Parallel Session Title:Achieving internationally agreed coral reef targets in the Pacific – Partnerships to strengthen coral reef assessment and ecosystem service approaches for planning, management and financing
Convening Organisation(s):International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI);
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
Conveners:Jerker Tamelander – UNEP
Anne Caillaud – GBRMPA
ICRI’s Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network
ICRI’s Ad Hoc Committee on Economic Valuation of coral reefs
SPREP
Venue:Communication Conference Room; Laucala Campus, USP
The session will discuss internationally agreed targets relevant to coral reefs, and how partnerships can contribute to their achievement in the Pacific. Building on experiences from within as well as outside the region drawn from the International Coral Reef Initiative, UNEP and Regional Seasprogrammes, the session will explore pathways towards strengthening coral reef policy, planning and management. Specifically, the session will focus on two broad topics: Regional networking for coral reef ecosystem assessment and reporting, including data interoperability as well as enhanced data access; and An ecosystem service approach to supporting decisions on public and private investmentsin coral reef management,and use of economic instruments. Recommendations arising from the session will inform and guide ICRI and UNEP in their work focusing on the Pacific, support effective regional partnership approaches, and feed into the Pacific Action Strategy for 2013-2018.
Parallel Session Title:Finding new ways to reconcile conservation with deep sea mining
Convening Organisation(s):WWF South Pacific
Conveners:Sally Bailey
Tim Carruthers - SPREP
Venue:tbc; Laucala Campus, USP
Mining companies are now looking beyond the land and are competing for rights to the seafloor. In the South-west Pacific, existing marine protected areas, and vulnerable unprotected areas, are under growing pressure from resource developers. However, as yet, there is negligible overarching regional analysis, planning or coordination of these potentially conflicting. Nonetheless, there is growing interest within regional governments, local communities, other marine industries and civil society to constructively manage this growing dynamic.
Drawing on the experience from the wider region, including Australia, this session will describe new approaches to help deliver MPAs for food security and biodiversity conservation, and manage the risks from extractive industry activities. This is being attempted using new conservation planning and mapping approaches being deployed in this region now to show where the tension between seabed mining and natural features is most acute, and to provide options to reduce conflict or even avoid it.
Parallel Session Title:Experiences and perspectives from the AusAID SIDS Community-Based Adaptation (SIDS-CBA) programme implemented by the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP)
Convening Organisation(s):UNDP-implemented GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP)
Conveners:Dr. Terence Hay-Edie – GEF Small Grants Programme
GEF Small Grants Programme (global)
UNDP Multi-Country Offices in Fiji, Samoa and PNG
AusAID ICCAI (SIDS CBA-funded programme)
Disability Rights Fund (DRF) and Pacific Disability Forum
Venue:AusAID Lecture Theatre 1; Laucala Campus, USP
The AusAID-supported $10 million SIDS Community-Based Adaptation (SIDS-CBA) Programme works in 38 eligible SIDS at the global level. The programme is implemented through the UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) delivery mechanism. In the Pacific, the AusAID SIDS CBA Programme was initiated in 2009 (and recently extended to continue until the end of 2016), and was designed to implement community-based actions on the ground that seek to enhance the resilience of communities to climate change, as well as to generate policy responses in relation to adaptation needs for the Pacific. Lessons learned from CBA projects will be leveraged to promote the horizontal replication of successful community practices, as well as integrated into national and sub-national policies that reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts.
Parallel Session Title:Lessons from the Micronesia Challenge: Building an effective Climate Change Toolkit for community engagement and using social marketing to build local support and ownership of key conservation initiatives
Convening Organisation(s):Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT) and Rare
Conveners:Liz Terk
Venue:AusAID Lecture Theatre 2; Laucala Campus, USP
Under the umbrella of the Micronesia Challenge, five jurisdictions in the Central Pacific (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Territory of Guam, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau) have banded together to challenge themselves to protect 20% of terrestrial resources and 30% of marine resources by 2020. Under this arrangement, partners in the region have developed many innovative community-based approaches to conservation. Through this session we will provide an update on the progress of the Micronesia Challenge and share and discuss several key initiatives that could have applications in the larger Pacific.
