FSM Vulnerability Assessment | Regional | Solomon Islands News

FSM Vulnerability Assessment | Regional | Solomon Islands News

FSM Vulnerability Assessment

BY SECRETARIAT OF THE PACIFIC COMMUNITY

The government of Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has carried out climate vulnerability assessments on 14 atoll islands in the states of Pohnpei, Chuuk and Yap.

A total of eight survey teams covered the areas of marine environments, soils, pests and diseases, forests, trees and vegetation, agriculture and land use, water, response management, and socio-economic factors.
This was done to fulfill United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) requirements for the preparation of national communications from non-Annex I Parties (developing countries).

Mr Jaleso Mateboto, Community Forestry Technician with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community's Land Resources Division, led the forest & vegetation survey team.

'Non-Annex I Parties should provide a description of their national and regional development priorities, objectives and circumstances, on the basis of which they will address climate change and its adverse impacts.''This description may include information on features of their geography, climate and economy which may affect their ability to adapt to climate change and mitigate its effects, as well as information regarding specific needs and concerns arising from the adverse effects of climate change and/or the impact of the implementation of response measures,' Mateboto said.

He noted that information on national circumstances provides the opportunity for detailing the national or regional development priorities, objectives and situations that serve as the basis for addressing issues relating to climate change.

'Information provided on national conditions is critical for understanding a country's vulnerability, its capacity and its options for adapting to the adverse effects of climate change, as well as its options for addressing its greenhouse gas emissions within the broader context of sustainable development.

'Parties could also include information on the linkages between the activities and policies relating to climate change and those of other conventions, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on Combating Desertification.'

The FSM government, through its Climate Change Project, requested assistance (technical and financial) from international and regional organisations to assist in this vulnerability assessment.

In responding to the need and the request of the FSM government on vegetation survey assistance, the Forests and Trees (FAT) programme of SPC's Land Resources Division assisted in the design of the survey/monitoring plots, survey coordination and carrying out the actual field survey on the 14 atolls.

The teams lived on the ship MV Caroline for 22 days in March and April to complete the task.

FAT, in collaboration with SPC staff based in Pohnpei and Noumea, assisted FSM in collecting information in the following areas:
. Geographical characteristics, including climate, forests, land use and other environmental characteristics.
. Population - growth rates, distribution, density and other vital statistics.
. Economy, including energy, transport, industry, mining, tourism, agriculture, fisheries, waste, health and the services sector.
. Education, including scientific and technical research institutions.

In using the agreed design for monitoring, assessment, reporting for sustainable forest management, strips of 100 m x 10 m were established and assessed. The survey work also served as a capacity building exercise for FSM as Forest Officers from all four states worked with the SPC FAT officer for 22 days.

Governor Asks Coral Reef Task Force for Help With Buildup

Governor Asks Coral Reef Task Force for Help With Buildup

Guam - Governor Felix Camacho addressed the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force in Saipan Wednesday.

The task force was created by Presidential Executive Order in 1998 to coordinate federal government actions to better preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems.

Read the Governor's Speech

In his address, Governor Camacho asked the task force to assist our island in the following areas related to the impending Guahan build-up: (1) the need of our local natural resource agencies to build capacity; (2) to urge the Department of Defense to seriously consider the comments submitted for the Final Environmental Impact Statement; and (3) to help local departments and agencies develop mitigation strategies and techniques for our coral reefs.

“Our ability to manage our resources and infrastructure during the build-up and beyond will affect our island and our families for generations to come,” said Governor Camacho. “Our efforts will be wasted if the build-up is not handled in a manner that respects the people of Guahan and the natural resources we rely on.”

Additionally, Governor Camacho spoke on the importance of the Micronesia Challenge in anticipation of the build-up.

“For Guahan, our natural resource partners have been focusing on more complete approaches to conservation – working with land-based pollution sources, fishermen, developers, and the community to address the issues we face today,” said Governor Camacho. “The key to the Micronesia Challenge, and conservation in general, is to ensure that these steps are effective.”

The Micronesia Challenge, co-founded by Governor Camacho in 2006, has committed to the conservation of at least 30% of the near shore marine and 20% of the terrestrial resources across Micronesia by 2020.

For additional information, please contact Charlene Calip at 475-9304 or 788-0589, or you may e-mail charlene.calip@guam.go

Saipan Tribune

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Islands brace for military buildup's impact on reefs

By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter

Island nations and partner U.S. agencies have made some progress in protecting their coral reefs in recent years but they are faced with yet another challenge: how to minimize or prevent a massive military buildup from impacting the marine ecosystems not only of Guam, but also that of the CNMI, Palau, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, and other islands.

