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La région a besoin d’un plan d’actions pour prendre des décisions concertées en vue d’améliorer la santé et la résilience des récifs coralliens. Cela doit permettre aux dirigeants des îles du Pacifique, aux gestionnaires des récifs coralliens et aux communautés locales de coordonner leurs efforts de protection de ces précieux écosystèmes. La coopération régionale peut optimiser les synergies entre différents programmes pour parvenir à de meilleurs résultats, par exemple en partageant les connaissances et en tirant parti des économies d’échelle. Un Plan régional peut également servir de base à la mobilisation des ressources financières nécessaires pour la protection et la gestion des récifs coralliens.

The region needs an action plan to make cohesive decisions that will benefit coral reefs. This will enable leaders of Pacific Island countries, coral-reef managers and community members to coordinate their efforts to protect these valuable ecosystems. Regional cooperation can optimise synergies between programmes and actions to achieve better outcomes, by sharing knowledge and using economies of scale. A regional plan can also provide the basis for securing the funds needed to protect and manage coral reefs.

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.

The Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) is currently executing the project Reducing Vulnerability in Pacific ACP States with funding from the European Development Fund (EDF). The project has the objective to reduce Pacific ACP States' vulnerability to natural disasters affecting their coasts through the development of an integrated planning and management system which targets: hazard mitigation and risk assessment; alternative sources of aggregates for construction; and water resources and sanitation. Major activities undertaken through this project with participating countries are: -assessment of aggregate resource supplies to mitigate the impact of unsustainable aggregate mining from the coastline; -development of bathymetric maps, 3D bathymetric and hydrodynamic models spatial databases relating to resource use, exploration and survey, and vulnerability to disasters; and -investigating and raising awareness about coastal processes.

The Government of Niue (GoN) is restructuring its Public Service which is a timely opportunity to integrate water management functions adopting the IWRM approach and principles in lieu of the current sectoral approach adopted over the last 3-4 decades. This will be an opportunity to integrate NGOs, civil society and all stakeholders in the process of water and wastewater management. The strengthening of the national capacity will enhance efficiency to deliver the required services by the public institutions, but also the awareness of the community on the sustainable use of water as a finite natural resource.

These goals are a big challenge to small Pacific Islands Countries with their small land masses, remote locations and small but rapidly growing populations making them vulnerable. Vanuatu shares these and other challenges to sustainable development. In Vanuatu real GDP per capita is still lower than in the 1980s, infrastructure is poorly developed, the population is rapidly growing at 2.6% per year, water resources are declining and in many places contaminated, and household water supplies are inadequate or absent. The country's capital and human resources are stretched and a better forward is needed.

The economic and social wellbeing of Pacific Island Countries are dependent upon the quality and quantity of their freshwater. Constrained by their relative small size, natural vulnerability, and limited human and financial resource base, Pacific Small Island Developing States face specific challenges to effectively manage their water resources.