Pacific Islands Environment Outlook - UNEP

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Introduction
The Pacific islands region is unique, not because its
geographical, biological, sociological and economic
characteristics are found exclusively here, but because of
the combination of these characteristics within the
region. It occupies a vast 30 million km 2 of the Pacific
Ocean, which is an area more than three times larger
than the United States of America or China (SPREP
1992). This region is characterized by: small land masses
dispersed over 5.8 per cent of the Earth’s surface; a high
degree of ecosystem and species diversity; an
extraordinary level of endemicity; a high degree of
economic and cultural dependence on the natural
environment; vulnerability to a wide range of natural and
environmental disasters, and a diversity of cultures and
languages, traditional practices and customs focused on
the marine and coastal environment.
The 22 countries and territories of the Pacific islands
region consist of approximately 550 000 km 2 of land with
7.5 million inhabitants. If Papua New Guinea is excluded,
the figures drop to 87 587 km 2 of land and 2.7 million
people (SPC 1998). Geographically, the region extends
from Pitcairn in the east to Papua New Guinea in the
west. The region is home to a variety of peoples and
cultures, with three commonly recognized subregional
constituents – Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia.
More than 2 000 different languages are spoken across
the region (Thistlethwaite and Votaw 1992).
The countries and territories that make up the
Pacific islands region are listed in Figure 0.1 on the
following page.
Whilst the region is diverse in terms of the size and
features of its member countries and territories, there
are some common characteristic features (SPREP 1992;
Thistlethwaite and Votaw 1992; SPREP/ESCAP 1996).
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Geographical isolation: The large volumes of water
and small areas of land create an environment that is
relatively isolated on a global scale. Whilst in the
past this has had benefits from an ecological
perspective, it also provides challenges; for example,
travel both within member countries and on a
regional level can be difficult.
Fragility of the environment: Geographical and
ecological isolation has led to the evolution of
unique species and communities of plants and
animals, many of which are indigenous to only one
island or island group within the region. Changes to
land use, population, consumption and other
determinants of environmental well-being make the
Pacific island habitats particularly vulnerable to
destruction or damage.
Rapid population growth: In the past century most
Pacific island countries (PICs) have experienced
rapid population growth. This population growth,
along with the increasing commercialization of
subsistence-based economies, has been associated
with rapid increases in rates of natural resource
exploitation, especially of land, forests and fisheries.
While population growth throughout the region is
beginning to slow, there is concern that populations