Firstly, The Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT) and its partners have developed the Adapting to a Changing Climate Toolkit to address key challenges faced by communities carrying out adaptation activities. This toolkit received international recognition for filling a gap between scientific knowledge and local community understanding.
Second, under the auspices of the MCTs work and the Micronesia Challenge, Rare has partnered with 11 local partners to run 2-5 year social marketing campaigns across the region in support of building greater resiliency through ridge to reef conservation approaches.
We will present lessons learned from these efforts plus the broader experience of the Micronesia Challenge and present a comprehensive approach to engaging communities in supporting key conservation initiatives that build climate change resiliency on small islands states around the world.
Parallel Session Title:Ecosystem based Adaptation - A social, economic and ecological imperative in the Pacific Islands
Convening Organisation(s):Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Progamme
Conveners:Mr Paul Donohoe –SPREP
Bureau of Meteorology, Australia
Government of Japan
WWF and GIZ
Venue:New FBE Lecture Theatre; Laucala Campus, USP
Sustainable livelihoods for Pacific Island peoples are highly dependent upon significant natural marine and terrestrial resources within the region. Many of these resources have international and national economic value (e.g. tuna stocks) and global recognition (e.g. biodiversity). In addition, continued development, population pressure and widespread non-sustainable land use practices are exacerbating vulnerability to extreme events and climate change impacts. Whilst consideration is given to conservation activities and relevant ecosystem services in the planning process, there is limited evidence of full integration of EbA or direct comparisons of EbA options with alternatives in the process for identifying and prioritising adaptation activities. There is also a broad lack of awareness of the relative benefits of EbA at local and government levels in the region.
The need to maintain delivery of climate-relevant ecosystem services provides a strong social and ecological imperative to develop and widely implement EbA solutions throughout the Pacific Islands. There are a number of characteristics that can make adaptation approaches that utilise the benefits of ecosystems a compelling and viable alternative to other adaptation approaches.
Parallel Session Title:Challenges and Opportunities for the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) from Pacific Perspectives
Convening Organisation(s):United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies
Conveners:Ms. Aya Takatsuki – UNU IAS
SPREP
Venue:Japan Pacific ICT Centre; Laucala Campus, USP
The Satoyama Initiative aims to conserve sustainable human-influenced natural environments (Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes; SEPLS) through broader global recognition of their value. The International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) comprises 147 organisations (as of May 2013) committed to support SEPLS for the benefit of biodiversity and human well-being through the implementation of their respective activities. SPREP is a member of Steering Committee of IPSI.
The IPSI Strategy was endorsed by the Assembly at the Third IPSI Global Conference held in Hyderabad, India on 6 October 2012. In order to implement the IPSI Strategy while encouraging participation of IPSI members, the Plan of Action (POA) has been developed to provide a clear direction for IPSI activities and to strengthen a sense of authorship among the members.
The workshop will introduce IPSI's Strategy and Plan of Action to further develop them by incorporating useful discussion from Pacific Region. A compilation of information and knowledge will be distributed at the workshop to facilitate concrete discussion. The results of the workshop discussions will help in the replication of success, finding solutions to the challenges currently facing, or policy plans.
Parallel Session TitleRecovery, resistance and restoration – Building resilience on islands through invasive species prevention and management
Convening Organisation(s):Pacific Invasives Partnership (PIP)
Conveners:Mr Alan Saunders – IUCN
Dr Souard Boudjelas – University of Auckland
Mr Ray Nias – Island Conservation
Venue:tbc; Laucala Campus, USP
The Guidelines for Invasive Species Management in the Pacific list the essential components of a comprehensive and effective invasive species management programme. It has been compiled in consultation with Pacific island countries and territories, to support them in developing their invasive species work, and to guide regional and international agencies in providing assistance to them.
The session will outline progress on implementation of the Guidelines and summarize the way forward on the invasive species issue in the region.