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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.

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.

It is clearer today than ever before that the threats to ocean life are growing and beyond the capacity of any one nation to address alone. While in the past, we primarily spoke of overfishing or destructive fishing and their impacts on ocean life, today, climate change and its impacts on marine life must also loom large in the minds of oceans decision makers. According to a series of reports released throughout 2007 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)1, the increase in globally observed temperatures is very likely due to human activities and sea levels will continue to rise for centuries even if greenhouse gas emissions are stabilised. Coastal communities and Small Island States are already feeling the impacts of climate change. And from the coastal seas to the deepest waters, the combined and possibly synergistic effects of climate change and overfishing are already having an impact and could possibly spell disaster for our oceans' marine life and the vast number of people who depend on it for their survival.

He stressed that this session was an opportunity to ensure that all delegates were up-to-date with the Project and its background. To set the scene for the workshop he reported on the Project development history. In summary, he drew attention to the signing of the grant and financing agreements on the 13 March 2002. He also noted that the SOPAC Project has been at least 3 to 4 years in development.

Nauru is a single raised coral island with a total land area of 21 sq km. Despite its small land area, Nauru has an EEZ that extends over more than 320 000 sq km. Its maximum height above sea level is approximately 70 m.