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The marine species porgramme outlines a regional strategy for the cooperative conservation and management of dugongs, marine turtles and whales and dolphins.

This Action Plan sets out the policy context and key actions to minimise marine litter across the Pacific Island Countries and Territories. The scope of the Action Plan is intentionally focused on the Pacific island Countries and Territories.

Marine pollution is widely recognised as one of the four major threats to the world’s oceans, along with climate change, habitat destruction and over-exploitation of living marine resources. Spills of oil and other chemicals into the marine environment, both from ships and land-based sources, is a significant source of pollution. In a region sometimes called ‘Oceania’, the health of the ocean is fundamental to the sustainability of all aspects of Pacific island life. The importance of coastal and marine environments to every aspect of the lives of Pacific islanders cannot be overstated, and the impacts of marine spills constitute a major concern for Pacific island peoples. Because of a lack of major land-barriers throughout the Pacific, combined with a complex pattern of trans-oceanic currents, the Pacific Ocean is perhaps the most highly connected and continuous ocean, in terms of water movement, on the planet. This compounds the seriousness of marine pollution for the region. Events in one area can have implications for other areas, as pollutants and contaminants are carried from their sources by ocean movements.

The Pacific Islands region that is served by SPREP covers 32 million km2 and is in the middle of the largest continuous marine habitat on the planet, the Pacific Ocean. This region is home to a diverse range of large marine animals, including cetaceans (whales and dolphins), sirenians (dugongs), and marine turtles etc. Over half of the world’s known species of cetaceans are found in the region. The area also supports the world’s largest remaining populations of dugongs, and green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles.

The UNCCD has developed a new monitoring and reporting system to track and evaluate progress of its implementation through its Ten Year Strategic Plan and Action Framework 2008-2018. The new monitoring system called UNCCD PRAIS is an online monitoring, assessment and reporting system. It is being rolled out through a two year GEF-funded project by the UNCCD Secretariat through a contract with UNEP-WCMC.

Regional cooperation and responses are common across the PICTs. SPREP already has in place regional action plans for marine turtles, dugongs, and whales and dolphins. In addition, the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), comprising 17 Pacific States, has a proven track record in cooperation on fisheries management issues including the longstanding Nauru Agreement and the current development of a regional monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) strategy. The participation of the PICTs in other regional initiatives such as the Coral Triangle Initiative, in the WCPFC (see Figure 2) and in development of the Commission’s regional observer programme and vessel monitoring system, reinforce the view that this group of countries is well placed to adopt a regional approach to conservation and management of sharks.

As affirmed in the 2000 Dakar Education for All Framework for Action, education is well- recognised as essential to sustainable development, peace and stability with in and amongst countries. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) seeks to Integrate the values inherent in sustainable development into all aspects of learning to encourage changes in behaviour that allow for a more sustainable and just society for all. The declaration of 2005-2014 as the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development by the UN General Assembly, has added impetus to global efforts in ESD.

As affirmed in the 2000 Dakar Education for All Framework for Action, education is well- recognised as essential to sustainable development, peace and stability with in and amongst countries. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) seeks to Integrate the values inherent in sustainable development into all aspects of learning to encourage changes in behaviour that allow for a more sustainable and just society for all. The declaration of 2005-2014 as the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development by the UN General Assembly, has added impetus to global efforts in ESD.

Waste management is widely recognised as a major concern for PICTs, with the potential to negatively impact on national development activities, including tourism and trade, food supplies, public health and the environment. The Solid Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan sets out a long term programme for addressing waste management issues in the region to avoid these adverse social, economic and environmental effects.