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Samoa has faced 2 major cyclones in two years. Which affected the country's development: its buildings, roads, water and electricity supplies and agriculture were severely damaged or destroyed in many cases.

No other international meeting in the history of the Pacific Islands has generated such support or participation as the Earth summit.

Conservation is (now) the proper management of our resources including the people. So we need to manage human resources too.

A special session of SPREP Integovernmental meeting (IGM) was convened during the ocassion of the fifteenth South Pacific Commission CRGA to progress pressing matters raising from the Fourth SPREP IGM.

Tokelau is a small, isolated, non-self-governing territory under the administration of New Zealand since 1925. It consists of three low-lying atolls just south of the equator (9 S 173 W), a land area of 12 sq km fragmented into 127 islets and a total lagoon area of 187 sq km. The maximum elevation is 5m above sea- level. Rainfall is heavy but irregular averaging about 280qm per year. Major storms have occurred in 1846, 1914, 1966, 1987 and 1990 with the latter (Cyclone Ofa) the worst in living memory. The land is vulnerable to wave over-wash during storms which contaminates the soil arid freshwater lenses with salt. Increases in frequency and severity of storms have evoked fear of climate change which could make the islands uninhabitable.

Fiji is an archipelagic nation consisting of more than 300 islands scattered over 1.3 million km of the South Pacific Ocean. The two large, mountainous islands of Viti Levu, where the bulk of the population resides, and Vanua Levu comprise 87% of the total land area. The islands are characterised by diverse ecosystems, including significant areas of natural forest. A wide range of coastal and marine ecosystems occur, ranging from extensive areas of mangroves to various coral formations.