The Framework recognises that climate change and disaster risk reduction are intimately linked, and that an integrated approach to addressing them is more effective.Īs the regional organisation charged with the protection and sustainable development of the region’s environment, SPREP has been at the forefront of efforts to manage these environmental issues.
In 2016, the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific was endorsed by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders. There is a need for action on climate change so that responses are better understood, planned for, funded, and coordinated at local, national, regional, and international levels. Pacific island countries and territories are highly vulnerable to climate change, putting at risk the development gains the region has made in recent years. Pacific habitats and species face threats from proposed deep-sea mining, coastal development, nutrient loading, sedimentation, disease, invasive species, predator outbreaks, overfishing, destructive fishing, marine noise and light pollution, ocean acidification, and climate change with the impacts of higher temperatures, sea level rise, and increased risk of storm damage. Increasing harvesting pressures on natural resources, destruction and modification of habitats and ecosystems in the quest for development, and severe reductions in species populations continue to threaten the integrity and health of the vulnerable natural systems on which all island life depends. Waste and pollution generated from an increasingly consumer-based way of life put ecosystems and human wellbeing at risk. Climate change is already having very real impacts on coastal and forest ecosystems, our oceans, fresh water supplies, biodiversity, and indeed all aspects of life – particularly on communities in small, low-lying countries where sea level rise and changing weather patterns are creating social and economic disruption. Foremost among the threats is climate change, a deeply troubling issue for the environmental, economic, and social viability of Pacific island countries and territories. The vital resources and ecosystems upon which Pacific islands depend for their sustenance and livelihoods are under increasing pressure. Due to the limited land areas there has also been a long history of ecosystem modification and species extinction across the Pacific islands this trend has accelerated with modern development pressures which are increasingly impacting on island ecosystems. Indigenous cultures and their traditions over many generations have developed a rich heritage of stewardship over natural capital, of traditional management practices, and of knowledge. Lands and forests of the Pacific islands have nurtured their inhabitants by providing food, fuel, and shelter.
The marine environment sustains them, and they depend on it for food, transport, traditional practices, and economic opportunity. Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Programme - The SPREP Conventionįor thousands of years, the people of the Pacific region have relied on Oceania’s natural resources for their survival.
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