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Ce rapport est l'un des principaux résultats de l'atelier régional Sea'ties Pacifique qui s'est tenu du 10 au 12 juillet 2023 à Nadi (Fidji). L'atelier a été organisé par la Plateforme Océan & Climat, le Programme régional océanien de l'environnement (PROE), et le Pacific Climate Change Pacifique (PCCC), avec le soutien financier du Fonds de coopération économique, sociale et culturelle pour le Pacifique (« Fonds Pacifique », Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires Etrangères), du PCCC, et du PROE par le biais du programme d’assistance technique de l’Initiative Kiwa. Le rapport fournit une vue d'ensemble des défis actuels en matière d'adaptation dans la région du Pacifique, ainsi que des initiatives inspirantes pour les relever. Les conclusions de ce rapport s'appuient sur les points de vue exprimés lors d’entretiens et sur les discussions de l'atelier lui-même. Il souligne et démontre à quel point, dans une région où de nombreuses îles sont de faible altitude, où la grande majorité de la population vit au bord de l'océan et où la côte s'urbanise rapidement, l'élévation du niveau de la mer reste une question existentielle et qu'il est primordial d'accélérer les mesures d'atténuation et d'adaptation.

The Pacific Islands region is located in the western and central Pacific Ocean. The 15 Independent countries and eight territories that make up this region are delineated into three major culture areas, these are Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia (Table 1) and have a combined Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of approximately 29 million km

At its 14th meeting held in the Hague, the Netherlands in June 2007, the Conference of the Parties to CITES adopted decision 14.80 that directed the CITES Secretariat to seek external funding to enable a workshop to be held in the Pacific, in collaboration with appropriate regional organizations, to initiate regional cooperation on the management of sustainable fisheries for giant clams (Tridacnidae).

In the future no country will be immune from the impact of human-induced climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is unequivocal in its pronouncement that global warming will cause significant climate changes throughout the world, including increases in air, sea surface and ocean temperatures and influencing pattern of precipitation, wind flow and ocean salinity (IPCC 2007). The world is expected to experience increased climate variability as well as extreme weather events, such as prolonged drought, heavy rains and heat waves, and the increased frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones. Sea level rise is also predicted. The effects of such changes will be significant to all the Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs), although the nature and degree of the socioeconomic impact of climate change cannot be predicted with any certainty at this point in time

PNG has an Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) of around 3,120,000 km², with a land area of 462,243 km² and a total coastline of approximately 17,110 km. Coral reefs are estimated to cover an area of 40,000km².

The International Waters Project (IWP)1 is a 7-year, USD 12 million initiative concerned with management and conservation of marine, coastal and freshwater resources in the Pacific islands region, and is specifically intended to address the root causes of environmental degradation related to trans-boundary issues in the Pacific. The project includes two components: an integrated coastal and watershed management component, and an oceanic fisheries management component (the latter has been managed as a separate project). It is financed by the Global Environment Facility under its International Waters Programme. The coastal component is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme and executed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), in the conjunction with the governments of the 14 independent Pacific Island countries: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Nine, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. The coastal component supports national and community-level actions2 that address priority environmental concerns relating to marine and fresh water quality, habitat modification and degradation and unsustainable use of living marine resources through a 7-year phase of pilot activities, which Started in 2000 and will conclude at the end of 2006.

Before making a commitment to a given area, programs such as IWP must collect information on local institutions, community history, social and political structures, livelihood strategies and opportunities for. and constraints to achieving program activities. This information provides insights that can help in dealing with specific local issues and in identifying key issues, as well as factors for improved management of marine resources.

For the Pacific Islands, the aquarium trade based on wild harvest of coral and other marine aquarium products is an important source of livelihoods for rural communities. However, concerns over its environmental effects have led to experimentation with and promotion of the culture of coral and other products. Until recently, very few studies have seriously investigated the scope, potential, impacts, costbenefits or long-term financial and bio-economic viability of wild collecting over the culture of marine aquarium commodities, particularly coral, or a combination of both activities.

Ecosystem approaches to management of fisheries is increasingly promoted in the Pacific has a ‘holistic’ method for understanding a wide set of parameters affecting fisheries. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) are currently supporting Fisheries Divisions and Departments of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) in their endeavours to implement an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.