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REEF TALKISSUE NO4 MAR 2009

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The winners devised a programme of three community education visits, shore clean ups, coral planting, and a monitoring visit over five months to help rehabilitate and restore Visale Reef on Guadalcanal island. A group of 21 students led by senior biology teacher, Mr Philip Tohupao, completed their planned activities to much praise from surrounding communities and the general public.

The team acknowledges that participation in the project has taught students the importance of coral reefs to their livelihoods, linkages between land-based activities and coral reef health, and practical skills in handling and planting coral to assist reef rehabilitation. Both the community educational component and practical side of the project were welcomed by the Visale community, who encouraged the team to involve neighbouring schools in their work.

Competition results were presentedby Tohupao and student, MalakaiMalasy, at the recent InternationalYouth Coastal Conference inTownsville, Australia as part of thechampion’s prize. SPREP’s Coral ReefManagement Officer, Caroline Vieux,also highlighted the project at a sideevent at the World ConservationCongress in Barcelona, Spain. Bothpresentations, made during October,received positive feedback andencouragement.

Solomon Islands school is regional champion

Saint Joseph Catholic SecondarySchool – Tenaru from the SolomonIslands out-conserved ten otherschool groups from around thePacific region to become thechallengecoralreef champion.

In announcing the winner ofthe 2008 Pacific Year of the Reefcampaign competition for 13-18year-old youth, SPREP Coral ReefManagement Officer, Caroline Vieux,expressed her pleasure with thepresentations made by a group ofyoung, motivated, and resourcefulindividuals who have set anexample for other Pacific islandersto follow.

“Saint Joseph’s team showedinitiative, commitment, andinnovation throughout theiractivities in working to protect acoral reef that they, and others,regularly use,” Vieux said.

Pacific Year of the Reef Legacy

When I look back over the past year, I am overwhelmed by the support and effort that people have put in to help make the Pacific Year of the Reef a success. We wanted to encourage people to act now and to save our reef now, because we are past the stage of giving warnings. If we don’t start to save our reef, our kitchen cupboard and our livelihood, then we can lose it all.

I’d like to share all highlights for thisyear but we’d need a whole separateReeftalk for that! What stood out forme most was the enthusiasm fromthe school students that workedhard for the ChallengeCoralReefcampaign, our Pacific-widesecondary school competitiongave me hope. Some 20 schoolsfrom throughout our Pacific regionsubmitted action plans on how torestore and protect their coral reefs.We were able to finance 11 of theseaction plans, which has laid thegroundwork for a promising future.Some of the projects addressedwaste issues, it allowed for youngpeople to take the lead and holdpublic awareness meetings in theircommunities and it also saw our

next generation take the initiative to save our environment.

One extremely important factorthat helps to ensure the success ofa Campaign is the funding to allowfor activities and projects to takeplace. In 2008, we had the strongsupport of the Coral Reef Initiativefor the Pacific Programme (CRISP),which allowed for our project tobe funded at the regional level. Weare grateful for their support andflexibility as it meant that we wereable to implement the awarenesscampaign so that coral reef projectscould reach as much of the Pacificregion as possible.

Thank you everyone for all the workyou did in 2008 to help save ourreefs. Please ensure this importantwork continues well beyond the endof the Year so that our coral reefs canflourish!

Fa’afetai Lava.

A final word from SPREP’s Campaign Coordinator Caroline Vieux

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Fijian butterflyfish count a great successMore than 40 organisations andresorts throughout the country,the general public, and 160 upperprimary school students from theisland of Beqa, participated in theGreat Fiji Butterflyfish Count heldover half-hour periods in Novemberto estimate abundance and varietyof butterflyfish species nationwide.

Enthusiastic public participationamong snorkellers, divers, andparticipants in glass-bottomedboats was a highlight for organisers,particularly Marine EcologyConsulting’s Helen Sykes.

“The count was a fantasticawareness-raising event withmany participating organisationsreporting that their guests andstudents immensely enjoyed theactivity,” Sykes said.

Owners of Lawaki Beach Houseand volunteers involved studentsof Dakuibeqa and Uluinakorovatuprimary schools on Beqa between10 – 14 November by holdingeducational presentations aboutmarine life conservation in Fiji andfun learning activities developed

by SPREP. An evening informationsession on the same topic was alsoheld for adults of one community.Additional sessions for studentsin classes 5 to 8 of UluinakorovatuPrimary School introduced them tosnorkeling and water safety whichthey put into practice the followingday during their participation in thebutterflyfish count.

