions taken by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly following the recommendations of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF).
This brochure demonstrates how measures and policies can be shaped to simultaneously address climate change, biodiversity loss and poverty. It identifies opportunities for synergies and mutual enhancement of the objectives of international agreements, particularly the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), as well as decisions taken by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly following the recommendations of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF).
This paper attempts to provide a comprehensive listing and analysis of Kiribati plant names, along with the corresponding Latin, English, and selected Pacific-island vernacular names for plant species with recognized Kiribati vernacular names. The study focuses on those species found on the 16 islands
Climate change has been recognized by Pacific Forum Leaders as one of the most serious threats to the region. The Pacific islands have already experienced, and will continue to experience the adverse effects of climate change and these are expected to worsen over the coming decades. For some low lying atoll countries, climate change may even threaten their very existence, as confirmed by the recently published Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, AR4.
The Secretariat for Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) have commissioned Cardno (Qld) Pty Ltd (Cardno) to undertake a comprehensive review of integrated environmental assessment approaches and procedures in Pacific Island Countries (PICs), and to provide advice on regional priorities for capacity building requirements in this regard.
The UN Development Assistance Framework for the Pacific Subregion (UNDAF) represents the first regionwide response to the UN operational reform process, and is a product of several partnerships in development, including between two UN Country Teams in Fiji and Samoa covering a total of 15 UN agencies, offices and programmes3, and between the UN and the governments of 14 Pacific island countries.
During the course of this century the resilience of many
ecosystems (their ability to adapt naturally) is likely to be
exceeded by an unprecedented combination of change in climate, associated disturbances (e.g., flooding, drought, wildfire, insects, ocean acidification) and in other global change drivers (especially land-use change, pollution and over-exploitation of resources), If greenhouse gas emissions and other changes continue at or above current rates (high confidence).
The CBD, the Ramsar Convention and the CMS recognise impact assessment as an important tool to ensure that development is planned and implemented with biodiversity 'in mind'. The CBD requires parties to apply impact assessment to projects, programmes, plans and policies with a potential negative impact on biodiversity. Considerable progress has been made in strengthening impact assessment as a tool to further the aims of the CBD and related conventions. However, practise shows
that more work is needed.
It has been over twenty years since UNCLOS came into existence and twelve years since it came into force, in addition to fourteen years since the historic "Earth Summit" was convened in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, yet the Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are finding it extremely difficult to deal with many cross-cutting and multiple issues relating to ocean management. The challenge for the Pacific SIDS is clear, successive international, regional and national initiatives
Reef fish assemblages were monitored annually from 1978 to 1981 at a series of stations adjacent to an airport runway construction site on Moen, Truk. Monitoring began prior to construction activities and continued through three years during which dredging and filling of adjacent reef areas took place. As a result of construction activities, large amounts of sediments were released into the water. Turbidity was measured monthly
Recent studies have shown that the Cook Islands' social infrastructure has limited preparedness against weather-related vulnerability. The inherent geographical vulnerability of the country to climate change can be ameliorated by initiating
integrated infrastructure and social development, including human resources development.
Most of the 96 national monuments designated under U.S. law
are on land. The majority are managed by the National Park
Service, though some are administered by the Bureau of Land
Management and other agencies. At this point neither the
name of the proposed Mariana Trench Marine National Monu-
ment (MTMNM) nor the management structure has been de-
termined. For guidance one could review the process of the
recently designated Papahanaumokuakea Marine National
Monument (PMNM), which is placed within the purview of the