Conference Side Event
Strategic Conservation Planning
Background
There are a number of different approaches to mapping ecosystems / habitats / species / sites, and a variety of ways in which this information is used to identify priority areas for conservation activities. In this session the focus is on explaining the various methods used, encourage technical discussion and suggesting ways of working together to maximize the effectiveness of the outcomes and sharing data and use in the Pacific (between conservation organisations, government bodies and communities).
Duration: 4 hours
Scheduled for: Freeform session, Thursday 25th October
Contact Person(s):
Angela Kirkman
Communication Manager
Melanesia CBC / Pacific Islands Program
Conservation International
tel: +61 7 4091 8804
PO Box 780, Atherton
\QLD 4883, Australia
email:
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
Mainstreaming Conservation for Communities
Background
Typically BINGO’s (Big International NGOs) are perceived to operate on big budgets and short time frames which contrast sharply with community / local NGO conservation activities in the Pacific region. This session is to provide an opportunity to showcase good examples (from region and elsewhere) of community engagement / outreach / education (eg where ‘western’ approaches and traditional knowledge have been successfully combined), talk about what has worked and what has not, identify barriers to community-led conservation activities in the region and discuss possible solutions.
Duration: TBA
Scheduled for: Lunch hour, Monday 22nd October
Contact Person(s):
Angela Kirkman
Communication Manager
Melanesia CBC / Pacific Islands Program
Conservation International
tel: +61 7 4091 8804
PO Box 780, Atherton
\QLD 4883, Australia
email:
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
Sustainable Funding Models for Conservation
Background
Financial opportunities offered by commercial organisations for the use of land and natural resources are well understood but may result in the natural and cultural values being damaged or destroyed. Conservation organisations talk of alternatives, which allow traditional owners to protect their land and resources for future generations and still receive an income but these are sometimes difficult to understand (eg endowments) and some (such as carbon offset arrangements) are still evolving. This session provides an opportunity to learn more about these alternatives and how they might work.
Duration: TBA
Scheduled for: Lunch hour, Tuesday 23rd October
Contact Person(s):
Angela Kirkman
Communication Manager
Melanesia CBC / Pacific Islands Program
Conservation International
tel: +61 7 4091 8804
PO Box 780, Atherton
\QLD 4883, Australia
email:
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
SEM-Pasifika guidelines launch
Background
SEM-Pasifika is a socioeconomic monitoring guideline developed for sites in the Pacific, including non-marine protected or managed areas. The main purpose of SEM-Pasifika is to improve site management. It should guide interested communities in the Pacific region to be able to do socioeconomic monitoring, including communities who have used existing methods and new communities without experiences in socio-economic assessment. The main target groups of SEM-Pasifika are trainers and network members as primary target groups. These are people who are able to tailor guidelines to the needs of communities. These people include coastal managers, project staff, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) staff, students, and/researchers.Trainees and communities as end users. Most likely they share the following traits of literacy, training and support from partners in monitoring, data analysis and presentation, interest in marine resource management, some type of management authority (community-based or formal) or ability/commitment to communicate results to the relevant management authority.
Duration: 1 hour
Scheduled for: Lunch hour, Friday 26th October
Contact Person:
Caroline Vieux
Coral Reef Management Officer
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
PO Box 240
Apia, Samoa
Ph: (685) 66 219
Fax: (685) 20 231
Email:
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
2008 Pacific Year of the Reef launching
Background
2008 has been designated International Year of the Coral Reef by the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI). The International Year of the Reef is a programme designed to effectively communicate to disparate target audiences, the value and importance of the world’s coral reefs and the threats to the reefs’ sustainability, and to motivate target audiences to take action to protect coral reefs. The first IYOR was declared and implemented in 1997 in response to the increasing threats and loss of coral reefs and associated ecosystems. It was a global effort to raise awareness and understanding of coral reefs and the threats they face, and support related conservation, research and management efforts. Despite its success in raising global awareness of coral reefs and associated ecosystems, ten years later, there remains an urgent need to increase awareness, to take action, further conserve and manage coral reefs and associated ecosystems, and appreciate their value to humanity. The Pacific Year of the Reef will be facilitated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) based in Apia.
