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A Samoan language video on the importance of the Ozone; Ozone Deletion and it's impacts towards the environment and people for survival. Produced by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) and put together by the IRETA-USP EMU (Alafua) in 1997.

The techniques of environment impact assessment, environment planning and protected areas are manifestations of the of western society with its growth of rationality, bureaucratisation and the centrality accorded to science. Environment impact assessment and planning techniques are also part of a growing international perspective on environmentalism that is moving towards common environmental standards and policies. The concept of formally protected areas is being subsumed into this globalist perspective, part of a scientifically-based discourse that argues loss of biodiversity is a global issue requiring a global solution.

The Sixth South Pacific Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas held in Palikir, Federated States of Micronesia, on 29 September – 3 October 1997, continued the series of nature conservation conferences held in New Zealand (1975), Australia (1979), Western Samoa (1985), Vanuatu (1989) and Tonga (1993).

Invasive alien species are recognised as one of the leading threats to biodiversity and also impose enormous costs on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and other human enterprises, as well as on human health. Rapidly accelerating human trade, tourism, transport, and travel over the past century have dramatically enhanced the spread of invasive species, allowing them to surmount natural geographic barriers. Not all non-indigenous species are harmful. In fact the majority of species used in agriculture, forestry and fisheries are alien species. Thus, the initial step in a national programme must be to distinguish the harmful from the harmless alien species and identify the impacts of the former on native biodiversity.

The need for economic valuation of coral reefs and other natural resources to underpin resource allocation decisions has always been recognized by economists, but recently it has been emphasized by others.

Internationally, the average budgets for protected areas in developing countries is estimated to be around 30 percent of what is considered to be the minimum amount required for conserving those areas. Internationally, donor assistance for biodiversity conservation has also declined, and many officially recognized parks are only paper parks , lacking sufficient funds to pay for staff salaries, fuel costs, surveys etc;

Mass coral bleaching of the scale following the 1998 El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) event is viewed by some as an intractable problem and by others as a challenge we need to do "something"about. Patterns of bleaching in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary show that each subsequent event has exceeded former thresholds of resistance and extended bleaching to new reefs. This is a matter of concern that increases the stakes and warns us that we cannot wait any longer to act. Responding to rising global concern, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) joined with the World Wildlife Fund U.S.(WWF-US) to determine how to shape the "something" into practical actions that could be implemented to mitigate the impacts of bleaching on coral reef biodiversity.

The Sixth South Pacific Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas was hosted by the Federated States of Micronesia in the State of Pohnpei from 29 September – 3 October 1997.

The Officials segment of the Ninth SPREP Meeting was convened in Nukualofa, Kingdom of Tonga, from 25 to 27 November 1996. Representatives of the following countries and territories attended: American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, France, Guam, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, United States of America, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna and Western Samoa. Representatives of the Forum Secretariat, the South Pacific Commission (SPC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) attended as Advisers. Observers from a range of regional, international and non-government organisations were also present. A list of participant is attached as Annex 1.