“The school activity was agreat success with enthusiasticparticipation by schoolchildren,teachers and community membersalike,” Sykes said of the Beqaschools’ participation in the SPREP-supported activity.

Lawaki Beach House wasresponsible for this success, as theysupported instructors, arrangedlogistics, provided snorkel gear, anddonated a TV and DVD player to oneof the schools in a bid to improvemarine education and participationin conservation among youth onthe island. A similar programmeis being planned by CORAL andthe US Peace Corps for a school inKubulau on the island of Vanua Levu.Participants throughout Fiji used

waterproof slates with images of all27 species of butterflyfish found inFiji (compared to 116 worldwide)against which they marked eachsighting of each species. Resultsof these general public surveyswill be complemented by those ofsystematic scientific surveys overprecisely measured areas.

“The scientific surveys have beencompleted and we expect to postfinal analysed results at http://www.fijibutterflyfishcount.com by the endof 2008,” Sykes explained.

Analysis of results will be completedby Fiji Reef Check and the GlobalCoral Reef Monitoring Network.Most butterflyfish are easilyobserved since they live in shallowtropical waters (up to about 20mdeep) and feed in extensive areasof live coral in good condition. Theirabundance and diversity indicatethe presence of live hard coral, andwater quality and temperaturerequirements of those corals.Therefore, general coral reef healthcan be inferred from results.

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Cans, bottles, and plastic removed from Avarua Harbour

non-Government organisations,local businesses, regionalorganisations including SPREP, andthe 2008 Year of the Reef campaign.Volunteers were rewarded withsausage sizzles, certificates ofparticipation, and tee-shirts.

The severity of the litter problemwas enunciated by The Dive Centre’sSabine Janneck who acknowledgedthe tangible impact of cleaning thelocal area. “Although there was less rubbishunderwater compared to last year,we collected almost twice as muchrubbish on-shore this year as we didin 2007,” she said.

“We collected a truck-load ofrubbish in only two hours consistingof at least 689 aluminium cans, 654plastic bottles, 468 plastic bags, 593plastic glasses, 256 glass bottles,and 635 food containers,” Janneckexplained.

With vital information collected ondifferent types of materials litteringtheir island environments, theevent is also a useful tool for localeducation campaigns. Informationis also provided to Project AWAREwhich submits this informationto the Ocean Conservancy. Thedata becomes a powerful toolthat is used to inform the public,governments and businesses of thedamaging effects of debris.

Contact Deyna Marsh of the CookIslands National EnvironmentService at deyna@environment.org.ck for further information onthis event or other communityenvironmental activities in the CookIslands.

CleanUp the World event held in Cook Islands in September.

The annual event was coordinatedby the Cook Islands NationalEnvironment Service, The DiveCentre, Whale Education andResearch Centre, and the Ministryof Marine Resources in a bid toimprove the health of underwaterecosystems. The clean-up campaignfocused on cleaning Avarua Harbourand nearby coastal areas of Avaruatown centre.

In thanking volunteers, Directorof the Cook Islands NationalEnvironment Service, Vaitoti Tupa,praised all who spent a Saturdaymorning making clean coasts areality.

“This is a great example of howpeople can cooperate to take actionand make positive contributions tocommunities,” Tupa said.

Tupa also acknowledged the support organisers received from

“”

Let’s sea to it! Keep our island and

lagoons clean!was the message taken to heart by 81 volunteers who marked a

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Population increase major threat to American Samoan coral reefsPopulation pressure was identified by American Samoa’s Coral Reef Advisory Group as the single most potent threat to the US territory’s coastal resources at a territorial Population Summit in September that gathered key stakeholders to discuss problems and devise collaborative solutions to this challenge.

The two-day summit, held in Utulei,and titled “Managing Change:Population Pressure in AmericanSamoa,” addressed the issue ofrapid population growth and itspotentially severe adverse impactson natural resources and quality oflife of American Samoan residents.

In opening the summit, GovernorTogiola Tulafono urged theapproximately 150 participants toconsider the need for responsibilityin ensuring the sustainability of theisland’s resources.

