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Active participation from people is key to the success of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). The purpose of these guidelines is to support government departments and organisations in mobilising people towards IWRM.

This report summarizes some of the main concerns and issues identified in a detailed assessment of the Pacific Islands GIWA subregion. The GIWA methodology used in this assessment is reported elsewhere in this issue of Ambio. The region contains a baffling diversity of island types and corresponding terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems covering some 30 million km2 of ocean space. There is also great geographic, demographic and developmental diversity. Differences in climate, geological resources, topographical features, soil types, mineral and water availability, extent of coral reefs and diversity of terrestrial, freshwater and marine flora and fauna, are also features of the region.

Guam consists of one large island with a total land area of 541 sq km within an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)of 218 000 sq km. Geographically, Guam comprises up-lifted undersea volcanoes, with a maximum height of 406m above sea level.The population of Guam was estimated at 149 600 in19991. It is a mixed population made up of the island’s original inhabitants, the Chamorros, together with Filipinos, Europeans and Koreans among others.Guam has a tropical climate, which is uniformly warm and humid. From December to May the weather is cooler with less rain. April is the driest month and from June to November it is wetter with gusty winds. The mean temperature in Guam is 27°C and rainfall varies from2 000 mm to 2 500 mm.