Search the SPREP Catalogue

Humanity has altered the planet in many detrimental ways, from the warming of our climate to the ever-diminishing wildernesses on land and in the sea. But in such a complex system as the Earth, science must always keep searching – for both solutions to problems already identified and new threats coming our way. UNEP’s Frontiers Report does this by identifying and exploring areas of emerging or ongoing environmental concern. The 2022 edition delves into three issues: noise pollution in cities, the growing threat of wildfires and shifts in seasonal events – such as flowering, migration and hibernation, an area of study known as phenology.

Humanity is waging war on nature. This is senseless and suicidal. The consequences of our recklessness are already apparent in human suffering, towering economic losses and the accelerating erosion of life on Earth. This report represents a scientific blueprint for howclimate change, biodiversity loss and pollution can be tackled jointly within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. The report is a synthesis based on evidence from global environmental assessments.

Les sites d’action visé par le plan de travail font référence aux parcelles affectées par la Polynésie française à sa Direction de la Culture et du Patrimoine (DCP) pour la gestion du Paysage Culturel Taputapuātea. De par cette maîtrise foncière s’en suit un droit d’intervention dans le cadre précis sur la lutte contre les espèces exotiques envahissantes. De plus elle permet de garantir le suivi et l’évaluation des actions qui seront menées sur la période du projet et voir au-delà. Globalement, en matière de biodiversité et de la culture polynésiennne ces sites se définissent selon 3 critères: (i) chaque site présente un attrait culturel majeur avec la présence plus ou moins importante de vestiges archéologiques; (ii) la faune et la flore qui s’y développe est indigène et/ou d’introduction polynésienne “naturalisé”; et (iii) des espèces protégés par le code de l’environnement polynésien et incrites sur la liste rouge de l’UICN sont présentes. La sacralité et le respect de ces lieux par la communauté locale est un atout de préservation de ces attributs « Nature et culture ». Ces sites s’incrivents dans un paysage anthropisé, il faut néanmoins les considérés comme des points refuge pour la biodiversité.

Breeding success of 5 Cory’s shearwater Calonectris diomedea sub-colonies of Lavezzu Island (Lavezzi Archipelago, Corsica) was checked annually for 25 consecutive years from 1979 to 2004. Between 1989 and 1994, 4 ship rat Rattus rattus controls were performed in several subcolonies. In November 2000, rats were eradicated from Lavezzu Island and its 16 peripheral islets (85 ha) using traps then toxic baits. We compare cost (number of person-hours required in the field) and benefit (Cory’s shearwater breeding success) of control and eradication. The average breeding success doubled when rats were controlled or eradicated (0.82) compared to the situation without rat management (0.45). Moreover, the average breeding success after eradication (0.86) was significantly (11%) higher than after rat controls (0.75). Furthermore, the great variation in breeding success recorded among sub-colonies both with and without rat control declined dramatically after eradication, suggesting that rats had a major impact on breeding success. The estimated effort needed to perform eradication and checking of the permanent bait-station system during the year following eradication was 1360 person-hours. In contrast, rat control was estimated to require 240 or 1440 person-hours per year when implemented by trained and untrained staff, respectively. Within 6 yr, eradication cost is lower than control cost performed by untrained staff and confers several ecological advantages on more ecosystem components than Cory’s shearwater alone. Improved eradication tools such as hand or aerial broadcasting of toxic baits instead of the fairly labour-intensive eradication strategy we used would dramatically increase the economic advantage of eradication vs. control. Therefore, when feasible, we recommend eradication rather than control of non-native rat populations. Nevertheless, control remains a useful management tool when eradication is not practicable.