Reports and data from the Cook Islands GEF-5 Ridge to Reef project
A team from Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research travelled to Rarotonga during July/August 2023 to carry out monitoring of biocontrols released in previous years. The team used drones to conduct monitoring surveillance for the invasive African Tulip tree species, using LiDAR and other imagery techniques.
This newsletter also provides an update on the control of the biocontrols.
From February - April 2024, the National Environment Service and Te Ipukarea Society conducted consultations with various stakeholders for the RESPONSE project. Documents from these consultations have been filed here.
Map of the protected areas for the Pacific Islands Region with regional-level summary statistics on the amount of area under protection, count for each type of protected area (terrestrial or marine), and the count of their designation.
Metadata for the Global Mangrove Watch dataset.
This is the report for the Reefs at Risk Revisited analysis. Reefs at Risk Revisited is a high-resolution update of the original global analysis, Reefs at Risk: A Map-Based Indicator of Threats to the World’s Coral Reefs. Reefs at Risk Revisited uses a global map of coral reefs at 500-m resolution, which is 64 times more detailed than the 4-km resolution map used in the 1998 analysis, and benefits from improvements in many global data sets used to evaluate threats to reefs (most threat data are at 1 km resolution, which is 16 times more detailed than those used in the 1998 analysis).
Reefs at Risk Revisited is a high-resolution update of the original global analysis, Reefs at Risk: A Map-Based Indicator of Threats to the World’s Coral Reefs. Reefs at Risk Revisited uses a global map of coral reefs at 500-m resolution, which is 64 times more detailed than the 4-km resolution map used in the 1998 analysis, and benefits from improvements in many global data sets used to evaluate threats to reefs (most threat data are at 1 km resolution, which is 16 times more detailed than those used in the 1998 analysis).
The Global Mangrove Watch (GMW) is a collaboration between Aberystwyth University (U.K.), solo Earth Observation (soloEO; Japan), Wetlands International the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas, updated on a monthly basis, and is one of the key global biodiversity data sets being widely used by scientists, businesses, governments, International secretariats and others to inform planning, policy decisions and management. The WDPA is a joint project between UN Environment and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
A recently published paper, titled “Coastal proximity of populations in 22 Pacific Island Countries and Territories” details the methodology used to undertake the analysis and presents the findings. **Purpose** * This analysis aims to estimate populations settled in coastal areas in 22 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTS) using the data currently available. In addition to the coastal population estimates, the study compares the results obtained from the use of national population datasets (census) with those derived from the use of global population grids.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent the world’s plan of action for social inclusion, environmental sustainability and economic development. The mining industry has an unprecedented opportunity to mobilize significant human, physical, technological and financial resources to advance the SDGs.
The Convention for the Protection of Natural Resources and Environment of the South Pacific Region (1986) is also known as the SPREP Convention or Noumea Convention. The Convention has two Protocols that also entered into force in 1990. This Convention is the major multilateral umbrella agreement in the Pacific Region for the protection of natural resources and the environment.
Hazardous Waste Management Reports Pacific Health Care Waste 2013-2015
2020 National Vision “To enjoy the highest quality of life consistent with the aspirations of our people, and in harmony with our culture and environment”
The 2018 State of Environment (SOE) Report for Cook Islands updates the 1993 SOE report, and uses the Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact and Response (DPSIR) model of reporting.
The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas, updated on a monthly basis, and is one of the key global biodiversity data sets being widely used by scientists, businesses, governments, International secretariats and others to inform planning, policy decisions and management.
This publication ‘Strategic Environmental Assessment – Guidelines for Pacific Island Countries and
Territories’ has been prepared to provide guidance on the application of SEA as a tool to support
environmental planning, policy and informed decision making. It provides background on the use and
benefits of SEA as well as providing tips and guiding steps on the process, including case studies, toolkits
and checklists for conducting an SEA in the Appendices.
To introduce this collection of studies, a logical first question to ask is why produce a “lessons learned” publication?
Avariety of factors can affect the biodiversity of tropicalmammal communities,
but their relative importance and directionality remain uncertain. Previous
global investigations of mammal functional diversity have relied on range
maps instead of observational data to determine community composition. We
test the effects of species pools, habitat heterogeneity, primary productivity
and human disturbance on the functional diversity (dispersion and richness)
of mammal communities using the largest standardized tropical forest camera
With increasing globalization of markets, rising environmental awareness, and attention from international conventions and agreements, the vast majority of countries are looking into managing their forests more sustainably. The main limitation appears to be lack of funding for improving forest management. Traditional sources include the government, targeted investments from the private sector, international donor support, and contributions in kind from rural communities. But these are grossly inadequate, and additional finances are required.