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The integrated and sustainable management of water resources in small island countries of the Pacific and other regions is vital for the health and social well being of their people, the protection of their environments and the development of their economies. The very limited nature of water resources, the vulnerability of these islands and their resources, including water, to natural disasters, over-exploitation and pollution combined with increasing demands for freshwater due to expanding populations and, in some cases, tourism, industry and agriculture, makes the sustainable management of water resources a very high priority. In reality, there are many issues which currently constrain the achievement of the goal of sustainable water resources management. At the national level, there is often fragmentation in the water sector, inadequate water resources legislation, policy and planning. There is often insufficient local human resources capacity to conduct water resources assessment and monitoring. In many islands, there is insufficient hydrological data available for analysis and water resources planning. Other issues include conflicts related to use of water resources and locations of water supply systems on customary land, problems with designs and implementation of projects, and insufficient community education, awareness & participation. In addition, there are some water resources issues which require further applied research and training in order to better understand them and to disseminate results

This report stems from interests by the PNG Departments of Treasury, Finance, and Environment and Conservation, on why the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) Project (TF NO. 21186) with $US 182,000-00 for a 12 months duration was terminated, and to possibly renegotiate the extension of the current project or a new project with the World Bank (WB)-Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Promote and encourage the use of standard wetland inventory methodologies following the Ramsar Framework for Wetland Inventory (Resolution VIII.6), to undertake, update and disseminate national (or, where appropriate, provincial) scientific inventories of wetlands.

Recruit new Contracting Parties, especially in the less well represented regions and among states with significant and/or transboundary wetland resources (including shared species), [CPs, SC regional representatives, Bureau, Partners]

To develop the capacity of institutions in Contracting Parties, particularly in developing countries, to achieve conservation and wise use of wetlands.

In the long term, the earth must shed energy into space at the same rate at which it absorbs energy from the sun. Solar energy arrives in the form of shortwavelength radiation. Some of this radiation is reflected away by the earth's surface and atmosphere. Most of it, however, passes straight through the atmosphere to warm the earth's surface. The earth gets rid of this energy (sends it back out into space) in the form of long wavelength, infra-red radiation.

In March 2002, a workshop was held to build a comprehensive long-term monitoring plan for American Samoa by coordinating existing monitoring programs and identifying areas where additional monitoring/research was needed. The primary achievement of the plan is to identify and define core sites on the main islands of Tutuila and the Manu’a group in order to mesh existing programs monitoring corals, fishes and water quality. The priority for these and future monitoring programs will be to monitor these core sites, of which there are eight on Tutuila and six on each of the islands of Ofu/Olosega and Ta’u. The other major monitoring initiative is that of the multi-disciplinary Coral Reef Ecosystem Investigation surveys which will monitor alternative sites on Tutuila and the Manu’a group, as well as remote Swains Island and Rose Atoll. The monitoring plan acts as an in-depth guide to coral reef monitoring in American Samoa by detailing the goals and methodologies of these and other major monitoring programs, notably of the various Marine Protected Areas. Listing the workshop recommendations for additional monitoring/research needed for comprehensive long-term monitoring completes the plan.

The islands of the Federated States of Micronesia are made up of coral reefs that are species rich. These reefs are highly beneficial to the people of the FSM for they provide food and other products that are vital for the survival of a human individual. With the growing population of the FSM, the demand on the exploitation of the resources is heightened causing increased degradation of marine biodiversity. This biodiversity is still high within the FSM reefs but face many anthropogenic threats. Brief descriptions of the FSM islands and their locations as well as their marine habitats are given to indicate the vast diversity of the islands.

The coastal areas in the East Asian and Pacific region have experienced intense development and growth during the past few decades. Rapid growth in economy and population has been accompanied by adverse impacts on environmental quality and living resources in these areas. This has created a challenge for researchers, coastal managers and policy makers to understand both the nature of developmental impacts and the drivers behind them in order to devise effective strategies to respond to the trend of degradation in coastal habitats. Successful strategies have to be designed with due consideration to the socio-economic conditions as well as the state of coastal ecosystems in the region

One of the most oppressive and catastrophic experiences is to be trapped in a desert for some time without water and cover. The search for water to quench a lingering thirst can be a misery. Water obviously is a necessity for life. Water in its various forms is an essential media for transport, trade, and communication apart from other uses such as for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing, gardening, fire fighting, and manufacturing processes. The quality as well as the adequacy of water has a significant impact on the level of sanitation, personal hygiene and economic status of a locality. Water shortage in drought stricken areas is the root cause of poor sanitation and consequently the occurrence of water-borne diseases and epidemics