Search the SPREP Catalogue

The aim of this policy brief is to: alert Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs) to the projected effects of climate change on the contributions that oceanic fisheries make to economic development and government revenue and identify the adaptations and policies needed to reduce the threats and capitalise on the opportunities.

This publication is the result of the first phase of a 2-year project 'Adapting to climate change in eastern New Zealand' funded by: MAF Sustainable Farming Fund, AGMARDT, Climate Change Office/Ministry for the Environment, Hawke's Bay Regional Council, Environment Bay of Plenty, Environment Cantebury, and Merino NZ Inc.

Over the ages, human societies have altered local ecosystems and modified regional climates. Today, the human influences has attained a global scale. This reflects the recent rapid increase in population size, energy consumption, intensity of land use, international trade and travel, and other human activities. These global changes have heightened awareness that the long-term good health of populations depends on the continued stability and functioning of the biosphere's ecological, physical, and socioeconomic systems.

This publication includes: i) a summary of the technical presentations provided to the Workshop participants on the implications of climate change for Pacific fisheries and aquaculture; and ii) the outcomes of discussions by participants on the priority adaptations that Pacific island countries and territories (PICTs) can implement to reduce risks and take advantage of opportunities. The Workshop was hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) as the culmination of 3.5 years of work to assess the vulnerability of Pacific fisheries and aquaculture to climate change.

Currently some 13% of the world’s terrestrial surface and 4% of marine areas (0-200 nautical miles) under national jurisdiction is protected. These areas serve to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services. However, it is well known that they face multiple drivers of change and threats that contribute to their decline and degradation. As our conceptions of the roles and functions of protected areas evolve over the coming decade, we expect that corresponding adjustments in policy will allow protected areas to continue contributing to livelihoods and cultural practices, generating tourism revenues, bolstering local and national economies, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and providing habitat for populations and species.

Forum leaders have directed the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) to assist in improving Forum Island Countries' (FICs) access to and management of climate change resources. The assessment framework presented in this report is part of several initiatives being coordinated and/or supported by PIFS in response to this direction.

Although the term biodiversity emerged from the pool of obscure jargon quite a few years ago, it is still enshrouded with significant ambiguity. At one extreme, some people use it as a loose synonym for nature. At the other extreme, some people reduce biodiversity to simplistic parameters, such as the number of species. Conservation organizations, both private and public, must navigate these waters with great care. They need to engage a pulic that loves nature as embodied in beautiful places and charming creatures - elk in a Yellowstone meadow or snow leopards on a Himalayan snowfield - while expounding the values of species and ecosystems that have "swamp," "rat," or "spider" in their titles. A the same time, to undertake their work in a systematic and rigorous manner, conservation organizations need to be able to quantify their goals and accomplishments. Some things are easy to measure, such as the areas of new reserves, but biodiversity writ large is not one of them.

Nile tilapia (oreochromis niloticus) is an introduced low-value freshwater fish in the Pacific which can easily adapt to a wide variety of breeding environments. However, this fresh water fish has limited scope for consumption in the fresh form in Pacific Island countries like Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Tilapia could be used to alleviate food security issues in light of the increasing fishing pressure and climate change threats