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This island nation contains many marine eco-systems, from globally significant coral reefs to mangroves, seagrass areas, seamounts and deep-sea trenches supporting at least 769 fish species, including sharks and rays, as well as whales, dolphins and sea turtles.

This review of environmental law is part of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) National Environmental Management Strategy (NEMS) project to strengthen environmental management capabilities in Pacific developing countries. The NEMS project currently encompasses seven Pacific countries, including Kiribati. One component of the NEMS regional programme is to provide an inventory and an assessment of environmental laws and provisions which exist within a country's legal system to enable governments to assess the adequacy of "environmental" legislation and to set the pace for appropriate reforms. This review follows a similar format to those undertaken in other Pacific countries under both the NEMS project and the SPREP Regional Environment Technical Assistance (RETA) Programme.

This Environmental Legislation Review for Tuvalu has been produced as an important component of the National Environmental Management Strategies (NEMS) Project. The NEMS Project was developed to address sustainable environmental development and planning issues in a number of Pacific island countries. It was funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau (AIDAB) and implemented through the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) as part of a broader UNDP assistance project called PMI: Planning and Implementation of Pacific Regional Environment Programme which concentrates oil regional and in-country institution strengthening and training of environmental managers.

This Review of Environmental Law in the Cook Islands has been implemented as an important component of the Regional Environment Technical Assistance (RETA) Project. The RETA project has been developed to address environmental issues in a number of Pacific countries. It has been funded by the Asian Development Bank with technical assistance from IUCN - the World Conservation Union. The RETA project is an important regional initiative, which reflects the need for careful management of the Pacific environment.