Niue declares bold plan to protect 100% of its ocean

"I know that Pacific women have a key role to play in your recovery, and in your economic development.
Societies work better, economies work better, communities work better, when we remove barriers to the participation of women and girls, when all have an equal place in national life.
As the countries of the Pacific continue to chart a course to recovery from the challenges of COVID, we know that women and girls – their status, their participation, their education, their safety – will be a vital part of that recovery.
We will always seek to work in partnership with our Pacific Family."

-Hon Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Government of Australia
Penny Wong - Senator for SA

Fiji taps into nature-based solutions to boost its ecosystems and economy

Fiji has an abundance of natural resources, and lacks the intense demographic, economic and industrial pressures that cause many serious environmental issues. Still, the Small Island Developing State (SIDS) must contend daily with environmental challenges caused by the global climate crisis, including sea level rise, coastal erosion and bleaching of corals.

These in turn cause loss of biodiversity which impacts livelihoods and food security. The global mismanagement of plastic waste has not spared Fiji either, with plastic waste increasingly contaminating the country’s shorelines and oceans.

To address these issues, Fiji has been looking towards innovative, nature-based solutions – approaches that use the power of nature to reduce climate risks and ensure human well-being and biodiversity benefits.

Here Mr. Joshua Wycliffe, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment in Fiji, discusses the country’s experience.

How are communities in SIDS reducing coastal pollution?

Across the world, coastal regions and ecosystems are facing diverse environmental pressures from overexploitation, soil erosion, urban waste discharge and more. In the Pacific region, the problem is even more severe given the reliance of countries on healthy ocean ecosystems and services.

Watch this video by the Vanuatu Environmental Science Society!

How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Ocean Cleanup from Plastics

Oceans cover 71% of our planet and contain a volume of plastic that has become so high that “in just a few years, we might end up with a pound of plastic for every three pounds of fish in the sea”.

By combining machine learning, satellite data, and drone technology, scientists are equipped to remotely detect plastic waste hotspots, quantify marine litter, and even detect tiny plastic pieces floating in oceans.