Island and Ocean Ecosystems
2 December 2013, Suva, Fiji - By Wati Talebula: - Fiji's President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau believes the Pacific needs to bring ordinary people into its conservation efforts to overcome "the culture of the throwaway package"
Ratu Epeli told delegates gathered for the opening of the 9th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas in Suva on December 2, 2013 there was a need for a revolution in personal attitudes.
"For too long, Pacific peoples have embraced one of the worst facets of western consumerism - the culture of the throwaway package," Ratu Epeli said.
"Our villages, towns and cities are strewn with litter, our beaches with plastic bottles and plastic bags, and other non-biodegradable containers of every kind," Ratu Epeli said.
"We can blame the manufacturers for packaging their products in these containers in the first place. But the responsibility for disposing of them properly is solely our own – all of us.
Ratu Epeli reminded the participants of the uniqueness of the Pacific Islands' common identity and challenged them to make the most of it.
The five-yearly regional conservation conference brings together government representatives, NGOs, development partners, international organisations and individual communities from through the Pacific.
The President also shared Fiji's hopes to see that "grand coalition" broadened and strengthened to include more representatives of the corporate sector.
"We are convinced that only through an effective public and private partnership as well as a holistic approach to conservation, can we tackle the complex challenges now before us," Ratu Epeli said.
He urged everyone to put away their differences and work together.
"It is high time for the world to put aside the differences and embrace the binding targets to dramatically reduce carbon emissions. At the very least, it is the prudent thing to do."