Duration: 1 hour
Scheduled for: Freeform session, Wednesday 24th October
Contact Person(s):
Caroline Vieux
Coral Reef Management Officer
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
PO Box 240
Apia, Samoa
Ph: (685) 66 219
Fax: (685) 20 231
Email:
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
Project on Issue-Based Modules
Background
Countries have repeatedly expressed the need for tools to streamline the implementation of the biodiversity conventions and help them deal with the multitude of obligations coming from different MEAs both at regional and global level. UNEP therefore developed four modules focusing on invasive alien species, biodiversity and climate change, sustainable use and inland waters to assist in the harmonized implementation of MEAs at the national level. The project was developed in close cooperation with UNEP-WCMC and IUCN and provides countries with a logical issue-based framework for implementing official Convention guidance across MEAs together with other national commitments. Each module is a set of documents providing a structured overview of how a certain topic is treated across several regional and global agreements by identifying and grouping implementation requirements under different agreements. The modules put together different pieces of the same puzzle (eg. national commitments with regards to inland waters) by using simplified language in a logical framework.
Duration: TBA
Scheduled for: Lunch hour, Monday 22nd October
Contact Person(s):
Ines Verleye
Countdown 2010 Initiative, UNEP, IUCN
Boulevard Louis Schmidt 64,
1000 Brussels,
Belgium
Ph: +32 478 270142
Email:
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
Partner planning meeting -
strategic priorities for oceans in the pacific
Background
information on this side will be available shortly on the SPREP website at
Duration: whole day
Scheduled for: Saturday 20th October
Contact Person(s):
Dominique Benzaken
Coastal Management Adviser
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
PO Box 240 Vailima
Apia, Samoa
Ph: 21929 ext 285
Conference Side Event
Building a more Collaborative and Systematic Biodiversity Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Pacific Region
Background
There is currently limited emphasis in the Pacific region on the techniques available and benefits of a strategic approach to systematically monitoring status and trends in biodiversity. The proposed side event will raise awareness on existing and new biodiversity monitoring and reporting initiatives in the Pacific, focusing initially on the Polynesia-Micronesia hotspot. The side event also intends to explore the compatibility of monitoring approaches between programs and to identify overlapping data acquisition and analysis requirements. Such information is necessary to report progress in achieving the many targets and obligations now in place in the region, notably those defined in the Action Strategy for Nature Conservation in the Pacific Islands Region, the focus of the Nature Conservation Conference.
Duration: 3 hours (9.00am-12.00pm)
Scheduled for: Saturday 27th October
Contact Person(s):
James Atherton
Conservation Outcomes Manager
Conservation International Pacific Islands Program
C/- SPREP
P.O.Box 240
Apia, Samoa
Tel: (+685) 21593; Fax: (+685) 28570
E-mail:
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
Tools and resources for addressing biological prospecting and access and benefit sharing concerns in Pacific Island Countries
Background
Bioprospecting activities are taking place in Pacific Island Countries, though their extent has not been comprehensively documented. Anecdotal evidence suggest that there are a number of research initiatives underway that have resulted, or may result, in the commercial use of the genetic resources harvested. A systematic assessment of the extent of such activities provides a first step in regulating these activities and in ensuring that bioprospecting activities provide technological, scientific, social and economic benefits to source communities and countries.This session will review our current knowledge of bioprospecting activities in Pacific Island countries, and introduce tools and resources, such as the Pacific Bioprospecting Database, that can empower communities and governments in negotiating ABS agreements. The session will also provide ample time for examining national experiences in regards to ABS, and for developing proposals for future work, including strengthening national law and regional policy.
