Search the SPREP Catalogue

Twelve years ego the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm, 5-16 June 1972) adopted the Action Plan for the Human Environment, including the General Principles for Assessment and Control of Marine Pollution. In the light of the results of the Stockholm Conference, the United Nations General Assembly decided to establish the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to "serve as a focal point for environmental action and co-ordination within the United Nations system"(General Assembly resolution 2997(XXVII) of 15 December 1972). The organizations of the United Nations system were invited "to adopt the measures that may be required to undertake concerted and co-ordinated programmes with regard to international environmental problems", and the "intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations that have an interest in the field of the environment" were also invited "to lend their full support and collaboration to the United Nations with a view to achieving the largest possible degree of co-operation and co-ordination". Subsequently, the Governing Council of UNEP chose "Oceans" as one of the priority areas in which it would focus efforts to fulfil its catalytic and co-ordinating role.

Definition ot the region Special characteristics of Oceania Reviewing the protected areas system Methods Factors not considered in this regional synthesis

The Regional Seas Programme was initiated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1974 in response to the selection of the oceans as a priority area by the UNEP Governing Council. It is a global programme implemented through regional components under the guidance of the Oceans and Coastal Areas Programme Activity Centre at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi. Each regional action plan is formulated by the Governments concerned to respond to the needs of the region for a comprehensive approach to controlling both the consequences and the causes of environmental degradation through the management of marine and coastal areas. Action-oriented programme activities are generally supported by regional legal agreements.

Environmental Impact Assessment is the assessment of the impact that a development project will have on the environment. EIA is a management activity, like architecture, engineering design, economic assessment, and market, research. The goal of an EIA is to predict how a development project will effect the natural and human environment, and to minimize the effects.

Assessments of the general condition, stocking, composition, and growth of mangroves on the islands of Pohnpei and Yap and at one area on Kosrae were undertaken at the request of these states. Methods used included: reconnaissance on foot, by air and by boat; use of 1976 aerial photographs; remeasurement of forest inventory plots installed by the US Forest Service in 1983; and installation of new inventory plots, examination of public records, and reviews of published data (Pohnpei). Average annual increment of mangroves on all islands was 6.9 m3 per hectare per year; increments on individual plots ranged from 0.9-16.7 m3 per hectare per year. The wide variation in growth rates suggests that management could do much to boost productivity. Production appears adequate to meet present consumption except for a few specific locations and products. Problems affecting mangroves on these islands include uncontrolled exploitation, excessive sedimentation, and alteration of natural drainage. Actions to conserve mangroves are recommended.

As populations grow in Pacific Island Countries, urbanisation and development expand and pressure on the coastal zone increases. Demands are made for land reclamation and coastal stabilisation. The coast is expected to provide more and more resources ranging from construction materials to food, to ab- sorb growing amounts of domestic and industrial refuse, as well as to continue to retain its cultural importance.

The main objective of the expedition was to compare as large a series of islands of different climatic conditions, ages and geological origins as possible. This necessitated short visits to each selected island. The structure and components of the ecosystem under study were the focus of attention, while their functioning was considered to be of secondary importance.

This Environmental Legislation Review in Western Samoa has been produced as an important component of the National Environment and Development Management Strategies (NEMS) Project. The NEMS Project was developed to address sustainable environmental development and planning issues in a number of Pacific island countries. It was funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and implemented through the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) as part of a broader UNDP assistance project called Pacific Multi-island (PMI): Planning and Implementation of Pacific Regional Environment Programme which concentrates on regional and in-country institutional strengthening and training of environmental managers.

Human needs and desires demand economic development. Natural resources provide the physical basis for that development. But ever more evidence accumulates to show that human actions, whether through carelessness or through the necessity for development, are causing environmental degradation and resource depletion. This deterioration makes continued economic development more difficult both because damage to resources makes them less productive of economic goods and because funding and human effort must be diverted from development toward coping with environmental deterioration. In this situation there has come to be worldwide recognition that more attention must be given to keeping the environment healthy over the long term and to building safeguards into the development process to protect natural resources.

Traditional natural-resource management systems of the indigenous, communities of the Pacific islands, based on communal-property concepts, continue to function in the face of many changes in the circumstances in which they operate. All have been weakened by changes accompanying economic development - yet they have adapted, and persist.