SEAS, OCEANS AND

SMALL ISLANDSPaul Raymond Bérenger

Into the mainstream

The Ecumenical PatriarchCreation’s forgotten days

Saufatu SopoangaStop my nation vanishing

Conrad C. LautenbacherOceans need mountains

Carlos Manuel RodríguezAn ocean corridor

Ronny JumeauNo island is an island

Anwarul K. Chowdhury Small islands, big potential

Volume 15 No 1

Our PlanetThe magazine of the United Nations Environment Programme

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This issue of Our Planet has been made possible by the generosity of the United Nations Foundation/Better World Fund.

The contents of this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of UNEP, the United Nations Foundation or the editors,nor are they an official record. The designations employed and the presentation do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoeveron the part of UNEP or the UN Foundation concerning the legal status of any country, territory or city or its authority, or concerningthe delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

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Our Planet,the magazine of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)PO Box 30552, Nairobi, KenyaTel (254 20) 621 234; fax 623 927; telex 22068 UNEP KEe-mail: cpiinfo@unep.orgwww.unep.org

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Director of Publication: Eric FaltEditor: Geoffrey LeanCoordinator: Naomi PoultonSpecial Contributor: Nick NuttallCirculation Manager: Manyahleshal KebedeDesign: Roger WhiskerWeb Editor: Chris CypertProduction: BansonPrinted in the United Kingdom

Front cover: Hank Foto/UNEP/Topham

20 Small islands, big potentialAmbassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury,UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States

22 Small is vulnerableAmbassador Jagdish Koonjul, Chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)

24 Natural resilienceAlbert Binger, Director of the University of the West Indies Centre for Environment and Development, andVisiting Professor at Saga UniversityInstitute of Ocean Energy, Japan

26 Books and products

27 Keeping oil from troubled watersPaul Loeffelman, Director, Environmental Public Policy,American Electric Power

28 Redressing the balanceThe Rt Hon. Don McKinnon, Commonwealth Secretary-General

30 Neighbours without bordersEllik Adler, Regional Seas Programme Coordinator, UNEP

32 Will Mother Nature wait?Jodi-Ann Johnson, student of psychology, University of the West Indies, Jamaica

11 Energy releaseThe Hon. Tom Roper, Project Director, Small Island States Energy Initiative, Climate Institute

12 Oceans need mountainsVice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr, US Navy (Ret.), US Undersecretary of Commercefor Oceans and Atmosphere, andAdministrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

14 People

15 An ocean corridorCarlos Manuel Rodríguez, Minister of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica

16 At a glance: Seas, oceans and smallislands

18 Profile: Cesaria Evora ‘La diva aux pieds nus’

19 No island is an islandRonny Jumeau, Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, Seychelles

3 EditorialKlaus Toepfer, Executive Director, UNEP

4 Into the mainstreamThe Hon. Paul Raymond Bérenger,Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius

6 Creation’s forgotten daysHis All Holiness Bartholomew of Constantinople, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch

8 Restoring a pearlTimothy E. Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation and Better World Fund

9 Stop my nation vanishingThe Hon. Saufatu Sopoanga, Prime Minister of Tuvalu

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Also available on the internet atwww.ourplanet.com, with an additional article by Margie Falanruwon the Pacific Alternative

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The great philosopher who de-veloped the Principle of Respons-ibility, Hans Jonas, once remarked:

‘Today, mankind is a bigger threat to thesea than the sea has ever been tomankind.’

This edition of Our Planet marks theannual World Environment Day cele-brations. The theme ‘Sea and Oceans!Wanted Dead or Alive?’ reflects Jonas’observations, his concerns. From over-fishing and the discharge of untreated,raw, sewage to the clearing and de-struction of precious habitats like coralreefs and mangrove swamps, the world’smarine environment is under assault asnever before.

UNEP, and the rest of the UnitedNations system, is not standing idly by,merely a witness and chronicler of thedamage. The United Nations MillenniumDevelopment Goals and the World Sum-mit on Sustainable Development’s(WSSD) Plan of Implementation give usclear targets and timetables for address-ing a wide range of pressing issues in-cluding those relating to oceans and seas.

