Fri, Nov 30, 2012
Invasive Species, Waste, and Extreme Weather
Events among Key Challenges
Doha (Qatar), 4 December 2012 - Island communities
in the Pacific Ocean are facing unprecedented
challenges to their economies and environment
from the impacts of climate change, according
to a new report released at the United Nations
Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar.
Sea level rise, tropical cyclones, floods
and drought, combined with pressures from
unsustainable fishing practices and coastal
development, and consumption and production
trends, are rendering the livelihoods of
some 10 million people increasingly vulnerable,
says the study.
Low-lying islands in
particular could face projected losses of
up to 18 per cent of GDP due to climate
change.
The report recommends
actions to enforce legislation, improve
the availability of environmental data,
and strengthen environmental institutions
to help meet the major climate change challenges
facing the Pacific region.
The study highlights
successful efforts to create community-managed
conservation areas, such as marine parks,
which have used indigenous knowledge to
improve recycling, energy efficiency and
sustainable water use. Such techniques can
be scaled up, and serve as a model for other
regions, says the report.
Due to low greenhouse
gas emissions and the sustainable management
of the region's forests - often by local
communities - some Pacific islands could
see net uptakes of CO2 from the atmosphere
in the future.
The Pacific Environment
and Climate Change Outlook was prepared
by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional
Environment Programme (SPREP) in partnership
with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
and other organizations.
Covering 21 countries
and territories, mostly small, low-lying
island communities, the report provides
a detailed assessment of the state of the
Pacific environment, and lays out policy
options for improving sustainable development
in island communities. The experiences of
over 500 communities are included in the
study.
"This report presents
concrete evidence that food, freshwater
and the livelihoods of Pacific islanders
are under threat, and that the Pacific is
at the forefront in humanity's efforts to
combat and adapt to climate change, "said
UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive
Director Achim Steiner.
"Enhancing local
capacity to directly monitor, and manage,
the impacts of the region's changing environment
is essential for reducing climate risks,
but also for unlocking the potential economic
benefits that a transition to an inclusive,
low-carbon and resource efficient green
economy can bring," said Mr. Steiner.
State of the Environment
and Regional Trends
The report highlights
a severe shortage of data relating to environmental
change in Pacific islands. Nevertheless,
several key environmental trends are emerging
across the region:
Land
Housing, food and other
needs of growing population are placing
limited land resources (land mass accounts
for only 2 per cent of Pacific region) under
intense pressure
Severe loss of mangrove forests, but region
saw a net gain in forest cover between 2000
and 2009
Organic and chemical waste (eg. from mining)
has become a major problem for both land
and sea
Biodiversity
80 per cent of alien
species in the Pacific are invasive or potentially
invasive
60 per cent of reptiles, 21 per cent of
mammal species, and 13 per cent of birds
assessed in report are considered threatened
(based on IUCN Red List)
Freshwater
Availability of freshwater
varies highly, but demand is rising across
the region
Leakage in water systems affects up to 50
per cent of water supply
Water conservation practices (eg. rainwater
collection) have not been taken up widely
Fisheries
Main commercially exploited
species are reaching limits of sustainable
harvest
Catch of four main tuna species increased
tenfold between 1960 and 2009
Use of Locally Managed Marine Areas now
involves over 500 communities and is being
extended to terrestrial areas
Coral Reefs and Marine Environment
Climate change and ocean
acidification contributing to degradation
of coral reefs
Important economic impacts as reefs provide
major source of revenue from tourism and
fisheries
Plastics (including marine litter) are a
priority pollution threat
Drivers
The Pacific Environment
and Climate Change Outlook stresses that
efforts to build climate resilience need
to go hand-in-hand with actions to tackle
other causes of environmental degradation.
Policy responses should
seek to address such 'drivers' of environmental
change, and not simply react to their effects.
Among the main drivers
for the Pacific region listed in the report
are:
Population growth: The
population of the Pacific region grew at
an annual rate of over 3 per cent between
11000 and 2011, with many urban areas growing
at twice the national rate.
Exploitation of natural
resources: Increased interest in mining
activities could lead to more frequent disputes
on land use, as well as the shift from subsistence
farming towards cash crops such as palm
oil
Climate Variability:
Extreme weather events, coupled with low
land elevation and concentrated coastal
populations, mean communities in Pacific
islands are particularly vulnerable to the
impacts of climate change, with lower capacity
for emergency response
Recommendations
From efforts to improve
waste management, to community participation
in conserving marine areas, the report highlights
many actions already underway in Pacific
Island communities to tackle environmental
degradation.
However, the current
scale of action is insufficient to meet
the growing challenges posed by climate
change. This is primarily due to a lack
of funds, skills, and important environmental
data.
The report lays out
a number of recommendations to improve the
climate resilience of Pacific countries
and territories, including:
Need to implement and
deliver commitments made under multilateral
environmental agreements (MEAs), plans and
strategies. Many countries have endorsed,
but not yet implemented, agreements covering
hazardous wastes, pollution, invasive species,
and many other areas
Successful implementation will require extensive
engagement with, and involvement, of local
communities
Improved sharing and transfer of knowledge
and skills is needed to improve research
and data collection on the environment of
Pacific islands
More awareness-raising activities to improve
public knowledge of environment
Notes to Editors
The report covers the
Pacific Island Countries and Territories
(PICTs) of:
American Samoa, Cook
Islands, Federated States of Micronesia,
Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati,
Marshall islands, Nauru, New Caledonia,
Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua
New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon
Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
and Wallis and Futuna.
