Search the SPREP Catalogue

Despite the ongoing impacts from the pandemic, the PacWastePlus programme Management Unit has continued to deliver outcomes, and has redoubled efforts to actively engage with you all, albeit remotely, we do understand that this has placed new burdens on you all, especially considering other programmes and agencies will have been requesting similar amounts of your time. We appreciate your ongoing commitment to the Programme and hope this edition of Connections provides some useful information on action to date, and outcomes that we will be providing in the coming few months.

The impact of waste and pollution on sustainable development in the 15 Pacific countries is taking its toll on the health of Pacific communities, degrading natural ecosystems, threatening food security, impeding resilience to climate change and adversely impacting on social and economic development.

In battling the COVID-19 around the world we see the impacts of this pandemic to our ecosystems. As people are staying home it gives time to our ecosystem to bounce back and recover itsef. But in attempt to to reduce possible transmission, the rise of disposables is on the increase, in countries where fast-food chains and restaurants still remain open, they are switching to entirely disposable packaging and away from re-useale items. But in re-opening our boarders as an increase in disposables we will see littering, marine pollution and will continue to exacerbate damage to our fragile ecosystem. Not only the impacts of the global pandemis, but also the devastation caused by Tropical cyclone Harold on our friends, Solomon Is, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga. But due to restriction of travel it has been diffucult to provide assistance to these countries. However staff from WMPC, JPRISM II and PWP stand ready to support with remote technical advice whenever needed.

A bi-monthly newsletter for the PacWastePlus project

Sea cucumbers, or beche-de-mer as we call their dried and marketable form, are todays special in this issue. Few people know that these strange looking creatures lying lazily in shallow areas of tropical waters are the targets of the second-most valuable capture-based, export fishery in the South Pacific, second only to tuna. Unfortunately, these targets have been hit so hard in recent years that several Pacific Island countries, which are among the main producers, have banned their fishing for up to 10 years, in the hope that stocks will recover.