Pacific Islands Environment Outlook - UNEP

INTRODUCTION
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on many islands have exceeded the level that local
resources can sustain.
Limited land resources: Many Pacific islands are
characterized by extremely limited land resources
such as soil and forest. Limited land makes many
terrestrial and nearshore resources very vulnerable
to overexploitation and to pollution from poorly
planned waste disposal.
Dependence on marine resources: There is a traditional
dependence on marine resources for daily needs,
foods, tools, transport and waste disposal. This
dependence remains in spite of new technologies and
lifestyles (see National Environment Management
Strategies 1992–94). The region’s ocean resources
contain the highest marine diversity in the world and
represent almost the sole opportunity for substantial
economic development for nations such as the
Marshall Islands, Kiribati and Tuvalu.
Vulnerability: The Pacific is often exposed to
extremely damaging natural disasters and to external
and global changes (for instance in climate, trade and
capital markets), and has a heavy reliance on certain
economic sectors (Thistlethwaite and Votaw 1992).
being implemented in the region. A review of the current
policy responses is provided in Chapter Two, whilst
alternative policy options for the future are addressed in
Chapter Three. Chapter Four provides an analysis of
emerging issues in the region.
The priority environmental problems that are placing
pressure on the natural resources, lifestyles and
economic development of this region have been
identified progressively over the last eight years as:
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loss of biological diversity;
threats to freshwater resources;
degradation of coastal environments;
climate change and sea level rise;
land and sea based pollution.
These priorities have been drawn from national state of
the environment reports prepared between 1991 and
1994 for National Environmental Management Strategies,
regional reviews of state of the environment reporting
(Thistlethwaite 1996), the Strategic Action Programme
for International Waters in the Pacific Island Region
(1997) and the SPREP Action Plan (1997–2000). They
are reflected in international agreements reached
concerning the sustainable development of islands,
notably the Global Programme of Action for the
Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing
States and related preparatory meetings (SPREP 1993c).
The priority problems are explored in Chapter One.
They also provide the focus of attention for the range of
national, regional and global policy initiatives that are