Search the SPREP Catalogue

Many societies have rules rooted in legal tradition that require the sustainable and efficient use of natural resources. The obligation of stewardship is a feature of westernised legal systems. In nations following the common law tradition, the doctrine of waste requires owners of land to use it sustainably. Elsewhere, customary law systems demand strict rules governing the allocation and use of resources. There is, therefore, an existing legal culture into which our generation's obligations towards the world's resources can be set.

To carry out a gap analysis on the adequacy of waste reception facilities in Apia port for vessels normally calling at the port. To carry out a gap analysis on the adequacy of waste reception facilities in Apia port in preparation for the P&O cruise vessel Pacific Jewel which will be in port during the United Nations Conference on Small Island Developing States during September 2014 (SIDS Conference 2014).

The Regional Capacity Development Workshop on Wetlands Management with Focus on the Ramsar Convention in the Pacific Island Countries was held in Nadi Fiji, from 9-13 March 2009. The workshop was made possible through funding under the Pacific Island Wetlands Initiative, which is an Initiative operating within the framework of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The workshop was jointly organized and delivered by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), The Ramsar Convention Secretariat and the IUCN regional office for Oceania (See annex 1 for the workshop program).

The Pacific islands of Oceania cover almost 15% of the world’s surface and are characterised by a high degree of ecosystem and species diversity. The region is characterised by thousands of isolated small coral atolls and higher volcanic islands, which has led to the high diversity of species found today. In fact, the number of plants and animals found nowhere else on earth (endemic species) is extremely high - often up to 90% for particular groups. Often, these rare and endemic species are adapted to specialised habitats and limited to small areas of a few islands. With economic and cultural dependence on the natural environment very high in the Pacific islands, along with a rapidly expanding human population, there are ever increasing demands on the region’s natural resources. Plant and animal species are therefore vulnerable to extinction from climate change, competition from introduced (invasive) species and human impacts such as habitat destruction, over-harvesting of species and pollution.

The Pacific islands of Oceania cover almost 15% of the world’s surface and are characterised by a high degree of ecosystem and species diversity. The region is characterised by thousands of isolated small coral atolls and higher volcanic islands, which has led to the high diversity of species found today. In fact, the number of plants and animals found nowhere else on earth (endemic species) is extremely high - often up to 90% for particular groups. Often, these rare and endemic species are adapted to specialised habitats and limited to small areas of a few islands. With economic and cultural dependence on the natural environment very high in the Pacific islands, along with a rapidly expanding human population, there are ever increasing demands on the region’s natural resources. Plant and animal species are therefore vulnerable to extinction from climate change, competition from introduced (invasive) species and human impacts such as habitat destruction, over-harvesting of species and pollution.