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The 15th Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation (PIRT) Annual Meeting was planned to be down sized to focus on a preparatory planning meeting for the 9th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas planned for mid 2013. The meeting was held from April 23th to 24th in Honiara, Solomon Islands. The meeting was focused on 2 streams the first being the Lessons Learning Learned and the second Conference Committee Preparatory Meeting The Conference Committee Meeting will focus on planning the next conference objectives, themes, agenda, hosting arrangements and funding. The Heads of Organisation meeting will be convened to discuss the roundtable business, next conference and new regional opportunities for roundtable engagement.

The report presents concrete evidence that food, freshwater and the livelihoods of the Pacific islanders are under threat due to climate change, and concludes that the Pacific is at the frontline in humanity's efforts to combat and adapt to climate change. As the President of Kiribati, H.E. Anote Tong notes, The problem is much more immediate than we perceived...

The 23rd Annual SPREP Meeting was held at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Conference Centre in Noumea, New Caledonia from 4 to 7 September, 2012. Representatives of the following SPREP countries and territories attended: American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, France, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, United States of America and Wallis and Futuna. Observers from a range of regional, international and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) also attended. A list of participants is attached as Annex I. The opening ceremony was conducted on the evening of 3 September. Mr Anthony Lecren, Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development of New Caledonia attended and welcomed representatives

The Pacific Islands region that is served by SPREP covers 32 million km2 and is in the middle of the largest continuous marine habitat on the planet, the Pacific Ocean. This region is home to a diverse range of large marine animals, including cetaceans (whales and dolphins), sirenians (dugongs), and marine turtles etc. Over half of the world’s known species of cetaceans are found in the region. The area also supports the world’s largest remaining populations of dugongs, and green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles.

The Regional Meteorological Services Directors (RMSD) Meeting convened for its 14th session at the International Conference Centre in Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands from 9–12th August 2011. It was preceded by a Pacific Regional Meteorological Services Directors Workshop in Support of Climate Adaptation Planning in the Pacific Islands on 8th August. The objectives of the meeting were for participants to formulate and establish a clear understanding of the Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC), the Pacific Desk Partnership concept (since renamed as the Pacific Meteorological Desk Partnership, PMDP), and the Pacific Meteorological Strategic Plan (PMSP) (2012– 2015). A total of 54 participants attended the meeting. Primarily the participants were Meteorological Service Directors and representatives from American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, United States of America and Vanuatu. Representatives of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, SPREP, SPC, WMO, UNESCO-IOC, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, University of Oklahoma, Pacific ENSO Applications Climate (PEAC) Centre (co-located at the University of Hawaii and the University of Guam) were also present

The 5th Oceania Regional Meeting was held at the Pacific International Coral Reef Centre in Koror, Palau from 26th to 30th March 2012. The meeting was co-organized by SPREP and the Ramsar Convention Secretariat and hosted by the Government of Palau. Funding assistance for the meeting was provided by the Governments of Australia and France with additional support provided through the UNEP-SPREP MEA project. The final agenda for the meeting is presented in Annex 1 and the final list of participants in Annex 2.

National Meteorological Services (NMSs) underpin economic growth and sustainable development in the Pacific Islands region. The weather and climate services provided by NMSs significantly contribute to the safety and well-being of Pacific people and communities and support key economic areas including agriculture, aviation, forestry, fishing, water resources, energy industries, transportation and tourism. In addition, these services are crucial to enhancing resilience to and reducing vulnerability from natural hazards and the effects of climate variability and climate change.

In 1981, the Isabel provincial government first recognized the importance of the Arnavon Islands as a nesting ground for Hawksbill turtles, and designated the islands as a Wildlife Sanctuary. At that time, however, the government did not adequately recognize the local communities' rights and the project failed. In 1989, the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) collaborated with the Solomon Islands government and the Ministry of Natural Resources (now the Ministry of Forestry, Environment and Conservation or MFEC) to survey the Hawksbill turtle nesting beaches and populations in the northern Solomon Islands including the Amavons. The surveys documented the severe depletion of the Hawksbill turtle population due to the turtle shell (bekko) export trade which has flourished in recent years. As a result of the surveys interest was renewed for conservation in the area and local communities were approached for their support in establishing a conservation area. Through its close association with SPREP and MFEC, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) was invited by the government to take a leading role in developing and implementing a marine conservation area project to protect turtle nesting beaches and other important marine and island species on the Arnavon Islands.