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Information on the Project Identification Form - Ridge to Reef: Testing the Integration of Water, Land, Forest & Coastal Management to Preserve Ecosystem Services, Store Carbon, Improve Climate Resilience and Sustain Livelihoods in Pacific Island Countries

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.

Nauru Utilities Corporation was established under the terms of its own Act of Parliament1 on 24 June 2011. The Act sets out the purposes of the NUC and establishes its regulatory, governance, and management structures. The powers and functions of NUC relate to the generation, transmission, and supply of electricity; the treatment, distribution, and supply of water; and the buying, storing, and selling fuel within Nauru. NUC’s corporate form is that of a non-departmental public body in that it has no shareholders or board of directors, but is subject to Ministerial oversight and has a legal personality separate from that of the Government. The Minister is advised by an Advisory Committee in connection with matters related to the operation of NUC, and operational matters are managed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The corporation requires cabinet approval for borrowing, acquisition or disposal of property, and must ensure that proper accounting records are kept. The approval of the Minister is required to appoint the corporation’s external auditor. NUC is the successor body to the Nauru Utilities Authority (NUA) which took over the utilities operation from the predecessor body of Republic of Nauru Phosphate (RonPhos)2 in July 2005. NUC’s fixed assets comprise of those initially inherited from the Nauru Phosphate Corporation (NPC) and those subsequently funded by donor partners or NUC itself.

Tuvalu was among the first to sign the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at the 1992 Rio de Janeiro United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). It ratified the CBD in 2002 and eight years later, the Tuvalu National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (TNBSAP) is now in place. Although it is among the last Pacific Island countries to formulate its TNBSAP, biodiversity was already part and parcel of Tuvalu s development framework, at least on an ad hoc basis. As discussed later in the main body of the report, conservation and the sustainable use and management of natural resources were integral elements of Tuvalu s culture and traditional lifestyles.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) was established by the Conservation Act 1987, and is charged with promoting conservation of the natural and historic heritage of New Zealand on behalf of, and for the benefit of, the present and future generations. DOC also has functions under a number of other Acts, including the National Parks Act 1980, the Marine Reserves Act 1971, the Reserves Act 1977, the Wild Animal Control Act 1977, the Wildlife Act 1953 and the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978. The Minister of Conservation is the Responsible Minister, and DOC’s work is funded through Vote Conservation.

DECISION ADOPTED BY THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AT ITS ELEVENTH MEETING XI/24. Protected areas

With a view to strengthen implementation of the programme of work on protected areas (PoWPA) and to align implementation with available funding and technical support, the Conference of the Parties at its tenth meeting adopted several measures in decision X/31. These include, inviting Parties to develop a long-term action plan for the implementation of the PoWPA (or to reorient, as appropriate, relevant existing plans), contributing to the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (paragraph 1(b)) and to use the protected area biodiversity allocations included in the fifth replenishment period of the Global Environment Facility (GEF 5) in a timely and appropriate manner, as well as bilateral, multilateral and other financial support relevant for protected areas, and to use their PoWPA action plans as the basis for accessing these funds (paragraph 10(b)).

This report estimates the cost of implementing Target 11, including the costs of a) creating new protected areas; b) establishing connectivity corridors; c) effectively managing new and existing protected areas; d) strengthening protected area enabling environments and sustainable finance; and e) conducting key protected area assessments.

Indigenous peoples and local communities have managed and protected a variety of natural environments and species for a variety of reasons, cultural, spiritual and aesthetic, as well as socio-economic. Today, there are many thousands of indigenous territories and other areas conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities across the world. Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ conserved territories and areas (ICCAs) are natural and/or modified ecosystems containing significant biodiversity values, ecological services and cultural values, voluntarily conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities, both sedentary and mobile, through customary laws or other effective means. They help maintain genetic diversity, conserve threatened species, and provide corridors for species’ movements. The cultural and economic livelihoods of millions of people depend on them for securing resources such as energy, food, water, fodder, shelter, clothing, and for providing income. ICCAs contribute to global food security by conserving important crop wild relatives, and traditional and threatened landraces. ICCAs play a critical role in ensuring access and respecting rights to customary sustainable use of biodiversity and also provide a fertile classroom for the passing on of inter-generational environmental knowledge, innovations and practices.

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.