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This is the Verbatim Transcript, Volume 2 proceeedings of the second South Pacific Conference on National Parks and Reserves held in April 1979 in Sydney Australia

A core objective of the MSV programme is research into the consequences of climate change for vulnerable groups and how to deal with those consequences. Participants at an initial stakeholder meeting held in Belize in May 2007 discussed the need for and relevance of a SIDS-wide assessment of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, and agreed that this assessment should contain strong links to the Arctic and that it should lead to concrete, community-relevant adaptation strategies, strengthen national adaptation planning, and support vulnerable regions in their call for strong action globally. Moreover, the Belize participants noted that a SIDS assessment should go beyond providing a "snapshot" of impacts and vulnerability in these regions, to produce results that can guide concrete adaptation actions and appropriate policy measures over time.

This paper attempts to present a "quick snapshot" of the current status of biodiversity in the Pacific Islands and the prospects and challenges for the mainstreaming of its conservation and sustainable use by Pacific Island peoples during the 21st century. It is hoped that it will form the basis for useful discussion dining the conference. Particular emphasis is placed on providing an understanding of the status of biodiversity, not only from a scientific perspective, but also from the view of the Pacific Island peoples who have owned and used it for millennia! It is stressed that most Pacific Island societies have rich terrestrial, marine and freshwater biodiversity inheritances and in-depth, time-tested (and hard-won) knowledge related to then use and management.