This was among the key issues in yesterday's opening of the two-day 2010 U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Meeting at the Saipan World Resort in Susupe.

The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force is one of the foremost policy groups guiding national and international coral reef conservation.

Task Force co-chairs Eileen Sobeck of the Department of the Interior and Andrew Winer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration joined representatives of federal agencies and governors of U.S. territories and affiliate members at the meeting, which showcased coral reef conservation work, watershed restoration projects, and climate change adaptation strategies, among other things.

Guam Gov. Felix P. Camacho said the military buildup “is the largest threat to coral reefs on this island.”

The military buildup involves the relocation of some 8,600 U.S. Marines and their 9,000 dependents from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam.

It also involves the construction of facilities and infrastructure to support training and operations on Guam and Tinian for the relocated Marines.

“I stress that our ability to manage our resources and our infrastructure during the military buildup and beyond will affect our island and our families for generations to come. The efforts of local natural resource managers will be wasted, if the military buildup is not handled in a manner that respects the people of Guahan [Guam] and the natural resources we rely on-for sustenance, for economic viability, for our culture, and for our way of life,” Camacho said.

One of three major projects related to the military buildup in Guam is a deep-draft wharf for transiting aircraft carriers.

The U.S. Navy earlier chose the Polaris Point in Guam's Apra Harbor as its preferred site for a carrier berth.

This would require some extensive dredging of sand and coral to accommodate the 1,325-foot wharf, designed for the larger Nimitz-class carriers, a “turning basin” in the harbor, and a widened ship channel.

Mitigation strategies

Camacho, in his remarks, asked the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force to help Guam come up with the best possible mitigation strategies for its coral reefs during this time of immense change and growth in the island.

“The members have the ability to direct resources to this important and urgent task, and techniques and strategies developed for Guahan could have future uses in other locations facing major development as well,” he said.

Capt. Peter S. Lynch, commanding officer of the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, said yesterday that the Record of Decision on the Final Environmental Impact Statement related to the buildup will not reflect a final decision on the location for a carrier berth because there's no consensus yet about the location.

Lynch, one of the presenters at the task force meeting, said the Department of Defense will defer a decision until after getting additional resource data.

He said DOD has identified funding to conduct additional studies that will take place in fiscal year 2011. Lynch said a decision will be based on data and studies that everybody agree on.

But Lynch pointed out that coral reefs are impacted by a lot of things, including runoff from a construction site or wastewater treatment that's not properly treated and could create algae plumes.

“There are the things we need to do regardless of whether we put the carrier here or there,” he added.

The Record of Decision on the Guam and CNMI Final EIS, which Lynch said could only be about 160 pages, will be released on Sept. 20, instead of the earlier schedule of Sept. 10.

The Navy said the delay is necessary to ensure that all comments received on the Final EIS are fully considered in the Record of Decision. In addition, the consultation processes under the National Historic Preservation Act and Endangered Species Act are still ongoing.

Economic benefits

Just like Guam, other islands look to economic benefits of increased military presence in the region but are at the same time bracing for its impact on the environment, including their coral reefs, which help sustain their economy and way of life.

Palau House of Delegates Speaker Noah Idechong said Palau expects to have increased number of soon-to-be Guam-based military personnel and their dependents visiting the island nation for diving and snorkeling, but he said “the downside is the impact on coral reefs.”

“It's a challenge for us,” he told Saipan Tribune in an interview during a break at the meeting.

Idechong said Palau has been investing in educational campaign on protecting coral reefs.

Palau also started collecting in November 2009 a so-called “green fee” from visitors, to be used for preserving protected areas.

The CNMI is also looking forward to increased military training on Tinian, as well as increased visits from military personnel and dependents for rest and recreation.

Climate change

American Samoa Gov. Togiola Tulafono said preparing for and mitigating climate change is the greatest global challenge facing the world today.

He said in American Samoa alone, the challenge is to protect resilient corals that are most likely to survive in the face of climate change.

Tulafono has also established a Climate Change Executive Order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and a Climate Change Local Action Strategy that integrated the climate change goals of the national Coral Reef Conservation Program with the local level.

'We're denied FEMA aid'

A tsunami hit the Samoan archipelago in September last year, killing people, destroying properties, displacing residents, and impacted the reefs.

“What some of you may not know is that our coral reefs suffered a second blow due to inadequate relief. Following the tsunami, large amounts of debris littered our reefs. Removal of the larger debris items is beyond the capacity of the American Samoan government, both in the expertise and the limited capacity of our landfills,” Tulafono said.