Duration: TBA
Scheduled for: Lunch hour, Monday 22nd October
Contact Person(s):
Marjo Vierros
United Nations University
Institute of advanced studies
6F International Organizations Centre,
Pacifico-Yokohama, 1-1-1 Minato Mirai, Nishi-ku,
Yokohama 220-8502,
Japan
Ph: 1-604-938-1512
Email:
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
regional initiative on marine managed areas including the role of traditional marine management practices
Background
Coasts and oceans provide a broad range of socio-economic benefits as well as essential ecosystem services. Over the last decade community-based marine protected areas in coastal and coral reefs areas have been established in SPREP member countries and territories as a tool for protecting marine environments and sustainable livelihoods. Significant efforts in defining national, sub regional, regional and international policy and targets for further MPA/MMAs have taken place, calling for a framework to support national efforts in designing and implementing MPA networks, including offshore. The purpose of this side event is update on the status of MPA policy and implementation in the pacific Region to develop a 5 year vision statement as input to the Action Strategy on Nature Conservation and Protected areas.
Duration: 4 hours (1.00pm – 5.00pm)
Scheduled for: Thursday 18th October
Contact Person(s):
Dominique Benzaken
Coastal Management Adviser
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
PO Box 240 Vailima
Apia, Samoa
Ph: 21929 ext 285
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
LMMAs
Supporting communities in their sustainable resources management and well-being:
a practical approach to conservation.
Background
Supporting communities to identify and attain their own broader objectives appears to result in communities designing and implementing practical and appropriate plans that achieve on-the-ground impacts in terms of sustainable use, community wellbeing and also ‘conservation’. The discussion will focus on the cross-sharing of real experiences by Pacific community members, and practitioners working with them, in the benefits and challenges of locally managed marine areas. This side event seeks to facilitate an open and honest discussion particularly reflecting community perspectives, practices and experiences in the area of ‘conservation’ (recognizing different approaches) and in community resource management. It is hoped that participants will elucidate a range of experiences across the Pacific.
Duration: 3 hours (2.00pm – 5.30pm)
Scheduled for: Freeform Session, Thursday 25th October,
Contact Person(s):
Susan Ewen
PNG LMMA Country Coordinator
The Nature Conservancy
Melanesia Support Office
2nd Floor, Suite 6 & 7
Monian Haus, Tabari Place
BOROKO, NCD
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
or
(+675) 323 0699 (Phone)
(675) 689 6959(Mobile)
(675) 323 0397 (Fax)
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
Capacity Building Within Formal and Non-Formal Education Systems
To Support The Implementation Of National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans In The South Pacific.
Background
The Education for Biodiversity Conservation project is a regional project, which aims to strengthen the capacity of teachers and educational institutions to deliver quality education about biodiversity conservation to communities across the Pacific. The project is being implemented by Live and Learn Environmental Education’s Biodiversity Conservation team which includes a project coordinator based in Vanuatu and a team of Project officers in four pilot countries, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. Long term project aims are to increase the awareness of young people and the broader community about biodiversity and conservation issues, build the capacity of communities to take action and to increase dialogue between government officers and community members on biodiversity issues. The broader aim of the project is to support the implementation of National Biodiversity Action Plans (NBSAP) in target countries. This session will be an opportunity for stakeholders to find out about the implementing organization Live and Learn Environmental Education, the project aims and objectives and its achievements so far.
Duration:1 hour (12.30pm – 1.30pm)
Scheduled for: Lunch hour, Friday 26th October,
Contact Person(s):
Mr. Fremden Shadrack
Live and Learn Environmental Education
P.O. Box 1629 Port Vila, Vanuatu
Phone: (678) 27448
Email:
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
Review of Bird Conservation in the Pacific
Background
This one day meeting’s primary objective is to review the conservation status of all Pacific birds, based on studies conducted by BirdLife International and Government agencies, to determine threats, what work has been undertaken and what still needs to bedone, and to use this information to contribute to thedevelopment of the new Action Strategy on Nature Conservation.
