Our Sea of Islands Our Livelihoods Our Oceania - SPREP

6.0
desIgn eleMenTs fOR a PaCIfIC
OCeansCaPe fRaMewORk
Policy and legal context
The policy assessment identifies various regional policy instruments 24 as relevant, with the Pacific Plan
(2005) and the Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Policy (2002) being of particular importance to informing
the design of a Framework for a Pacific Oceanscape. The Framework will need to demonstrate how
it will relate to existing policy and indeed how it will support and complement the plethora of existing
processes and agreements 25 .
Framework principles, scope and vision
Principles – all regional policy and planning instruments that have been reviewed outline principles
that seek to guide the spirit in which they should be implemented, by highlighting broad areas of
policy focus and intent. There are four pillars26 to the Pacific Plan and six principles in the PIROP and
PIROF-ISA (refer Section 3.2), which provide a rich basis to draw from to design principles that are
appropriate for a Framework for a Pacific Oceanscape. They provide practical guidance on how our
ocean can: be governed well; provide services that are sustainably developed giving livelihood and
lifestyle opportunities for Pacific peoples and countries; against a backdrop of peace and security.
The briefing paper for a Pacific Oceanscape outlines three key component areas of (i) Pacific Ocean
Arcs; (ii) Climate Change and Ocean Security; and (iii) Leadership and Learning, with objectives being
firmly anchored to a central theme of ocean conservation and management (refer Annex 1). Each of
the component areas and related objectives appear to resonate well with the principles and initiatives of
the PIROP and PIFACC, and to a lesser extent with parts of the Pacific Plan and the FfADRM. Synergies
and potential for overlaps between a Framework for a Pacific Oceanscape and other regional policy
instruments and their related frameworks for action are outlined in Table 3, with a similar assessment
of synergies between the key initiatives outlined in the PIROF-ISA and the issues and themes identified
in the briefing paper for a Pacific Oceanscape presented in Table 4. All of the policies acknowledge
governance, decision making, partnerships and cooperation as essential for meeting policy goals and
objectives, which are also identified as essential elements of a Pacific Oceanscape.
24 Regional policies of relevance include those that address climate change (Pacific Islands Framework for Action on Climate Change
– PIFACC), disaster risk management (A Framework for Action 2005-2015 – Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities
to Disasters – FfADRM) and sustainable management of freshwater resources (Pacific Regional Action Plan for Sustainable Water
Management – Pacific RAP) in view of their implications for responsible ocean governance and sustainable development.
25 “…rather than reinventing the wheel, Seascapes should build on existing processes and regional agreements.” (Conservation
International. 2010).
26 The four pillars of the Pacific Plan are: Economic Growth (sustainable, pro-poor economic growth); Sustainable Development (integration
and mutual reinforcement between the three pillars of economic development, social development and environment conservation.
Essential requirements for SD include active stakeholder participation, poverty eradication, changing unsustainable patterns of
production and consumption and, managing and conserving the natural resource base for economic and social development while
maintaining the underlying ecological processes); Good Governance (improved transparency, accountability, equity and efficiency in
management and use of resources in the Pacific); and, Security (improved political and social conditions for stability and safety).
38 Our Sea of Islands – Our Livelihoods – Our Oceania