Niue National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2015 (NBSAP)

Abstract

Niue is characterised as the single largest uplifted coral atoll in the world, yet in contrast it is the smallest self-governing nation. It is a unique island with its elevated rugged coastline and extensive forest cover, which comprises 65% to 70% of the land area, approximately 8.7 hectares per capita. While Niue is primarily an agriculturally based economy, the value of the country’s uniqueness and unspoilt environment has been realised, and Niue is marketed as an eco-tourism/adventure tourism destination. Niue is an environmentally friendly nation in which conservation and the sustainable management of resources is an integral part of the life style of the people. This is exemplified by Niue ratifying the Convention on Biological Diversity along with its sister conventions, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Niue’s commitment to sustain and effectively manage its environment was reflected in the development of the National Environment Management Strategy in 1992, its first National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) in 2001, and this second NBSAP.