“In our island setting, the primarythreat to our quality of life comesfrom people and how responsiblywe behave when using our land,water and air,” Governor Tulafonosaid.

Discussions at the summit focusedon tightening immigration policiesand enforcing sponsorshipcategories; creating a public-informed national health policythat provides affordable and qualityhealth services; integrating diversepolicies and smart planning linkingpopulation growth with land use,infrastructure, sanitation, and wastewater management; and improvingknowledge of and access toreproductive health choices.

The inclusion of waste managementconcerns was a priority of SPREP’sSolid Waste Officer, Esther Richards,who attended the summit - a viewshared by Alyssa Edwards, the CoralReef Advisory Group’s Coral ReefManagement Fellow.

“Our entire population lives alongthe coast and as land-basedsources of marine pollution areone of the major threats to ourmarine environment, implementingmeasures dealing with improvingland use and waste managementshould significantly improve thehealth of our marine resources,including our coral reefs,” Edwardssaid.

Participants’ recommendationswere drafted into a “PopulationDeclaration to the People andLeaders of American Samoa” andpresented to Governor Tulafonoand Fono leaders for considerationand implementation. The summitalso called for the establishment ofa Population Pressure Commission

to develop and monitor multi-sector population policies.

Approximately 40% of AmericanSamoa’s population of about 69,000is under the age of 15 and, coupledwith immigration, American Samoa’spopulation is likely to increase inthe future. Further informationon American Samoa’s populationpressure strategy can be accessedat www.crag.as or contact AlyssaEdwards, the Population PressureLocal Action Strategy Coordinator, atalyssa.edwards@doc.as

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Drama, dance draw youth to conservation actionLessons learnt in engaging youthin marine conservation projects inPacific island nations were one ofthe many outcomes of the secondconference of the InternationalPacific Marine Educators Networkheld in Townsville, Australia in mid-October.

The success of using drama, dance,and other creative expressions werereported in presentations by WWF in Cook Islands and Fiji, USP in its work on Nanumea Island in Tuvalu, the Fiji Locally-Managed marine Areas network, and Fremden Shadrack ofLive and Learn in Vanuatu. All thesewere done in the conference strandentitled “Linking the Pacific.”

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Future Pacific leaders share vision at world meet‘Involve youth in building resilience of Pacific islands to climate change’ was the message shared by Pacific youth representatives with delegates at a SPREP-sponsored side event at the IUCN World Conservation Congress held in Barcelona in October.

Ron Simpson and Luisa Tagicakibau from Fiji, and Deyna Marsh from the Cook Islands combined Pacific cultures through drama, song, images, and dance to convey this message and the vision statement of the 40 participants who attended the Pacific Future Environment Leaders Forum that was held in Suva earlier in the year.

Active member of the 2008 Pacific Year of the Reef Cook Islands campaign team and officer with the Cook Islands National Environment Service, Marsh stressed the need for the inclusion of young people by current leaders in planning and implementing projects.

“Young people in the Pacific know its time to take action in this climate of change, and through a vision statement developed at the Forum we are calling on more young

people to be part of the change and our leaders to guide us and support us,” Marsh said during their presentation.

The three representatives called on Pacific leaders and elders to involve youth in projects, provide opportunities for capacity building, encourage young people, and facilitate youth action to help their communities and governments achieve their sustainability goals.

overcoming this and other obstacles to included establishing a youth and environment resource centre that could provide youth and youth groups with access to information, training opportunities, and funds for youth-led projects.

“The positive responses we received after our presentation was overwhelming and we were also inspired by young environment leaders from other parts of the world,” Marsh recalled.

SPREP’s Coral Reef Management Officer, Caroline Vieux, also participated in a side event celebrating the 2008 International Year of the Reef campaign and Saint Joseph Tenaru School’s win in the Pacific-wide ‘challengecoralreef’ competition, and the launch of the SEM Pasifika Guidelines with other socio-economic monitoring guidelines developed for other global regions.

The same message was echoed at all youth-related sessions throughout the week-long meeting.

