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Waste management and pollution control remains one of the most pressing environmental issues facing the Pacific region. As the region continues to rely increasingly less on locally sourced food products and rapidly acquires increasing quantities of consumer goods, the quantities of wastes, ranging from plastic packaging through to used motor vehicles, is rapidly escalating across the region.

The Noumea Convention was negotiated under the framework of UNEP’s Regional Seas Programme and adopted in 1986. The Convention and its two related Protocols (Protocol for the Prevention of Pollution of the South Pacific Region by Dumping; Protocol Concerning Co? operation in Combating Pollution Emergencies in the South Pacific Region) entered into force on 22 August 1990.

The purpose in producing the SOCO is not just to understand the current status of conservation in the region but to establish a process for periodic reviews of the status of biodiversity and implementation of conservation measures in the Pacific islands region. Only by undertaking regular assessments will Pacific island countries and territories be able to measure their progress in conserving and managing the biodiversity that supports Pacific cultures and economies, which is part of Pacific and global natural heritage, and essential for nationally endorsed global commitments including meeting the Convention on Biological Diversity Aichi Targets by 2020.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring rock fibre that is harmful to humans. When the products containing asbestos are damaged or wear down over time, small fibres are released and become airborne. Breathing in asbestos fibres can cause a range of diseases including cancer.

Aquatic invasive species include a variety of organisms - fish, invertebrates, algae, plants and even pathogens like cholera. Some species arrive attached to ship hulls, and other are released into foreign ports via ballast water. Most species do not survive in the new environment, but some organisms are hardy, aggressive, prolific and successful invaders. They disperse rapidly and dominate native species.

The Pacific is biologically unique, as its isolated islands provide ideal conditions for the evolution of new species. Thus, Pacific islands have high numbers of "endemic"species - species that are restricted to only one or a few islands and found nowhere else in the world.

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Eradicating invasive rats to help protect native Tongan birds.

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