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Overall, it appears that there are no urgent environmental health concerns although a number of items will require significant attention during the coming weeks to ensure that ecological impacts are minimized. The most severe damage was found at Poloa, Amanave, Leone, Pago Pago, Alao, and Tula although widespread damage was also reported from Masefau, Vatia, Amaluia, and Asili. Marine and coastal debris is going to need extensive manual labor to assist with removal. Ideally, SCUBA divers would be used to check for sunken debris in deeper water, such as pieces of tin roof, as the longer the debris is left in the environment, the more likely coral reef damage is going to occur. Additionally, surveys are currently underway to assess general damage to reefs from the force of the wave although existing staff and equipment is minimal. No severe impacts to wildlife were noted from land other than small to moderate numbers of reef fish washed ashore in certain locations. Nearly all affected coastlines are suitable for staging areas.

The Regional Maritime Legal Advisor. Captain Dr. Peter Heathcote was in Samoa from 29 November to 04 December to assist the Ministry of Works. Transport and Infrastructure, the Samoa Shipping Corporation (SSC) and the Samoa Ports Authority (SPA) implement the recent amendments to the SOLAS Convention dealing with Maritime Security and the new International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code. During this short visit, an enormous amount of work was accomplished. Saturday morning saw the drafting of the necessary preparatory documentation for the Maritime Security Committee (MSC) Meeting on Monday morning. Early on Sunday morning the RMLA and [the Principal Surveyor of the Marine Division conducted an inspection of the port area, as well as two self-propelled landing-craft type vessels owned by SSC, the "Forum Express" and the "Fora O Samoa". Also noted was the passenger/cargo vessel "Tokelau' that operates between Samoa and Tokelau, which will also have to complete similar security measures. The next three days were consumed with meetings and inspections, and the evenings filled with drafting regulations and developing security plans.

Greenhouse gas emissions are the main anthropogenic cause of current climate change. The magnitude of future change will be affected by the extent to which these emissions are reduced. Regardless of climate change mitigation activities implemented today or in the near future, however, historical emissions and inertia in the climate system mean that further climate changes are inevitable. Some effects of climate change are already noticeable and there is a need and opportunity to be better prepared for future change. Individuals, societies and institutions should be aware of the impacts that climate change is likely to have and should have strategies in place to adapt to them. Forest, and the goods and services they provide, are essential for human well-being. An assessment of the likely impacts of climate change on forests and forest-dependent people, therefore, is important for effective climate change adaptation. Such an assessment can also assist the development of options for avoiding the harmful effects of climate change and to take advantage of the opportunities provided by it.

The trade in Hawksbill Turtles Eretmochelys imbricata, medium-sized cheloniids with a pan-tropical distribution, has been recognized as a key threat to their conservation in the wild, and has greatly contributed to the species being listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List (Milliken and Tokunaga, 1987; Groombridge and Luxmoore, 1989; Meylan and Donnelly, 1999; van Dijk and Shepherd, 2004; TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Indo china, 2004; Bräutigam and Eckert, 2006; Mortimer and Donnelly, 2007; IUCN, 2009). Sought after for its thick keratinous shell plates (often referred to as bekko or tortoiseshell), eggs, and sometimes meat, unsustainable harvest levels have endangered the Hawksbill Turtle throughout its distribution. Declines in populations in the Pacific have been widely reported (Hirth, 1971; Witzell and Banner, 1980; Pritchard, 1982; Balazs, 1983; Witzell, 1983; Johannes, 1986; Groombridge and Luxmoore, 1989; Miller, 1994; NMFS and USFWS, 1998; Meylan and Donnelly, 1999; Mortimer and Donnelly, 2007). Hawksbill Turtles and their eggs are widely used in Papua New Guinea for a variety of purposes, including subsistence, sale, barter (Spring, 1980, 1981, 1982a,b,c; Pernetta and Hill, 1981; Wright and Richards, 1983; Kinch, 1999, 2002, 2003a; Koczberski et al., 2006) and for celebrations at Christmas and the end of the school year, which coincide with the peak turtle nesting period in the austral summer months (Kwan, 1994; Kinch, 1999, 2002, 2003a). In many areas of Papua New Guinea, Hawksbill Turtles are also opportunistically taken as ‘by-catch’ by fishers out on the reefs targeting lobsters, shellfish and sea cucumbers.

