Search the SPREP Catalogue

Buffer zones are an important tool for conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. All along the history of implementation of the World Heritage Convention, the protection of the "surroundings" of inscribed properties was considered an essential component of the conservation strategy, for cultural and natural sites alike.

A glossary on tsunami's and their characteristics, how they occur and their impacts.

There is almost universal acceptance that information and communication technologies (ICTs) are good for development. For example in the area of education, the World Bank points out that “educators and policymakers agree that ICTs are of paramount importance to the future of education” and that “ICT in education initiatives … are likely to successfully contribute to meeting Millennium Development Goals.” These technologies, most particularly those that are Internet-connected and capable of providing online information in real-time, “increase access through distance learning, enable a knowledge network for students, train teachers, broaden the availability of quality education materials, and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of educational administration policy.” 1 This position is shared by parents and teachers on the ground, such that the mere availability of ICTs in schools has come to be almost always equated with progress. ICTs in schools engender high hopes and great expectations for expanding personal and national horizons.

The concept of “sustainable development” dates back a long time, but it was at the United Nations (UN) Conference on Human Environment (Stockholm, 1972) that the international community met for the first time to consider global environment and development needs, to define principles for the preservation and enhancement of the natural environment and to highlight the need to support people in this process. Later, in 1992, at the UN Conference on Environment and Development, 178 heads of state adopted three important documents: a comprehensive plan of action entitled Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of Principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests.

For the Pacific region, the sources regarding first contacts are essentially accounts written by European travellers. One can quite easily imagine the extent to which these accounts, especially those published in the form of a book which was intended for a large public, foreground interpretations based on prejudices and preconceptions. Their preconceived views blinded the authors themselves, these first voyagers, and prevented them from understanding the whole range of acts and behaviours of the indigenous population.