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The Kingdom of Tonga is a nation of 171 islands located in the South Pacific. It has a relatively stable population of 101,000 distributed in three island groups, but most are principally located in and around the capital city of Nukualofa on the main island of Tongatapu. As Tonga is the last Kingdom in the South Pacific, land tenure regulation is principally owned by the King and his Nobles. According to law, the Lands Act designates every Tongan male upon the age of 16 to be given town and agricultural allotments in their village. However, Tonga has not had sufficient land to keep pace with the nuances of its modern dilemmas including heavy domestic migration to urban areas, unsound agricultural methods, and unsustainable development with no impact assessment. Mangrove forests have been severely depleted disturbing precious biodiversity and removing barrier effects of sea level rise and flooding. Tonga is also an agricultural nation. Its flat, rich soil is host to many fruits and vegetables not found in other South Pacific countries. Heavy fertilizer and pesticide use coupled with excessive clearance of wind-sheltering trees has significantly affected the country's natural resources. Although the government has been active creating policy and recommendations for various agricultural and land use issues, there is no enforcement to maintain safety standards.

The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) several years ago identified the mismanagement of hazardous chemicals in the Pacific Island Countries as a serious environmental concern, and hence the Persistent Organic Pollutants in Pacific Island Countries (POPs in PICs) project was developed as an AusAID funded initiative, to be carried out by SPREP. POPs are a group of twelve particularly hazardous chemicals that have been singled out by the recent Stockholm Convention for urgent action to eliminate them from the world. They include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are mainly found in transformers, and several pesticides that are very persistent and toxic to the environment.

The preparation of the Work Programme and Budget reflects the requirements of SPREP's Financial Regulations, the programme focus and priorities set out in the 2001-2004 Action Plan and the organisation structure set out in the 2001-2005 Corporate Plan approved by the SPREP Meeting last year.

The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) several years ago identified the mismanagement of hazardous chemicals in the Pacific Island Countries as a serious environmental concern, and hence the Persistent Organic Pollutants in Pacific Island Countries (POPs in PICs) project was developed as an AusAID funded initiative, to be carried out by SPREP. POPs are a group of twelve particularly hazardous chemicals that have been singled out by the recent Stockholm Convention for urgent action to eliminate them from the world. They include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are mainly found in transformers, and several pesticides that are very persistent and toxic to the environment.

The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) several years ago identified the mismanagement of hazardous chemicals in the Pacific Island Countries as a serious environmental concern, and hence the Persistent Organic Pollutants in Pacific Island Countries (POPs in PICs) project was developed as an AusAID funded initiative, to be carried out by SPREP. POPs are a group of twelve particularly hazardous chemicals that have been singled out by the recent Stockholm Convention for urgent action to eliminate them from the world. They include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are mainly found in transformers, and several pesticides that are very persistent and toxic to the environment.

The openlng statenents of bhe Honorable Mr Tol Agrlculture, Forests and Flsherles, tJestern SanoAau; kMusr o, lllnister for -Tanaril plerre, Director of PrograEEes' South Paclflc Cmnlsslon; and Mr Harold Etdsvfk, Chalroanr IUCN Connlsslon on Natlonal. Parks and protected Areas are reproduced ln full belon.

SPREP was first established in 1982 as a programme within the now Secretariat of the Pacific Community. It was accorded formal legal status to be an autonomous regional organisation in 1993 under the Agreement Establishing SPREP which came into force in 1995.

activities have not necessarily been stimulated by Barbados. Indeed the timeframe for the development of successful projects in the Pacific is such that it is unlikely that the Barbados Programme of Action has been a significant catalyst for much of wha is contained in this report. But it does provide an internationally agreed framework for review.

The region served by the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP; fig. 1) is situated in the middle of the largest continuous marine habitat on the planet, the Pacific Ocean. Marine mammals (whales, dolphins, porpoises, dugongs and seals) range throughout much of this huge region. Of the world’s approximately 120 living marine mammal species, three-quarters occur in the Pacific (cf. Rice, 1977a). Of the 90 or so Pacific species, perhaps a third are known to be resident in the SPREP region or at least to visit it seasonally or occasionally. However, due to the vastness of the region and the relative lack of research activity in it, very little is known about the marine mammals in the SPREP region. Much of what is known about the distribution and seasonal occurrence of large whales has come from 19th century American, French and British commercial whalers (cf. Townsend, 1935) and from researchers working in conjunction with modern Japanese whaling operations (cf. Miyashita et al., 1995a). Much of what is known about the smaller whales, dolphins and seals comes from the non-systematic, often opportunistic efforts of individual scientists. Dugongs have been studied relatively intensively in some areas because of international concern about their endangered status.