Duration: whole day
Scheduled for: Saturday 20th October 2007
Contact Person(s):
Ana Tiraa
Island Biodiversity Officer
E:
T: +685 21929, direct line 66276
F: +685 20231
W:
Don Stewart
Programme Manager
Pacific BirdLife International
E:
T: +679 3313592
F: +679 3301732
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
Ecosystem Based Management/Ecosystem Approach
Background
The side event will feature three presentations on practical applications of the Ecosystem Based Management/Approach, followed by a discussion. Confirmed speakers are Kesaia Tabunakawai, who will speak about the challenges regarding applying the Ecosystem Based Management in Fiji, Alissa Takesy, who will present on FSM's experience in applying the ecosystem approach in their protectedareas network and GillShepherdwho will present the conclusions of three years worth of in-depth case studies on Ecosystem Approach applications in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Duration: 1.5 hours (12.30pm – 2.00pm)
Scheduled for: Lunch hour, Wednesday 24th October
Contact Person(s):
Ana Tiraa
Island Biodiversity Officer
E:
T: +685 21929, direct line 66276
F: +685 20231
W:
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
Economics, Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods in Oceania
Background
The main objective of the proposed workshop is to discuss ways of mainstreaming economics into conservation initiatives in Oceania (more information on this side event will be available shortly on the SPREP website at
Duration: 3-4 hours
Scheduled for: Freeform Session, Thursday 25th October
Contact Person(s):
Nicholas Conner
Principal Conservation Economist
Environment and Conservation Economics Section
NSW Department of Environment and Conservation
PO Box A290, Sydney South 1232
59-61 Goulburn Street, Sydney 2000
Australia
ph: 61-2 9995 6053 fax: 61-2 9995 5938
Email:
Dr Philippe Gerbeaux
Chief Technical Advisor
IUCN Regional Office for Oceania
Ramsar STRP Regional Member
Private Mail Bag
5, Ma'afu St, Suva
Republic of Fiji Islands
Telephone: 00679 331 9084
Mobile 00679 940 52 65
E-mail:
Conference Side Event
Conservation and Management of Marine Mammals in the Pacific Islands Region
Background
The meeting aims to share information on milestones in marine mammal conservation and management that have benefited communities in the region since the last Action Strategy for Nature Conservation, and will contribute to conference outcomes by feeding back key issues and priorities for marine mammals to inform the next Action Strategy. The target audience will be Government representatives of Fisheries, Environment, and Tourism, Protected area managers, Marine scientists, NGO’s and donors. The meeting will produce a record from the attending participants of the breakout session that includes priorities for marine mammal conservation recommended for inclusion in the new Action Strategy for Nature
Duration: 1.5 hours
Scheduled for: Lunch hour, Tuesday 23rd October
Contact Person(s):
Olive Andrews
IFAW Pacific Officer
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
PO Box 240
Apia, Samoa
Ph: (685) #21929 ext 279
Fax: (685) #20231
Email:
Lui Bell
Marine Species Officer
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
PO Box 240
Apia, Samoa
Ph: (685) #21929 ext 281
Fax: (685) #20231
Email:
More information on this side event can be found at
Conference Side Event
Invasive Species & Climate Change
Background
Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to biodiversity in island ecosystems. When a species is accidentally or intentionally introduced into a new landscape or seascape, the consequences can be devastating, posing a large threat to agriculture, public health, tourism, and other economic activities. Invasive plants and animals can spread unchecked, disrupting natural cycles, and costing billions. Invasives are a priority for Pacific Island nations because islands are highly vulnerable to invasions that can result in catastrophic loss of biodiversity and other impacts. The impact of invasive species on island biota can be more damaging than climate change. Predicted future changes in the climate, resulting in warmer seas and lands, will result in an even greater magnification of the negative impacts of invasive species. In the warmer and more benign climatic conditions of the future more introduced species will be able to establish, flourish and become invasive, leading to more crop pests and weeds, more human diseases and disease vectors, and more invasive species impacting natural areas. This side event offers an opportunity to discuss ideas, and share experience and knowledge in this emerging issue, in the context of the Pacific and specifically PNG.