As Pacific nations face the threat of coronavirus to their health and economic growth, the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) has taken action to continue to monitor and control fishing of the world’s largest tuna stocks. A key tool in FFA Member’s efforts for monitoring, control and surveillance of fishing in Pacific nations is […]
Category: Our region
Tackling Plastic Pollution And Marine Oil Spills In The Pacific – A Q&A With Mr Anthony Talouli, Pollution Adviser
The following is part of a Q & A series on SPREP staff. In this series, we will be introducing you to members of our SPREP team, giving you the chance to learn more about what we do. Mr Anthony Sumasafu Talouli is the Pollution Adviser at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme […]
Vanuatu bans importation of OKI tinned fish from China
The Vanuatu Government will ban importation of OKI tinned fish from China to prevent citizens from being exposed to food hazard, after a large quantity of contaminated products were sent to volcano victims on Tanna. These OKI tinned fish contained worms, which is a physical hazard and not fit for consumption although they are dead […]
Happy International Day for Biological Diversity!
‘Our Solutions are in Nature’ is the theme for this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity observed annually on 22 May. Nature-based solutions can support climate change adaptation, food and water security, and sustainable livelihoods, and biodiversity provides the answer to a number of sustainable development challenges we face. Corona virus 2019 (COVID-19) has given the […]
Eco-tourism major key to ‘tricky’ Pacific economic reset, says Leary
As New Zealand prepares to go to alert level two in the covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, the attention turns to the recovery of the economy – and we must spare a thought for the economies of the Pacific. Most of the Pacific relies on tourism, as does New Zealand, however devastation of the industry has rendered […]
Tropical cyclone season officially over
Eight tropical cyclones crossed the Exclusive Economic Zones of the South Pacific this 2019 – 2020 tropical cyclone season that officially ended in April. In Meteorological terms, this is known as a ‘near normal’ season. Tropical Cyclones Rita, Sarai, Tino, Uesi, Vicky, Wasi, Gretel and Harold wreaked havoc across the Pacific islands highlighting the need […]
Effective Management of Medical Waste Essential During Pandemic
As the world grapples with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, countries are now facing another challenge as a result: how to manage medical waste safely and effectively. Many types of additional medical and hazardous wastes are being generated during the pandemic, including infected masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment (PPE). The Secretariat of the Pacific […]
Forest loss slows globally as sustainable management grows
Globally deforestation continues, albeit at a slower rate, with 10 million hectares a year being converted to other uses since 2015, down from 12 million hectares a year in the previous five years, according to the key findings of a flagship report that is conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations […]
Wallis and Futuna counts FADs washed up on its coasts
Wallis and Futuna is counting the number of lost and stranded fish-aggregating devices (FADs) that wash up on its coasts so it can calculate the damage they cause. The campaign is being run by the Wallis and Futuna Fisheries Service. Bruno Mugneret, from the Department of Fishing and Management of Marine Resources in Wallis, said […]
UN climate talks postponed amid coronavirus pandemic
The United Nations-backed climate change conference (the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in Glosgow, Scotland due to be held in November this year, has been postponed to 2021 due to uncertain times ahead amid the new coronavirus or COVID-19. The decision was taken by the COP […]