Search the SPREP Catalogue

The Governance Assessment for Protected Areas and Conserved Areas (GAPA) methodology manual is the product of four years’ work

The development of the first Comprehensive Manual on Port Reception Facilities was agreed at the thirty second session of the Maritime Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in March 1992.

The important global, national and local benefits provided by protected areas may come at a cost to communities, and any resultant experience of injustice can undermine protected area conservation. Conversely, the success of many areas conserved by Indigenous Peoples and local communities makes a compelling case for the stronger engagement of local rights-holders and stakeholders in all types of protected area. The Convention on Biological Diversity recognises the need to govern and manage protected areas effectively and equitably; this briefing provides an equity framework to support policymakers, protected area managers, Indigenous Peoples, local communities and other local stakeholders in achieving this.

Social Assessment for Protected Areas (SAPA) : Methodology manual for SAPA facilitators / Évaluation social pour les aires protégées (SAPA) : Guide méthodologique á l'intention des facilitateurs (SAPA)

The Cook Islands comprises 15 islands with a total land area of 237 sq km and a maximum height above sea-level of 652 m. The islands are scattered over an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.8 million sq km; one of the largest EEZ’s in the South Pacific.

This proposal has been prepared by the Ocean and Islands Programme (OIP) within the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) in collaboration with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). It has been prepared in response to an invitation1 from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to assist the Cook Islands in deriving coastal related information to underpin and inform climate change adaptation decisions for coastal areas of Mangaia Island.

Flooding imposes significant costs on households and businesses located in the lower Vaisigano catchment area. SOPAC, under the European Development Fund (EDF) project Reducing Vulnerability of Pacific ACP States, has worked with the Government of Samoa to develop the Samoa Flood Management and Action Plan, which identifies actions for government agencies, the private sector, NGOs and communities responsible for flood and floodplain management that can assist in reducing flood risks in Samoa, particularly in the lower Vaisigano catchment area located in Apia, which is subject to frequent flooding.