The group also identified obstacles to Pacific youth involvement in planning and decision making with Tagicakibau highlighting the ‘culture of silence.’ Suggestions for

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Wallis and Futuna leaders study Samoan protected areasA high-level delegation from Wallis and Futuna spent four days in early December studying marine protected area management around Upolu to gain first-hand insight into community-based marine conservation in Samoa.

Caroline Vieux, who accompanied the group, the presentations introduced the group to the process of establishing and maintaining marine protected areas.

“These presentations helped inform delegates of the process on setting-up fisheries reserves and how the Samoan Government has worked hand-in-hand with communities to assist them in monitoring and restocking protected areas, and aquaculture,” Ms Vieux said.

The following three days were spent in villages visiting both fisheries reserves with the Samoan Division of Fisheries and the Aleipata-Safata Marine Protected Areas with the Conservation Division of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. These visits provided opportunities for the visitors from Wallis and Futuna to directly discuss issues with, and collect views of, community members on their marine protected areas.

Wallis and Futuna are in the process of designing management plans for their coastal and marine resources and had expressed interest in learning from the community-based approach taken in Samoa with a view to replicating it. This high-level visit, organised by SPREP as part of the Coral Reef Initiatives for the Pacific programme, was designed to convince key decision-makers in Wallis and Futuna of the need to move marine conservation efforts forward.

The choice of Samoa as a sourcefor case studies was motivatedby the common history of Futunaand Samoa and the dedicationof communities to protect theirmarine resources. The group wasdetermined to apply lessons learnton their four-day visit among theirpeople.

The ten-member team was led by some of the highest chiefs representing the Kings of Wallis, Sigave and Alo, comprised representatives of the Department of Environment, non-Government organisations, fishermen’s associations, members of Parliament, and the Government of France.

Presentations from the Fisheries Division on their different activities with communities and their Community-Based Fisheries Management Programme kicked off the study tour. According to SPREP’s Coral Reef Management Officer,

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Network review to benefit communities

“Sharing Lessons learned in Community Marine Management across the Pacific” was the theme of the Indo-Pacific Regional Meeting of the Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) Network held in Suva, Fiji in November.

Some 100 participants attended from 16 countries, making it one of the largest gatherings of its kind. Participants shared ideas and common challenges faced by community members and those who work with them focusing on marine resources management and conservation in the Pacific. Members of the five-day meeting came from local communities, government agencies, non governmental organisations, and numerous institutions such as the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) Coral Reef Management Officer Caroline Vieux and Marine Conservation Analyst Paul Anderson.

The conference attendees divided into several groups for a two-day session. Partner and support agencies met in Suva, while community delegates congregated in Vatu-o-lailai. Both groups focused on marine resource management topics such as “initiation of community engagement and planning, implementation, sustainability and scaling-up, also monitoring and adaptation.” Dividing the conference into two groups also widened the scope for participants to engage, learn, and share experiences and lessons learnt in a smaller, more familiar working group atmosphere.

The community participants visited sites, like the nearby alternative livelihood project at Namada

Village being guided through the “plantation walk.” The group used the opportunity to discuss objectives of their projects with the local communities, facilitating the learning of new methods which could be used in their national projects.

“Self-improvement action plans” and “take home points” were developed by the community participants, from lessons learnt during their session activities. The design of these hopes to help the participants focus on the key points they found useful to share to the communities upon their return home.

These presentations outlined a range of lessons learnt, guidelines and proposals for improving practices in resources management initiation and planning, pointing out implementation challenges, and consideration of sustainability.

According to SPREP’s Coral Reef Management Officer, Caroline Vieux, the “lessons learnt” exchanges would work to strengthen the network in the future.

“The conference allowed people to learn from successful communities that have applied community-based adaptive management strategies, and to act as a think tank to identify strengths and weaknesses of the network to improve it,” Vieux said.

SPREP’s assistance to the conference was provided under the Coral Reef Initiatives for the South Pacific program (CRISP).

Meanwhile the partners and support agencies group held plenary sessions and small group discussions during the two days.

On the last day in Vatu-o-Lailai, both groups came together during a plenary meeting to share summary presentations of each group’s results.

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Cook Islands, Samoas focus of new marine DVDs

Working to overcome one of thePacific region’s major hindrances toconservation planning has broughtcollaborative efforts in marineenvironment protection by twoneighbouring island nations closerto fruition.

