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This report describes, quantifies and, where possible, calculates the economic value of Tonga's marine and coastal resources. Seven key marine ecosystem services are evaluated in detail: subsistence and commercial fishing; minerals and aggregate mining; tourism; coastal protection; carbon sequestration; and research, management and education. Others services are explored as well, including cultural and traditional values associated with the sea, potential future industries and other human benefits that have not yet been analysed or exploited. The scarcity of data about many of these ecosystem services prevents alculation of the total economic value, so the values below should be regarded as minimum estimates. Data gaps are described in detail in this report.

This study used a multi-disciplinary approach to investigate the patterns of population structure, spatial connectivity, and contemporary effective population size of the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus). It represents the first comprehensive study of the connectivity of this Highly Migratory Species (HMS) species in the Southern Hemisphere. Listing of the shortfin mako under the Environmental Protection Biodiversity and Conservation Act (EPBC Act, 1999) in 2010 was debated by recreational/game fishers. This was followed by an amendment to allow that sector to continue to target shortfin makos. Points of contention included a perception that there was: 1) limited information available to assess links between shortfin mako populations in Australian waters and those in the Northern Hemisphere, and 2) limited information on the movement and mixing of shortfin makos that support Australian fisheries.

The GEFPAS Integrated Island Biodiversity Final Project Review Meeting was convened in Vava’u, Tonga from the 21 st – 24 th November and concluded on the 25 th November, 2015 in Nuku’alofa, Tonga and was attended by representatives from the Cook Islands, Nauru, Tonga, Tuvalu, SPREP and UNEP and it concluded with the following key outcomes

Outbreaks of the corallivorous crown-of-thorns seastar Acanthaster planci (COTS) represent one of the greatest disturbances to coral reef ecosystems in the Indo-Pacific, affecting not only coral reefs but also the coastal communities which rely on their resources. While injection approaches are increasingly used in an attempt to control COTS densities, most of them display severe drawbacks including logistical challenges, high residual environmental impacts or low cost-effectiveness. We tested a new alternative control method based upon acidic injections of cheap, 100% natural products. We investigated the lethal doses, intraand inter-specific disease transmission and immune responses of COTS when injected with fresh lime juice (extracted from local Citrus arantifolia) and white spirit vinegar. High COTS mortality was achieved with small volumes: 10–20 ml per seastar induced death in 89%/ 97% of injected specimens after an average 34.3 h/29.8 h for lime juice and vinegar respectively. Highest efficiency was reached for both solutions with double shots of (2 × 10 ml) in two different areas on the body: 100% mortality occurred within 12–24 h, which is similar or faster compared with other current injection methods. Multiple immune measures suggested that death was very likely caused by pH stress from the acidic solutions rather than a bacterial infection. Contagion to either conspecifics or a variety of other reef species was not observed, even at COTS densities 15 times higher than the highest naturally reported. 10 to 20 l lime juice/vinegar could kill up to a thousand COTS at a cost of less than 0.05 USD per specimen; no permits or special handling procedures are required. We conclude that injections of lime juice and vinegar offer great advantages when compared to current best practises and constitute a cheap and natural option for all reefs affected by COTS

The World Parks Congress has been organized by IUCN every decade since . The first two Congresses were held in the USA (Seattle, ; Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, ), with the next three in developing countries (Bali, Indonesia, ; Caracas, Venezuela, ; Durban, South Africa, ). (Full disclosure: I was Deputy Secretary-General at Bali and Secretary-General at Caracas). Sydney, Australia, hosted the sixth Congress on – November , welcoming over , participants from countries. The purpose of the Congresses, broadly speaking, is to review progress in protected areas over the previous decade, assess the current state of protected areas, and chart a course for the coming decade.

Inthe1990's,LittleFireAnts(LFAs)founditswaytotheislandofHawaii,mostlikelytravelingwithashipmentof potted plantsfrom Florida.These plants weresubsequentlysold toconsumers along theeastcoast of theIsland, alongwithLittleFireAntcolonieslivinginthepottingmedium.LFAisnowthrivingandcontinuestospread.Fifteenyearsaftertheinitialdetectionin1999,LFAhasspreadtoover4000locationsontheislandofHawaiiandhas beenfoundinisolatedlocationsonKauai,Maui,andOahuIslands.Currenteffortsareexpectedtocontaintheinfestations on the otherislands but signi cant additional investment isneeded tohalt therapid spread of LFA on the island of Hawaii. Increased management expenditures can suppress infestations; reduce spread between sectors; and decrease long-term management costs, damages, and stings.| Animmediateexpenditureof$8millioninthenext2–3yearsplusfollow-upprevention,monitoring,andmitigation treatments will yield $1.210 billion in reduced control costs, $129 million in lowered economic damages, 315 million fewer human sting incidents, and 102 million less pet sting incidents over 10 years.| Over35years,thebene tsinclude$5.496billioninreducedcontrolcosts,$538millionlesseconomicdamages, 2.161 billion fewer human sting incidents, and 762 million fewer pet sting incidents.

This edited volume is part of a project funded under the Asian Development Bank’s Research and Development Technical Assistances (TAs): TA 7907 on Drivers of Poverty Reduction in Asia and the Pacific and TA 8239 on Addressing Knowledge and Statistical Gaps in Relation to Poverty Reduction, Inequality, and Inclusive Growth.

When a firm's Knowledge Management program isn't aligned with organisational strategy, its success can be no more than a happy accident - if it succeeds at all. In Designing a Successful KM Strategy, Stephanie Barnes and Nick Milton present a practical, step-by-step guide to crafting a KM strategy that supports your organisation's unique needs and goals.

The Earth’s climate has changed dramatically in the past. It has swung in and out of ice ages, at whose peak great swathes of North America, Europe and northern Asia were covered in sheets of ice three kilometres thick. It has been through periods of extreme heat, where subtropical climates existed in high northern latitudes. The height of the oceans has changed by more than a hundred metres.

Samoa is witnessing significant urbanization which has placed burgeoning pressures on the physical, environmental, social, cultural, legal and institutional systems and financial resources of the Government. Corresponding with this, the capital city of Apia has experienced extreme and extensive impacts from climate change and natural disaster events