He said American Samoa repeatedly asked FEMA to directly assist NOAA by obtaining supplemental funding to remove the debris by activating Emergency Support Functions of the National Response Framework.

“However, we have been consistently denied on multiple accounts due to the loose interpretation of the ESFs by FEMA. Ladies and gentlemen, let me be frank. While it may sound like that this is about our last disaster and our issues with FEMA, they are not. This is not just about American Samoa. Anyone of our jurisdiction can experience a disaster such as our tsunami of 2009, and suffer the same consequences as us,” he said.

Tulafono asked the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force two things.

The first is the need to provide a formal U.S. position that coral reef health is indeed a public health issue for the people of American Samoa and the other insular jurisdictions.

“This would enable the Stafford Act to provide FEMA funding for coral reef restoration activities to address damage caused by natural disasters,” he said.

The second is the FEMA response requirement that differs for jurisdictions outside of the continental U.S., requiring a natural disaster declaration while there is an automatic response initiation for natural disasters occurring within the continental U.S.

“In conclusion, I am confident about the future of the work of this task force. And together, we can continue to enhance conservation strategies and limit threats to coral reef ecosystems, as already demonstrated by the USCRTF and Coral Reef Conservation Program,” he added.

Micronesian Challenge

CNMI Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said while the region has made great strides in the past decade, there continues to be considerable challenges ahead, particularly in coral reef protection efforts and the impact of climate change.

“Today, we will place considerable attention on the Micronesia Challenge-a commitment by the governments of the CNMI, Guam, FSM, RMI and Palau-to address the very issues of coral reefs and climate change,” he said.

The Micronesia Challenge calls for the protection of 30-percent of the islands' marine resources and 20-percent of terrestrial resources by the year 2020.

“The actions we take now to protect, restore and sustain our coral reef ecosystems will undoubtedly play a significant role in shaping the future of our Micronesian region, both economically and culturally. While it is clearly impossible for us to stop the forces of nature, we must remain firm in our commitment to be adequately prepared for what is to come long before it arrives. At the end of the day, it is people who make the difference,” he added.

Vangie Lujan, chair of the U.S. All Islands Coral Reef Committee, said island territories now have more access to federal agency assistance when it comes to coral reef protection.

Saipan Tribune

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Coral Reef Task Force preps for upcoming confab

By Clarissa David
Reporter

The Coral Reef Task Force of the CNMI's accomplishments and programs to protect the islands' marine life was the highlight of last Tuesday's membership meeting of the Rotary Club of Saipan at Giovani's Restaurant at the Hyatt.

“Since the Task Force has started, they have passed more than 60 resolutions,” CNMI Coral Reef point of contact Fran Castro told Rotarians.

The U.S. Coral Reef Task Force was established in 1998 by former President Bill Clinton through Presidential Executive Order 13089.

Twelve federal agencies and seven states, territories, and commonwealths were tasked to lead efforts to preserve and protect coral reef ecosystems.

Among these resolutions, Castro said, the biggest one is the Puerto Rico resolution “which calls for local action strategies to be developed in each of the local core jurisdiction.”

When the Puerto Rico resolution passed in 2003, Castro said the CNMI Coral Reef Task Force had a workshop for all stakeholders and resource agencies to identify focus threat areas or action strategies for the islands.

Through the workshop, Castro said they were able to identify land-based sources of pollution, fishery management, lack of awareness and public involvement, and recreational use and misuse as areas that need to be addressed through the Coral Reef Conservation funding.

Castro said the task force has received over $3 million since 2003to deal with these threats.

She said the CNMI Coral Reef Program was formed under the Governor's Office, comprising a policy committee, the point of contact for coral reef matters, a science advisory committee, and a coordinating committee.

The policy committee is composed of the directors of the Division of Environmental Quality, the Division of Fish and Wildlife, and the Coastal Resources Management.

The advisory committee deals with all the ongoing monitoring efforts while the coordinating committee prioritizes the projects needed to protect coral reefs.

Castro said the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force will hold its meeting on Saipan from Sept. 15 to 16 at the Saipan World Resort.

The meeting, which is hosted by the governments of Guam, CNMI and the Federated States of Micronesia, will focus on the Micronesia Challenge initiative signed in 2006.

“It's an initiative signed by the governments of Guam, CNMI, Republic of Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Our goal is to protect or effectively conserve 30 percent of our marine resources and 20 percent of our terrestrial resources,” said Castro.

