From the perspective of Pacific island states and territories (PICTs) much of the intense speculation and debate over climate policy seems irrelevant and immature given the oft-repeated warning of the severe consequences for low-lying islands and atoll countries of climate change
The regions fishery resources can be broadly split into two main categories: oceanic, and coastal or inshore. Oceanic resources include tunas, billfish and allied species. They are characterized by an open-water pelagic habitat and potentially extensive individual movements. Coastal or inshore resources include a wide range of finfish and invertebrates. They are characterized by their shallow-water habitats or demersal lifestyles, and restriction of individual movements to coastal areas. This paper discusses these resource categories, with a focus on the major types of fishing, the important species, the status of the resources, and the fisheries management that occurs.
As part of the RIF review process, a team of three independent consultants were commissioned to analyse, assess and validate the most appropriate regional institutional arrangements based on a range of options provided by the CEOs of SOPAC, SPC and SPREP. The key rationale underpinning the work was to optimise service delivery, in particular ensuring the SOPAC work programme continued without diminution and was potentially enhanced. This document presents the Final Report of Part Two of the consultancy.
The special SPREP Meeting:
ÿ Noted the ICR progress report and agreed to provide feedback on
the two discussion papers relating to proposed Secretariat
actions on ICR recommendations 59, 60, 61 and 79 before the 20th
SPREP Meeting; and
ÿ Endorsed the establishment of a task force, representative of
and open to all Members, to progress the issue of core functions
and related ICR recommendations and agreed that the
Secretariat would also establish an electronic bulletin board to
enable greater participation of all Members.
Climate in late 2016 and early-mid 2017| The Pacific has seen El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral conditions in the past
year. Near La Niña conditions were present in late 2016 and near El Niño conditions
developed in the eastern parts of the Pacific in early 2017;| Associated with the above was below normal rainfall in the central Pacific (Kiribati,
Tuvalu and northern Cook Islands) from late 2016 to early 2017 and below normal rainfall
in the south Pacific e.g. Vanuatu and Fiji from about May 2017. In New Caledonia, rainfall
was the lowest on record from June to August 2017. Also in June and July, rainfall was
above normal in the vicinity of the New Guinea Islands and the northern Solomon
Islands;| The 2016-17 South Pacific tropical cyclone season (November to April) was the least
active since 2011-12, and one of the quietest on record with only four cyclones occurring
east of 160°E.
Growinginterestintraditionalknowledge(TK),particularlyinrelationtothepredictionofweatherorclimate extremes, raises issues concerning the appropriate storage and management of the information collected. The Traditional Knowledge Database (TK Database) for the storage and use of TK associated with weather and climate prediction in the Paci c was designed with the following principles in mind: (1) preservation of the knowledge, maintaining cultural context wherever possible; (2) respect for intellectual property and cultural sensitivities around data sharing and use; (3) appropriate system design, accounting for ongoing costs of system maintenance and often intermittent Internet access; and (4) moving beyond data preservation to ensure continued use and growth of the TK.
The TK Database was successfully deployed to four countries in the south Paci c and is regularly used by their national meteorological services, and partner organizations, both to preserve TK related to weather and climate and as a tool to assist in monitoring the TK indicators. As the rst database of its kind, the TK Database lls a critical gap in the appropriate storage and application of TK and provides an important foundation for future developments.
The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
(ISDR) collaborated with implementing partner SPREP to host a five day Writeshop (workshop) in
Fiji in 2011. The Writeshop was funded by the UNITAR Climate Change Capacity and Development
(C3D+) Support programme. The objective/outcomes of the Writeshop were twofold:
1. To build capacity of young Pacific country scholars, practitioners and policymakers to write
quality publishable papers in the area of climate change, particularly on climate change
adaptation and the linkages to disaster risk reduction.
2. To produce quality publishable papers ready for peer-review and facilitate the publication of
peer-reviewed articles in academic journals to inform the policy making process on climate
change.
This Writeshop evaluation was informed by desktop research, an online survey and interviews with
some key stakeholders. The evaluation was guided by a set of evaluation questions.
· Were approximately 16 quality publishable papers published in academic journals as a result
of the Writeshop?
· What factors have contributed to achieving or not achieving intended outputs and outcomes
of the C3D+ project?
· What progress toward the outcomes has been made by the C3D+ project? Has the C3D+
partnership between UNITAR and SPREP been appropriate and effective?
· To what extent have the C3D+ project outputs and assistance contributed to outcomes of the
PACC programme?
Information on the Project Identification Form - Implementation of Global and Regional Oceanic Fisheries Conventions and Related Instruments in the Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
