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Many of the data and scientific analyses to establish a link between waste dumping and its environmental and social impact are not available. This study makes use of best available information and assumptions informed by experts. The expertise drawn upon relates to Palau specifically, and is in the fields of fisheries management, epidemiology, public health, waste management and tourism.

The watersheds of the Cook Islands provide residents and visitors with a wide range of environmental services such as drinking water supplies, natural filtration of freshwater runoff, recreational opportunities and scenery. While important, the value of these services is not readily apparent in economic terms. This means they can easily be overlooked in decision making and policy formulation. There is a pressing need to better understand the economic value of the nation's watersheds to raise awareness and inform investment and regulatory decisions.

The International Waters Project (IWP) aims to strengthen the management and conservation of marine, coastal and freshwater resources in the Pacific Islands region. It is financed through the International Waters Programme of the Global Environment Facility, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme, and executed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), in conjunction with the governments of the 14 participating independent Pacific Island countries.

The marine environment and its resources have always been an important part in the way of life for small Pacific Island countries such as Samoa. A vast majority of Samoa's population inhabit the coastal fringes of the islands, thus depending largely on coastal marine resources and ecosystems for daily sustenance. Coastal waters support some of the most productive ecosystems such as mangrove forests, coral reefs and seagrass beds, which are all interrelated features crucial to marine wildlife and their habitats. In addition to playing extremely important ecological roles, marine ecosystems provide coastline protection, and sustain resources that contribute significantly to the country's economy.

The Joint Eighth Ordinary Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Conservation of Nature in the South Pacific (Apia Convention), and the Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region and Related Protocols (Noumea Convention, also known as the SPREP Convention), was held on 7, 10, and 13 September 2006 in Noumea, New Caledonia.

The framework for management of the ocean and coasts of the Pacific Islands region has been evolving since the early 1970s when Pacific Island countries played a significant role in the negotiations leading to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Commencing with a summary of the provisions of relevant international instruments, this paper presents a broad overview of regional arrangements for ocean and coastal management in the Pacific Islands region. It considers the work of the various regional intergovernmental organizations with active programmes in ocean research and governance and the consultative arrangements that support coordination and collaboration. Consultative arrangements involving other stakeholders, such as local, regional and international nongovernmental organizations are summarised. To improve environmental governance and address increasing environmental threats, particularly in relation to coastal area management, consultative arrangements need strengthening. This applies equally to national and regional level consultation. The institutional and policy framework for the management and conservation of oceanic fish stocks that Pacific Island countries have been refining over a period of 25 years is suggested as providing useful lessons for strengthening coastal management processes and strategies in the region.

Mangrove systems occur extensively on low gradient tropical shorelines, where sedimentation enables resilience during sea-level rise (SLR). Within mangroves, inundation frequencies across the intertidal slope cause zonation of different species with elevation. This tight sea-level control of the seaward margin and zones within mangroves has been demonstrated by precise EDM survey. Hence species zones in mangroves are definitive indicators of sea-level position, and pollen distributions record the locations of different zones in the sedimentary record. Pollen stratigraphic records can be used to reconstruct Holocene sea-levels and show mangrove response to change. Mangrove response to sea-level rise has been investigated in Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Tonga and southern New Guinea. Radiocarbon dating of stratigraphy determined a sediment accretion rate of 1 mm a1for the low island locations, and up to 1.5 mm a"1 in two estuaries of southern New Guinea. The IPCC SLR projections of 9-88 cm by 2100 equate to a rate of 0.9-8.8 mm a"1. Mangrove recession events and replacement by lagoon environments are shown to occur during more rapid sea-level rise. In Bermuda rates of SLR exceed 2 mm a1and the largest mangrove area having existed for the last 2000 years lost 26% area in retreat of its seaward edge during the last century. In Tonga, a large mangrove swamp persisted 7000-5500 yr BP during SLR of 1.2 mm a1, then retreated when the rate increased. In Cayman 20 km of mangroves died back between 4080 and 3230 yr BP, during SLR of 2.8-3.3 mm a1, to become a lagoon. In extensive swamps of southern New Guinea gradual Late Holocene retreat of mangrove zones occurred with SLR of 0.67 mm a1. Hence while low island mangroves are likely to be the most sensitive to projected SLR, continental margin mangroves will also suffer disruption and retreat.

On 6 January 2004. cyclone Heta devastated much of the South Pacific island nation of Niue. Extensive damage was done to forest, particularly of the north- western sector, with many trees up-rooted and others stripped of branches and foliage. This report details our findings from a survey of Niue's birds and rodents during 3-19 September 2004 and compares these with results from a similar survey in September 1994. Five-minute bird count data, an index of conspicuousness, from three transects showed that heahea (Polynesian triller,Lalagc maculosa) were more abundant in 2004 than in 1994, but mid (Polynesian starling, Aplonis tabuensis), kulukulu (purple-crowned fruit dove. Ptilinopus porpbyraecus) and lupe (Pacific pigeon. Ducula pacifica) had declined. The 28-64% decline in the lupe population per transect w as probably primarily as a result of hunting, rather than mortality caused by cyclone Heta. Counts of birds seen per kilometre along three sections of road (lower, upper, inland) were also compared with September 1994 data. However, for various reasons we doubt that the results accurately reflect population numbers. The 212 kiu (Pacific golden plover. Pluvial is fulva) counted at sites accessible from main roads in September 2004 was similar to the 226 seen in September 1994. Rat trapping results (captures per 100 trap-nights) along the same three transects for December 1994 and September 2004 were not significantly different. Both kuma (Pacific rat. Rattus exulans) and ship rats (R. rattus) were trapped, but kuma were found only in regenerating scrub, whereas ship rats were present in both scrub and forest. Recommendations for future work are made mainly in relation to the long-term conservation of lupe, a toaga (treasured) species of Niueans.

L'Oceanic et ses 22 pays1 et territoires2 presentent un large eventail de caracteristiques physiques, demographiques, Culturelles, economiques etpolitiques. Elle couvre 30 millions de kilometres canes, soit pies d'un sixieme de la surface de la terre. et est trois fois plus grande que les Etats-Unis ou la Chine. Plus de 98 % de sa superficie est constitute d'oceans et les 2 % restants sont occupes par environ 7 500 lies dont seulement 500 sont habitees. La population totale de la region s'eleve a environ 8 millions d'habitants, dont 5.1 millions en Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinee, et le taux de croissance demosraphique annuelle y est d'environ 2.2 % (CPS, 2002).

The guide is a tool to understanding Pacific communities' vulnerability to climate change, variability and sea level change; and to determining what action needs to be carried out in order to adapt to these changes. In the CV&A process, the focus of data collection is the community that constitutes elders, men, women, youths and children. Their experience in relation to climate variability, change over time, and extreme events become very important. The assessment focuses on current vulnerability to both climate and non-climate related factors, and on examining current adaptive capacity. It then includes evaluation of vulnerability to future climate related risks, involving key stakeholders in the evaluation process. This eventually leads to the formulation of adaptation policies that would strengthen adaptive capacity.