To achieve this goal by its 2020 target date, Castro said they have taken a watershed approach by concentrating on Laolao Bay, Garapan, Tachogna, and the northeast Tinian coast watersheds.

Programs

Publication and outreach coordinator Lisa Eller said they have various programs that address these conservation efforts, which include the Ridge to Reef Eco Camps, the Coral Reef Internship, the First Friday Film Series, and coastal cleanups.

Through Ridge to Reef, Eller said they are able to foster environmental friendly actions from fourth to sixth graders by taking them to conservation areas and helping them experience the importance of conservation during a weeklong summer camp.

For the Coral Reef Internship program, Eller said they provide opportunities to college students to work on coral reef management projects to build local capacity and deal with natural resource management issues.

Eller said the First Friday Film Series is a partnership with the National Park Service and aims to engage people in addressing issues documented in the films being shown every first Friday of the month at the American Memorial Park.

Eller also said the International Coastal Cleanup on Sept. 25 aims to draw volunteers from the CNMI to participate in the worldwide cleanup of beaches and coastal areas.

Micronesia grapples with increasing water salinity

even though it seems the effects of global warming and ocean-rise are still far away, they are already being felt. avc

[from Deutsche Welle, DW-WORLD.DE]

Micronesia grapples with increasing water salinity

Soon a thing of the past? - the pristine Palau islands in the Pacific

Rising sea levels threaten to submerge Pacific island nations such as Micronesia. But early signs of disaster, like increasingly saline groundwater and dwindling freshwater reserves, are already visible.

Last fall, island nations made a dramatic appeal to industrialized countries: "My country is on the verge of being submerged," Emanuel Mori, the president of Micronesia, told representatives of the European Union at the time. He demanded that western countries finally rethink their climate policies.

Island states like Micronesia have been hit particularly hard by global warming, primarily through rising sea levels. There are real fears that the country could disappear from the world map in the not-too-distant future.

Rising water levels are threatening Micronesia's coastlines

The signs of the looming disaster are already there: rising sea levels have mixed salt water with the groundwater in several areas. That, in turn, is shrinking drinking water reserves and making it harder to irrigate agricultural land. The high level of salinity has poisoned the ground and made it infertile for years.

"It's a particularly tough situation for small island nations," Juergen Kropp of the Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research said. He added that these nations already had limited groundwater reserves.

Island states not the only ones affected

But it's not just places like Micronesia that are grappling with the problem of increasing salinity in the groundwater. Many other regions with long coastlines, for instance the Gaza Strip, are faced with similar problems.

The Gaza Strip is one of the most crowded places in the world, and that dense population puts great pressure on the region's water supply. Experts say it is another important cause of saline groundwater.

"Sea water can only intrude in places where water has been drained previously," Kropp said. If groundwater turns saline, he said, it shows that more groundwater was used than can be replaced.

More demand for water can lead to rising salinity in groundwater

Philip Magiera of the state-funded GTZ development organization in Germany said there are two ways to tackle the issue - either by increasing the existing water supply, or by limiting demand for it. "I'm a big fan of water efficiency," Magiera said.

There are lots of examples of how water usage can be reduced, he said, particularly in the agricultural sector. In many regions, up to 70 percent of the groundwater is used to irrigate fields. But with systems such as drip irrigation, it's possible to save large quantities of water.

Water wastage a major problem

Often, a lot of water is simply wasted on the way to the end consumer. Many countries struggle with leaky piping systems. In such cases, experts say, it makes more sense to first fix the leaks before more water is pumped into the system.

"Even in households, there are often possibilities to save water," Magiera said.

Effective use of water can also be achieved through economic measures such as regulating water prices.

If all water-saving measures are exhausted, then increasing fresh water reserves is the only option. If water cannot be imported, then the sea water must be desalinated.

"Technically, that's not a problem anymore today," said Kropp. Sea water desalination is practiced in countries such as Israel or Saudi Arabia. The United Arab Emirates are almost entirely dependent on desalinated sea water.

The UAE meets its needs for freshwater through desalination plants

But one of the problems that can crop up is that desalination plants are highly energy-intensive. And that energy is largely achieved in the Middle East by burning fossil-based fuel. That releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and in turn accelerates climate change.

Traditional solutions

Desalination plants have been set up in places like Micronesia. But these are mostly small plants with very low capacities. Bigger installations are too expensive. And there's a lack of energy reserves to power them.

Magiera said that in this case, the answer would be to turn to traditional measures - such as harvesting rainwater - instead of high-tech solutions.

Author: Philipp Bilsky (sp)
Editor: Jennifer Abramsohn