The ReefBase Pacific project andSPREP have acted as a focal point forinformation gathering and sharingon reef-associated livelihoods,fisheries, and biodiversity workedwith agencies in American Samoaand Samoa to gather scatteredrecords into a central, digitalrepository to improve informationmanagement that supportsdecision-making in all aspects ofconservation in the sector-wide“Two Samoas” project.

Explaining the utility of aninformation management toolsuch as ReefBase Pacific to theTwo Samoas project, SPREP ProjectAssistant Ewan Cameron stressedthat sharing data and informationbetween agencies and nationscan lead to achieving commonobjectives.

“American Samoa and Samoa sharea similar ecological, geographicaland cultural context, a commonvulnerability, and sets of challengeswhich would best be addressedby collaborative efforts,” Cameronexplained.

“These will allow the twojurisdictions to enhance theirexpertise and information bases,minimise duplication of effort,maximise resource efficiency, andimprove management programmesleading to healthier environments,”Cameron elaborated.

Cameron has worked with agencies as diverse as the Department of

Commerce, Department of Marineand Wildlife Resources, and the CoralReef Advisory Group in AmericanSamoa; and the Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment andDepartment of Fisheries in Samoa.Data and documents collectedfrom these and other agencieshave been digitized, collated, andentered into a database. DVDs of thiscomprehensive Nearshore MarineResources Digital Compendiumdatabase are scheduled fordistribution in early 2009.

The Cook Islands has also benefitedfrom an accurate and accessibleinformation repository with SPREPassisting with digitizing andcompiling publications and recordsof key contacts for ease of referenceby the National Environment Serviceand Ministry of Marine Resources.Responding to this request has ledto a collaborative geographicalinformation system project betweenrelevant Government departmentsand SPREP.

SPREP’s focus on these countriescomplements the work of otherReefBase Pacific Project Assistantsbased around the Pacific region whofocus on other island groups. Thetwo DVDs of the SPREP’s work withAmerican Samoa and Samoa, andCook Islands will be modeled on theeasy to use ReefBase Pacific DVDVersion 1.0 that is currently available.Records will also be integrated intothe online Pacific-wide databasewith accessibility options specifiedby nations concerned.

Access the ReefBase Pacific databaseat http://pacific.reefbase.org/ orcontact Ewan Cameron at ewanc@sprep.org for more information.

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Meeting sets priorities of regional programmeRepresentatives of 20 projectsin 12 Pacific island countries andterritories attended the annualCRISP General Meeting at SPREPheadquarters in Samoa between 22-26 September. Attendees includedall CRISP programme componentleaders, and the Secretariat of thePacific Community and the WorldConservation Union, which joinedthe annual gathering for the firsttime.

The mid-term review of the CRISPprogramme was the main topicof discussion, covering activitiessince 2005. Thierry Clement of theindependent consulting agencyOreade-Breche, and author of themid-term review report, presentedconclusions of its thoroughinvestigation and addressedspecific recommendations foreach programme component.Fruitful discussions over four days

concerned the development of newaction plans which will improve andconclude most programme actionsby the end of 2009.

In its final year, the CRISPprogramme will also participatein two major events: the PacificScience Inter-congress in FrenchPolynesia and the InternationalMarine Conservation Congressin Washington D.C. The bio-prospecting component of theprogramme will hold a workshopside event at the meeting in FrenchPolynesia on the legal aspects ofuse and benefits of natural marineresources.

Priority will also be given to twomajor economic studies, one inSolomon Islands and the otherin Vanuatu, to assess the coastalresource management andsustainable development impacts

of locally-managed marine areas.Other programme activities in 2009will include new partnerships andprojects in post-larval capture andculture techniques. The aquaculturedepartment of the Secretariatof the Pacific Community willcollaborate with agencies in FrenchPolynesia and Cook Islands onprojects to develop giant clamsand manti shrimps, while Ecoceanand Hawaiian Sea Life will launch asimilar project on Christmas Islandto supply the American ornamentalfish market.

The CRISP Coordination Unit willcontinue to examine options toensure that the work and lessons ofthe programme continue after thefinancial assistance of the FrenchDevelopment Agency ceases at theend of 2009. Opportunities providedby the 10th European DevelopmentFund are currently being explored.

