Pacific Islands Environment Outlook - UNEP

More documents

Recommendations

Info

MEAS AND NON-BINDING INSTRUMENTS 35 Table 2.3: Regional Multilateral Environmental Agreements Forum Sec. = Secretariat of the South Pacific Forum Signature Ratification-Accession Signature/Ratification-Accession Depository Secretariat Australia Cook Is FSM Fiji Kiribati Marshall Is Nauru Niue Palau PNG Samoa Solomon Is Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu France French Polynesia New Caledonia Wallis & Futuna New Zealand Tokelau UK Pitcairn US American Samoa Guam Northern Marianas Convention on Conservation of Nature in the South Pacific Entry into force 26 June 1990 Govt. Samoa SPREP Forum Sec. SPREP Forum Sec. SPREP Convention for the Protection of the Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region Entry into force 22 August 1990 Protocol 1 Protocol 2 Convention to Ban the Importation of Hazardous/Radioactive Wastes; Control Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes within the South Pacific Region 16 Sept 1995 (not in force) South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty SPNFZT 6 August 1985 Entry into force 11 December 1986 Protocol 1 Protocol 2 Protocol 3 Forum Sec. Forum Sec. Niue Treaty on Co-operation in Fisheries Surveillance and Law Enforcement in the South Pacific FFA FFA FFA FFA Convention on the Prohibition of Fishing with Long Driftnets in the South Pacific Wellington 1990 Protocol 1 Protocol 2 Compiled by SPREP (1999)
36 POLICY RESPONSES sector reform programmes through the Forum Economic Ministers’ Meeting (FEMM), and the South Pacific Organizations Coordinating Committee (SPOCC) Regional Development Strategy and working groups on marine resources and tourism. Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities The international community adopted the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land Based Activities in Washington DC in 1995. While a range of national and regional initiatives have attempted to address the issues of source categories covered by the GPA, no specific initiative has been taken to implement the GPA in the Pacific region (SPREP 1999a). The first steps to develop a complementary Regional Programme of Action are expected to take place in 1999. REGIONAL A number of non-binding environmental agreements operate in the Pacific. Most of these agreements have translated into specific programmes and are consistent with the objectives of Agenda 21. The principal agreement for environmental protection is the SPREP Action Plan 1997–2000. This is a requirement of the Agreement Establishing SPREP Figure 2.1: Change in staffing levels of environment units in selected PICs 1990 5 4 3 3 3 1 1 Source: after Miles (1994) Kiribati Fiji Palau Solomon Islands Tokelau Tuvalu Vanuatu Western Samoa 1 2 1995 5 5 6 7 includes 3 atoll co-ordinators 8 includes 3 project staff 12 (1995), which gave the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) new legal status and a framework for members to improve co-ordination on environmental matters and to protect and improve the shared environment of Pacific island states. The programmes contained in the Action Plan cover a wide range of detailed environmental issues. The five priorities identified in the Action Plan are: 1. Biodiversity and Natural Resource Conservation 2. Climate Change and Integrated Coastal Management 3. Waste Management, Pollution Prevention and Emergencies 4. Environmental Management, Planning and Institutional Strengthening 5. Environmental Education, Information and Training Related to the implementation of the Action Plan, governments and NGOs have agreed to an Action Strategy for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. This was revised in 1998 and is now the focus for a series of donor/institution/NGO round-tables to promote its implementation. Laws and institutions Institutional and legal frameworks at national level While it may be difficult to demonstrate categorically where there has been progress to protect the environment at the national level, some of the policy and institutional foundations for progress towards sustainable development are being put in place. These include the strengthening of environment units and the adoption of National Environmental Management Strategies (NEMS). The capacity of countries to undertake activities to protect the environment and to integrate environmental objectives into national planning and decision-making is a useful measure of progress. Any increase in the number of staff in environment units, particularly at a time when the public sector is under pressure to downsize, is an indication that governments are making some commitment towards the implementation of Agenda 21. Not all positions are financed solely from government funds but those that are financed through official development assistance result from government requests for assistance and are normally linked to the provision of counterparts and logistic support. As shown in Figure 2.1 there has been a discernible increase in the region.
Page 1 and 2: PACIFIC ISLANDS ENVIRONMENT OUTLOOK
Page 3 and 4: Pacific Islands Environment Outlook
Page 5 and 6: Text boxes Box 0.1: The GEO process
Page 7 and 8: viii Box 0.1: The GEO process The p
Page 9 and 10: xi Introduction The Pacific islands
Page 11 and 12: INTRODUCTION xiii ● ● ● on ma
Page 13 and 14: 2 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT changed
Page 15 and 16: 4 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT distance
Page 17 and 18: 6 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT local kn
Page 19 and 20: 8 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT Box 1.1:
Page 21 and 22: 10 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT Table 1
Page 23 and 24: 12 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT Figure
Page 25 and 26: 14 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT of mari
Page 27 and 28: 16 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT Figure
Page 29 and 30: 18 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT destruc
Page 31 and 32: 20 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT 425 400
Page 33 and 34: 22 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT related
Page 35 and 36: 24 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT range o
Page 37 and 38: 26 STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT Table 1
Page 39 and 40: 28 POLICY RESPONSES Coordinating Co
Page 41 and 42: 30 POLICY RESPONSES including legis
Page 43 and 44: 32 POLICY RESPONSES implemented MEA
Page 45: 34 POLICY RESPONSES Table 2.2: Prog
Page 49 and 50: 38 POLICY RESPONSES Governments hav
Page 51 and 52: 40 POLICY RESPONSES Economic instru
Page 53 and 54: 42 POLICY RESPONSES few staff, ofte
Page 55 and 56: 44 POLICY RESPONSES could derive ma
Page 57 and 58: 46 POLICY RESPONSES February 1999,
Page 59 and 60: 49 Chapter Three Alternative Policy
Page 61 and 62: WATER AND FOOD SECURITY 51 addressi
Page 63 and 64: INTEGRATED DECISION-MAKING 53 that
Page 65 and 66: 56 EMERGING ISSUES ● an internali
Page 67 and 68: 58 EMERGING ISSUES not time limited
Page 69 and 70: 60 REFERENCES References ADB (in co
Page 71 and 72: 62 ACRONYMS Acronyms ACP ADB ALC AO
Page 73 and 74: 64 PARTICIPANTS IN THE REGIONAL CON
Page 75 and 76: Global Environment Outlook The Paci

Pacific Islands Environment Outlook - UNEP

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?