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: Polynesia
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Work to address marine plastic litter gets off the ground
A cleaner Pacific Ocean free from single-use plastics. This is the vision behind the Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP), a six-year AUD 16 million project, which aims to complement existing waste management projects to support the delivery of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)’s Pacific Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter 2018. […]
Pacific island nations at the climate talks: Leave no one behind
Describing climate change as one of the greatest threats to their survival, leaders of the sinking countries in the Pacific region urged the international community at the 25th Conference of Parties (COP25) to urgently act and avert climate crisis. “ We are clearly on the frontline of climate change. They are realities for countries in […]
SPC and GIZ sign agreement to support NDC hub
The Regional Pacific Nationally Determined Contributions Hub (NDC Hub) was launched in 2017 as a response to calls from Pacific Island Countries (PICs) for a regional platform to support them in implementing, enhancing and financing their national climate commitments made under the Paris Agreement (CoP 21). Through the NDC Hub, a team of experts from […]
New Ministry planned for climate response in Samoa
The Government of Samoa is in the process of planning to establish a new Climate Change Ministry to deal specifically with the challenges of adapting to global warming. Discussions for the new Ministry’s creation were confirmed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) Chief Executive Officer, Ulu Bismarck Crawley, one the sidelines of […]
Dumped fishing gear is biggest plastic polluter in ocean
Lost and abandoned fishing gear which is deadly to marine life makes up the majority of large plastic pollution in the oceans, according to a report by Greenpeace. More than 640,000 tonnes of nets, lines, pots and traps used in commercial fishing are dumped and discarded in the sea every year, the same weight as […]