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The increasing westernisation of the indigenous cultures of the Pacific Islands has resulted in a decreasing dependence of these cultures on the plants and vegetation in their environment.

The Regional Seas Programme was initiated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1974 in response to the selection of the oceans as a priority area by the UNEP Governing Council. It is a global programme implemented through regional components under the guidance of the Oceans and Coastal Areas Programme Activity Centre at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi. Each regional action plan is formulated by the Governments concerned to respond to the needs of the region for a comprehensive approach to controlling both the consequences and the causes of environmental degradation through the management of marine and coastal areas. Action-oriented programme activities are generally supported by regional legal agreements.

This short paper considers the marketing and processing of black corals. It largely consists of extracts from May, 1987 FFA report "A study of the Marketing and Processing of Precious Coral Products in Taiwan, Japan and Hawaii." by C. Carleton and P.W. Philipson. Copies of the full report, which covers in addition pink (precious) corals and other aspects of a more general nature and contains recommendations for future developments focused particularly on the Pacific Island region, can be obtain on request from FFA. As indicated above, this paper is made up principally of extracts from the earlier FFA report. This is because no further work has been done by FFA in this area since then, so there is no supplementary information to add. However, some additional information that was gathered at the time of the preparation of the original report, but was not incorporated in it for various reasons is included here, in the hope that it might be of some relevance.

Western Samoa possesses a considerable wealth of natural and cultural resources from which many generations of Samoans have been able to derive benefit. However, appre- ciable areas of natural vegetation are being lost annually to agricultural, housing and communication development, or modified by logging and life styles and cultural values of the Samoan people are changing in response to mounting pressures imposed by a rapidly increasing human population and aspirations for higher living standards. In the foreseeable future, exponential increase in these pressures and consequent speed of change seem inevitable. In recog- nition of these circumstances the Government of Western Samoa sees the creation of a system of National Parks and Reserves as a means of conserving representative samples of Western Samoa's natural and cultural heritage in perpetuity.

Papua Neu Guinea is reach with a tremendous amount of tililolife including plants and animals. The country ia ragged with steep slopes and with abundant growth of natural vegetation. This mokes it extremely difficult to trav/el from one place to another. Because of tre remoteness of the country, of ihe wildlife resources ja unsccilt or untouched* In Papua New Guinea all of the Wildlife habitat area is native owned by individual clans or Lnder a complex form of Village ownership. This applies throughout Dapua New Guinea. Because the UJildlife Areas are native owned, the txaditional use Of wildlife haDitat and natural resources will continue and be encouraged. However care must be taken to manage wisely the wildlife habitat with its resources.

Baseline study of the Vitogo River and associated environment, Western Viti Levu, Fiji Prior to construction of a wood Processing Plant 1986

In July 1984 the South Pacific Commission (SPC) received a request from the Office for Tokelau Affairs for assistance on a project to document traditional tuna fishing knowledge. After several discussions between SPC and Tokelau Officials it was decided that a research scientist from the Commission's Tuna and Billfish Assessment Programme would carry out the work in Tokelau. Accordingly, Robert Gillett traveled to Tokelau in May 1985 and spent thirty eight days days on Fakaofo, one on Nukunonu, and two on Atafu. The results of that work, Traditional Tuna Fishing in Tokelau. appeared as Topic Review 25 of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme. The following is a translation into the Tokelauan language of that report.

Although the atoll was discovered in 1796 and claimed by the United States in 1858, it was uninhabited except for brief visits by guano miners, adventurers, government scientists and military personnel until 1936, when the U.S. Navy began developing first a seaplane base and later an airstrip and refueling facilities which served as an important link from the Hawaiian Islands to the western Pacific during World War II.

The vertebrate fauna of Rotuma consists of over 425 fish species, no amphibians, 11 terrestrial reptiles, 15 land birds and two native mammals. The zoogeographic affinity of the Rotuman fish fauna is with the Pacific plate fauna; in contrast, the affinity of the reptile fauna is with the Fijian fauna. A species list of Rotuman occurrence is provided for each of the four vertebrate groups as well as brief descriptions of the marine and terrestrial habitats.