22 March 2013 - Registration is now open for the ninth Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas to be hosted in Suva, Fiji at the end of the year. This conference is the premier event for nature conservation and protected areas work in the Pacific region, the outcomes of which will shape the direction of this work for the next 5 years.
"This major conference is an ideal opportunity to showcase the successes, best practices and lessons learnt from all member countries and territories in our efforts to preserve our unique environment and Pacific way of life 
from the growing threats of environmental and social change, including the impacts of climate change," said Mr. David Sheppard, the Director General at SPREP.
The very first Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas took place in New Zealand in 1975. Since then the event has been held every 4 – 5 years throughout the region, growing in participation each time.
This year the conference theme is Natural Solutions: Building Resilience for a Changing Pacific, highlighting the role of ecosystem services and natural resources to help adapt to the impacts of climate change.
"One of the key objectives of this conference is to promote ecosystem based initiatives for climate change adaptation in the Pacific and to identify how such initiatives can be strengthened and more effectively applied as adaptation solutions to climate change impacts," Said Mr. Sheppard.
There will be many opportunities for interested partners and stakeholders to be a part of this conference. These will be announced in due course by the partners coordinating the event - the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Government of Fiji, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation (PIRT) and others.
- Natural Solutions to strengthen resilience in the Pacific Islands -
"The 9th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas will be held at the University of the South Pacific, Laucala Campus, Suva, Fiji from 2 - 6 December. For registration please visit: http://www.sprep.org/pacificnatureconference and for more information please contact [email protected]"