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Sustainable wetlands management focus of recent country trainingThe five Pacific Island signatories to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands recently completed a one-week training session designed to enhance sustainable management of their important wetland sites.

The Pacific island parties to theconvention: Fiji, Marshall Islands,Palau, Papua New Guinea andSamoa, were brought together inan informal and interactive settingto familiarise with the Ramsarmanagement planning process andformat. It was a week of “hands on”work to develop draft managementplans for Ramsar sites and otherpriority national wetland sites.

The Secretariat of the PacificRegional Environment Programme(SPREP) coordinated the one-weektraining during March in partnershipwith the Ramsar ConventionSecretariat and IUCN Oceania, inNadi Fiji.

Participants also discussed followupactions, which they agreedthey could work on during 2009.Furthermore, participants agreedthat a follow-up workshop beheld in one year’s time to updateon progress of these targets anddesignate further actions as needed.

The immediate actions identifiedinclude updating the RamsarInformation Sheets for their Ramsarsites; writing World Wetlands Daysummaries to be submitted to theCommunications Education andPublic Awareness (CEPA) officerof the Ramsar Secretariat; andto identify all national Ramsarfocal points and provide thesedetails to the Ramsar Secretariat.National focal points cover thedifferent aspects of the nationalimplementation of the Ramsar

Another issue discussed at theone-week gathering was thatof identifying funding sources.International non-governmentalorganisations that work in PacificRamsar sites were identified aspotential sources of assistance,whether for technical or financialsupport. The private sector in eachof the countries was also identifiedas another potential source ofassistance for specific activities,such as the production of wetlandsawareness materials such as postersand leaflets, in each of the countries.

“There are many opportunitiesfor forming stronger partnershipswith various stakeholders withinPacific Island Ramsar parties, suchpartnerships could enable assistancetowards the effective managementof Pacific Island Ramsar sites.”

For more information on the Sustainable Mangement workshop please contact SPREP’s Associate Ramsar Officer, Vainuupo Jungblut at vainuupoj@sprep.org

convention including CEPA and scientific and technical issues.

“The main part is the draftmanagement plans, of which westarted to develop the structureover the week of training. We’llassist the island parties to developthese plans further over the next12 months,” said SPREP’s AssociateRamsar Officer Vainuupo Jungblut.He added, “the participants haveexpressed support for theseactions and with a little bit ofencouragement we can get thesedone in a timely manner.”

Feedback from participants from the week…“This is one of a very few workshops where I felt relaxed and enjoyed the sessions. Very informative and glad I made it to this workshop.”

“Involve more Government and non Government agencies.”

“Invite more countries”

“The sessions were done/organized in a very relaxed manner. It helped everyone relax, concentrate and helped everyone to

discuss issues openly.”

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Leatherback turtle nests surveyed in Bouganville The leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) is the world’s oldest and largest turtle. Having witnessed the extinction of the dinosaur and the development of mankind, this magnificent sea creature is now facing extinction in our Pacific Ocean.

In January, the Secretariat of thePacific Regional EnvironmentProgramme (SPREP) was contractedby the Western Pacific RegionalFisheries Management Council(WPFMC) to conduct a leatherbackturtle nesting beach survey onBougainville Island in Papua NewGuinea.

The survey recorded 46 leatherbackturtle nests and one false crawl. Ofthe 46 nesting sites found along thebeaches of Bougainville, there werealso 12 unidentified turtle nests,which were determined to belongto green and hawksbill species.

This survey also served to verifynesting sites recorded duringan aerial survey in 2007 by theNational Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration (NOAA). Bouganville

lies between Papua New Guinea andthe Solomon Islands, with all threehaving nesting populations of theleatherback turtle.

SPREP’s Coastal ManagementAdviser Jeff Kinch and MarineConservation Analyst PaulAnderson spent six days travelingaround Bouganville by dinghyinterviewing, surveying and sharingturtle awareness with the localcommunities as well as measuringturtle nests along the shore.

Kinch has now compiled areport for the WPRFMC, whichmakes recommendations forcommunities, the BougainvilleFisheries Section and non-governmental organisations onpossible intervention measures inBouganville.

“There was a high density - closeto 43 % of all the nests were in a5.4 km stretch of beach betweenthe villages of Papanoa and Naboi,this would be the most likely spotfor conservation work along withsome educational outreach aboutturtles, as these nests will likely be

harvested for eggs,” said Anderson.Communities in Bouganvillefrequently harvest the eggs of theturtles for food.

