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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 the Republic of Palau was carried out in Palau from February 23 to March 2, 1994. The Review is part of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme's (SPREP) National Environmental Management Strategy (NEMS) project undertaken in seven Pacific Island countries. One component of the NEMS project is providing an inventory, description and assessment of laws relevant to the environment to enable governments to make their own decisions on the standards of environmental legislation required and set the pace for appropriate reforms. This Review follows a similar format to those undertaken in other countries under the NEMS project and the SPREP Regional Environment Technical Assistance (RETA) programme.

The effects of marine resource development, aggravated by the rise of population in some Pacific countries, are disturbing those elements on which life depends. Modem technology is making it possible for distant water fishing nations (DWFNs) to fish the Pacific Ocean and sometimes within the exclusive economic zones of Pacific Island countries. The coastal zones, the breeding grounds for marine life, are under pressure from overfishing, coastal run-offs and wastes dumped in the ocean. Efforts to secure sustainable development, conservation and management of the marine resources take place, firstly against a 'background of complex international, national and customary laws, and secondly against a background of plural legal systems where laws passed by a country's legislature, laws "received" during the colonial era, and customary law, all co-exist.

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 Kingdom of Tonga 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 and carried out 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.