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Introducing a sniffer dog team in French Polynesia and reviewing regulations in Wallis and Futuna has strengthened biosecurity measures to better prevent the introduction of invasive alien species (IAS). In order to protect a local biodiversity characterised by a high level of endemism and threatened by these introductions, the two territories decided to strengthen the prevention and control methods available to them.

Des actions de lutte contre les espèces végétales envahissantes et de restauration de la biodiversité ont été menées sur le site UNESCO de Taputapuātea, situé sur l’île de Raiatea en Polynésie française. En valorisant le lien entre les patrimoines naturel et culturel, le projet a impulsé une dynamique de gestion écologique visant à renforcer la flore indigène, voire endémique. Grâce au travail de coordination d’un écologue présent sur le site pendant quatre ans, les actions de sensibilisation et de formation ont permis la montée en compétence et un engagement accru des communautés locales. Sur la base d’un travail de prospection de la biodiversité locale et des espèces envahissantes présentes, des actions de retrait ont été menées sur quatre espèces végétales cibles avant de procéder à la réinstallation de plants patrimoniaux. Un travail de valorisation d’un site restauré a également été réalisé par une association locale, avec l’aménagement d’un sentier pédagogique. Aujourd’hui, les acteurs locaux disposent de compétences renforcées et peuvent s’appuyer sur les équipements et serres fournis afin de poursuivre la production de plants patrimoniaux. La révision du plan de gestion du site UNESCO pourra ainsi bénéficier de leurs capacités, tandis que des financements ponctuels pourraient soutenir des actions à court terme. FICHE FINALE DE CAPITALISATION DU PROJET PROTEGE, financé par l'Union Européenne.

La mise en place d’une brigade de chiens de détection en Polynésie française et le processus de révision de la règlementation à Wallis et Futuna ont permis de renforcer les mesures de biosécurité pour une meilleure prévention des introductions d’espèces exotiques envahissantes (EEE). Afin de protéger une biodiversité locale caractérisée par un fort taux d’endémisme et menacée par ces introductions, les deux territoires ont souhaité renforcer les moyens de contrôle et de prévention à leur disposition. FICHE FINALE DE CAPITALISATION DU PROJET PROTEGE, financé par l'Union Européenne.

This brochure highlights the central role the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) plays in the sustainable management of our oceans. Outside the ocean science community many people are unaware of the critical services the IOC provides from coordinating the global tsunami warning system, to supporting greater understanding of climate change, and sharing data on all marine life from bacteria to whales.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) through its Pacific sub-regional office are joining forces to provide support to Pacific delegates to the international UN Oceans Conference.

Fiji has been identified as one of the countries most vulnerable to declines in reef condition due to the high dependence on reef systems for key industries (tourism and fishing). Much of the waters of Fiji and adjacent international waters include highly prospective deposits of copper, gold, zinc, silver and chemical elements. Extracting these resources is only now becoming feasible due to technological advances in Deep Seabed Mining (DSM). A large area of Fiji’s waters is now subject to DSM exploration licenses. But very little is known of the risks DSM creates for key marine ecosystem services and the industries that reply on those services for both income and employment (e.g. tourism and fishing). This desktop study seeks to identify, scope and broadly estimate the potential costs to Fiji associated with DSM. Only once those costs are understood, can Fiji confidently make robust policy decision about the amount, location and management of DSM within its waters.

Until now, there has been only one source of data on global fishery catches: information reported to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations by member countries. An extensive, ten-year study conducted by The Sea Around Us Project of the University of British Columbia shows that this catch data is fundamentally misleading. Many countries underreport the amount of fish caught (some by as much as 500%), while others such as China significantly overreport their catches. The Global Atlas of Marine Fisheries is the first and only book to provide accurate, country-by-country fishery data. This groundbreaking information has been gathered from independent sources by the world’s foremost fisheries experts, and edited by Daniel Pauly and Dirk Zeller of the Sea Around Us Project. The Atlas includes one-page reports on 273 countries and their territories, plus fourteen topical global chapters. National reports describe the state of the country's fishery, by sector; the policies, politics, and social factors affecting it; and potential solutions. The global chapters address cross-cutting issues, from the economics of fisheries to the impacts of mariculture. Extensive maps and graphics offer attractive and accessible visual representations. While it has long been clear that the world’s oceans are in trouble, the lack of reliable data on fishery catches has obscured the scale, and nuances, of the crisis. The atlas shows that, globally, catches have declined rapidly since the 1980s, signaling an even more critical situation than previously understood. The Global Atlas of Marine Fisheries provides a comprehensive picture of our current predicament and steps that can be taken to ease it. For researchers, students, fishery managers, professionals in the fishing industry, and all others concerned with the status of the world’s fisheries, the Atlas will be an indispensable resource.

The Asia Pacific region is exceptionally rich in biodiversity. The tropical forests of South East Asia, the reefs of the ‘coral triangle’, the temperate forests and the large river basins found in the region are among the most unique on Earth. However, biodiversity in the Asia Pacific region is in fast decline. For example, the region recorded the world’s highest number of threatened species in 2014 and extensive coastal development and unsustainable exploitation of marine resources have resulted in the disappearance of over 40 percent of coral reefs and mangroves, leading to declines in fish stocks.

The Ministry of Local Government, Housing and Environment of Fiji launched the Home Composting Subsidy Pro-gram and the Clean School Program in April, 2015 for im-plementation by the thirteen Municipal Councils responsible for waste management around the various divisions in the country.