During the field testing, aneducation outreach program wasalso held with local communities onBougainville, involving distributionof the awareness bookletLeatherback turtles: Their future isin our hands, and stickers detailingprotection legislation under the PNGFlora and Fauna Control Act.

“For villagers this has been part oftheir diet for a long time, their diet,their cultural resource and part oftheir biodiversity. Like fisheries, youwant to manage it well, you don’twant to catch all your fish or you willhave no more in the future, just liketurtles. We need to help conservethem or they will disappear asa species on earth,” explainedAnderson.

The leatherback turtle population inthe Western Pacific has declined by95 per cent in the last 30 years. More information on leatherbacks can be obtained in a SPREP fact sheet on the topic available from http://www.sprep.org/factsheets/index.htm.

If you would like more details please contact SPREP’s Coastal Management Adviser Jeffrey Kinch at jefffreyk@sprep.org or SPREP’s Marine Conservation Analyst Paul Anderson at paula@sprep.org. T: (685) 21929 F: (685) 20231 W: www.sprep.org

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Discovering the best way to choose top marine sitesDebating the best method ofidentifying priority marine locationsfor conservation action may be athing of the past with the adoptionof the Key Biodiversity Area (KBA)analysis process by SPREP andmember countries and territoriesthis year.

The KBA process answers this hotlydebated question by mappinglocations of IUCN Red Listedthreatened species and populationsthat are highly aggregated in time orspace. Data is catalogued, mapped,and analyzed using geographicalinformation systems.

The analyzed results will be one ofseveral outputs of the KBA processwhich will yield a number ofother output according to SPREP’sMarine Conservation Analyst, PaulAnderson, who is leading trials of theprocess with marine resource datafrom Samoa.

“The primary output of applyingthe KBA process will be identifyingtypes of habitat and the location ofspecies of concern that are currentlyrepresented in managed areas, andlinking existing sites into a strategicsystem of resilient and connectedmanaged marine areas whichconserve and enhance biodiversityby including underrepresented sites,species, and informing replicationof key habitat types,” Andersonexplained.

Secondary, but equally important,the results of the project will assistin future iterations of this work andother marine applications.

“Other stand-alone products will include the collation and cataloging of information sources for species location data and supporting literature in a bibliographic database

and national marine datasets ofspatial and attribute data thatmake up geographical informationsystem,” Anderson elaborated.

Analysis of species data and gapswithin the datasets will be used topoint the way forward for futurestudies.

The main challenges inimplementing the project have beenacquiring and selecting appropriatedata from the abundance of speciesdata gathered over years of researchand the lack of spatial data for themarine environment, especiallynear-shore depth profiles andhabitat boundaries.

SPREP’s trial of the KBA processin Samoa and regionally, withendangered sea turtle populations,was presented at the recent annualPacific Geographic InformationSystems/ Remote Sensingconference in Suva, Fiji. Practitionersat the conference were encouragedby the applicability and flexibilityof the approach. Conferenceparticipants were particularlyinterested in the sound scientificfoundation for selecting highpriority conservation sites.

The adoption of the KBA process bySPREP is in response to conservationobjectives and pledges of SPREPmembers that call for expandedcoastal and marine protection,the declining status of the healthof nearshore marine biodiversitycaused by expanding fishing ranges,and population pressures thathave decimated coral health andyoung fish populations. Identifyingappropriate marine areas forconservation action will designatesafe havens for marine life and sitesof global biodiversity significance.

REEF TALK

The Secretariat of thePacific Regional EnvironmentProgramme (SPREP) isan intergovernmental organisationworking with Pacific islandcountries and territories tostrengthen environmentalmanagement and promotesustainable development. ReefTalk is developed by SPREP: Sereima SavuPacific Year of the Reef Campaign Coordinator Kenichi KashoAudio Visual Technician Caroline VieuxCoral Reef Management Officer

Ewan CameronReef Base Pacific Project Assistant

Lance LaackEditor and Publications Officer Nanette WoontonAssociate Media and Publications Officer T: (685) 21929F: (685) 20231E: sprep@sprep.orgW: www.sprep.org

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