The South Pacific Regional Marine Pollution Assessment and Control Programme (SPREP POL) : an integral part of the 1991-2 Work Programme of the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)

Abstract

This is a region-wide activity covering all the island territories of the region except Australia and New Zealand. Since most of the pollutants found in the South Pacific are land-derived, this will provide the data necessary for determining what pollutants are likely to be found in any given locality. Atmospheric transport of pollutants may be important in certain parts of the world, but recent studies have shown that the South Pacific atmosphere (apart from certain industrial areas) is the cleanest so far studied (Riley et al., 1989). Negotiations are nearing completion with IMO to undertake a complementary inventory of ship-based pollutant sources for the region.