Tonga needs half-a-billion for climate adaption – IMF

Tonga needs more than US$600 million to adapt to rising seas and more frequent cyclones, with the capital Nuku’alofa considered particularly vulnerable. An assessment was recently carried by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF said Tonga was one of the most exposed countries to natural disasters, which are forecast to get worse. The report […]

Pacific lead in Waste Management

The Pacific region is the focus of cooperative waste management projects, including innovative recycling programmes, which are beginning to resolve long-standing waste problems in the region. This was revealed byKenichiro Koiwa of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Environmental Management Group during a presentation to journalists at the JICA Head Office in Tokyo Monday. The […]

Saving Tongan Whistlers

Nuku’alofa, Tonga – Mount Talau on the island of Vava’u in Tonga, is a conservation area. It is also a favourite sight-seeing place for many – locals and tourists alike. Hovering over Neiafu town, the view from the top is majestic. One gets to see the Bay of Refuge and surrounding islands from the mountain […]

Return of the kanahe in Vava’u

NEIAFU, Vava’u – Mullets (scientific name Mugilidae) were caught in waters of Vava’u around 50 years ago. “We used to have kanahe (mullet) around our island shores,” says Ulaiasi Vaisima, the town officer and local businessman. “Then they disappeared and for most of our lifetime, we did not see this species of fish again.” Vaisima’s […]

Saving Ha’apai

Every little action counts! The sentence remains true to the letter, especially in the campaign to reduce the impact of Climate Change here in Tonga and our neighbouring Pacific Islands. The action may be good or bad. The bottomline is every action we take and decision made impacts us either negatively or positively. Ha’apai Island […]

Carbon Sink With A Blink!

Climate Change has brought to our islands in the Pacific new challenges. Some of our islands have lost their waterfronts – the beaches have extended far inland, with mangroves and plants that once marked the water-marks now a part of history. Others in our Pacific are experiencing the continuing levels of sea rise – some […]