The sea has always been an intrinsic part of life for the people from the 22 island States and Territories of the Pacific. The Pacific Ocean provides food, transport, and a source of pride and identity for Pacific Islanders.

Our cultures have traditionally emphasized wise resource use and environmental stewardship, but industrialization, urban drift and rapid population growth threaten ecosystems that were once largely unspoiled. Habitats are being destroyed by logging and agriculture, the marine environment is being polluted from both land and sea-based sources, fish and wildlife are being over-harvested, invasive species are pushing out native biota, and climate-induced sea level rise threatens to drown our low-lying islands and coasts.

The South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), now based in Apia, Samoa, was established in 1982 to confront these threats. SPREP is the primary regional organization concerned with environmental management in the Pacific, and serves as the Secretariat for three Conventions.

The 1986 Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region entered into force in 1990. The associated Action Plan, adopted by Members every four years identifies four broad priorities: nature conservation, pollution prevention, climate change and variability, and economic development. The 1976 Convention on the Conservation of Nature in the South Pacific (Apia Convention) came into force in 1990 and deals with protected areas, representative samples of natural ecosystems, geological formations, and sites of aesthetic, historic cultural or scientific value. The 1995 Convention to Ban the Importation into Forum Island Countries of Hazardous and Radioactive Wastes and to Control the Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes within the South Pacific Region (Waigani Convention) entered into force in 2001.

As we look ahead, our priorities remain broadly the same as those identified in the 1986 Convention, maintenance of our unique environment to support the sustainable development of our islands for the benefit of current and future Pacific island communities. Two challenges stand out as particularly daunting, however. One is waste management, which has an enormous impact on the region’s health and tourism potential. With few options for disposal, minimizing waste will be critical.

Climate change is an even greater problem. Our region must brace itself for more intense rainfall events and, over some areas, increased frequency and severity of tropical cyclones. Sea-level rise and associated impacts such as coral bleaching and loss of coastal habitats. Our only practical response is to develop appropriate, affordable, and cost-effective adaptation and response measures.

As we continue our pursuit of environmentally-sound sustainable development throughout the Pacific, we will pay particular attention to the challenges of trade liberalization, globalization, tourism development, population growth, and urbanization and settlement patterns. We are still developing appropriate policy and legal frameworks for action at national and regional levels. We are working particularly hard to strengthen environmental education and awareness-raising, so that all our people will be empowered to safeguard their natural resources, lifestyles and economic development.

Tamari'i Tutangata is Director of the South Pacific Regional
Environment Programme (SPREP)

South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
P.O. Box 240
Apia, Western Samoa,
Tel: +685 21929; Fax: +685 20 231
E-mail: sprep@sprep.org.ws
Website: http://www.sprep.org.ws