The people, environment and economy of the Kingdom of Tonga are highly susceptible to the effects of climate change, climate variability and sea level rise. This high vulnerability is a function of the country’s degree of exposure to climatic events and its limited capacity to adequately adapt to these effects. Although the concentrations of Tonga’s GHG emission are insignificant in comparison to global standards, the country is still working towards effectively implementing its share of the global actions aimed at mitigating the causes of climate change. Such adaptation and mitigation requirements are putting significant pressure on the country’s limited resources and international and regional assistance has been a main source of support. Since acceding to the United Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1998 the government and people of the Kingdom of Tonga have been implementing measures to address climate change issues at the national level and contribute to global efforts. While there has been some progress there are also a range of areas where more work is needed and where capacity needs to be developed and strengthened. This report presents the experiences and challenges faced by the government and people in addressing climate change related issues and identifies the priority capacity development needs of the country to enable it to address climate change and also meet its obligations as a Party to the UNFCCC.

The global impacts of desertification and land degradation prompted the United Nations Organization to adopt the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1994. Tonga acceded to the UNCCD on September 25, 1998 and ratified the Convention in December 24, 1998. Under the UNCCD all parties to the Convention are expected to meet their national and international commitment to implement key activities. This report is the result of the National Capacity self-Assessment to identify and characterize critical capacity constraints relevant to effective environmental management in Tonga, and to develop a plan of action to address these constraints, in a co-ordinated manner to fulfil its obligation under the United Nation Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Natural and anthropogenic exploitation of natural resources led to the increasing rate of biodiversity loss. Concern was expressed by the international communities about the loss of biodiversity. In an effort to address the biodiversity crisis the United Nations Convention of Biological Diversity (UNCBD) was opened for signature at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. The UNCBD was opened together with two other conventions namely the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). These conventions are known as the “Three Rio Conventions”. Tonga acceded to the UNCBD, on the19th May 1998. As a party to the UNCBD, Tonga is required to take measures to ensure biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and the equitable sharing of benefits from the use of its biological diversity. The articles of the Convention also require adhering to. Tonga identified seventeen obligations under the UNCBD to be fulfilled.

Increasing recognition of the changes in the natural environment as a result of human interference has lead to the international community agreeing on a number of multi-lateral environmental agreements (MEAs). At the 1992 Earth Summit, world leaders agreed on a comprehensive strategy for "sustainable development" – meeting our needs while ensuring that we leave a healthy and viable world for future generations. Three key agreements from the Summit are the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. These three are known as the Rio Conventions.

Niue as a Party to the Rio Conventions, namely the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on Combating Desertification, and the Framework Convention on Climate Change, is preparing its National Capacity Self Assessment Report to identify the capacity gaps on the implementation of the Conventions. The thematic assessment component of the National Capacity Self Assessment (NCSA) Project reviews the status of implementation for each of the three Rio Conventions at the national level. It further analysis the capacity constraints on the implementation and proposes potential opportunities for building the three levels of capacity development at the country level.

Interviews were conducted in 25 locations (five in Survey Area 1, eight in Survey Area 2, and 12 in Survey Area 3) in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARB) with the majority of the interviews conducted in a focus group setting (80 %). A total of 20 adults and 10 calves were reported during this assessment for the first two months of 2008, with a total of 37 adults and 17 calves reported overall for 2007 and 2008. A total of 54.2 % respondent groups across all survey areas believed that dugong numbers had in fact increased in recent years, whilst 8.3 % thought that they had declined, 29.2 % felt that they were the same whilst 8.3 % were unsure. Reasons given for the increase in dugong populations in Survey Areas 1 and 2 was reported to be linked to the cessation of hunting; whilst respondents in Survey Area 3 thought it was due to the cessation of the mine, and subsequently less waste, sedimentation and boat traffic (both commercial and recreational).