Under the plan, we all have the

From the desk of

KLAUS TOEPFERUnited Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director,UNEP

responsibility to restore fish stocks tohealthy levels by 2015, where possible.Significantly, it also urges establishing aglobal network of marine protectedareas. Already we are seeing action onthis – from proposals dramatically toextend Australia’s protection for its GreatBarrier Reef to moves by six West Africancountries – Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea,Guinea Bissau, Mauritania and Senegal –to develop a network of marine protectedareas aimed at reducing overfishing andpossible threats from oil exploration.

Key target

One key target and timetable set at WSSDwas to halve the number of peoplewithout access to basic sanitation by2015. Not only will this reduce sicknessand misery, it will also reduce the levelsof toxic, algal blooms in the oceans whichthreaten human health and wildlife – andspread low-oxygen areas, so called ‘dead zones’.

Reducing sewage pollution will alsocut discharges which can choke preciousmarine habitats, like coral reefs. Theseare fish nurseries and significant gen-erators of tourist dollars for often poorcoastal communities.

Delivering the WSSD sanitation targetshould lead to further spin-offs for themarine world. In some situations,modern wastewater treatment worksmay be appropriate. But natural systems– some of which, like mangrove swamps,are coastal and marine – can provide low-cost alternatives. Many are being clearedfor agriculture and other uses. Byfocusing attention on their sewage andpollution filtering properties, valuablehabitats for spawning fish and birds canbe saved.

The seas are special but there aresome areas that are especially vulnerableto interference by humankind.

Pervasive threat

In small island developing states, watersupplies, agriculture, terrestrial andmarine wildlife and unique cultures arethreatened not only by overfishing,pollution and insensitive development.They are also threatened by probably thegreatest and most pervasive threat of all,namely climate change.

Solutions to their plight will be the

focus of the Barbados+10 meeting to beheld in Mauritius later in 2004.

These activities are not carried out inisolation.

The United Nations Convention on theLaw of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its imple-menting agreements are now in forcealongside numerous regional fisheriesagreements.

We now have 13 regions covered by theUNEP Regional Seas Programme, thelatest of which covers the North EastPacific. There are also three, non-UNEP,regional seas agreements including the Oslo Paris Commission (OSPAR)Convention.

UNEP, with funding from the GlobalEnvironment Facility, is also leading thefour-year Global International WatersAssessment or GIWA. This is a sort ofmarine and freshwater equivalent of theIntergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC).

Sixty-six international waters arebeing assessed with the aim of giving theinternational community crucial infor-mation on where current problems are.

Significantly GIWA will also developscenarios of the future conditions ofthese waters as a result of social, eco-nomic and environmental pressures,allowing the international community toprioritize efforts.

I am delighted to say that GIWA is wellunder way. Work on several significantregions, including the Amazon Basin, theIndian Ocean Islands and the CaspianSea, has been successfully completed.

UNEP’s Global Programme of Actionfor the Protection of the Marine Environ-ment from Land-based Activities (GPA)was also given big backing by WSSD.

By 2006, up to 40 mainly developingcountries are expected to have nationalprogrammes of action in place to reducethe levels of pollution entering the seafrom the land and from rivers ■

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Achieving the objectives of sus-tainable development is the greatestchallenge facing nations – specifi-

cally small island developing states (SIDS)– and, indeed, the human race in general, atthe dawn of the 21st century. This is whythe United Nations International Meeting –which will undertake a full and compre-hensive review of the implementation ofthe Barbados Programme of Action for theSustainable Development of SIDS – willbe of such vital importance, not only to

SIDS but also to the whole internationalcommunity.

As preparations gather momentum forthe hosting of the International Meeting inMauritius, we cannot help looking back onthe important landmarks which have pavedthe way to this historic event.

The 1972 Stockholm Conference onHuman Environment, by relating en-vironment to development, placed theconcept of sustainable development onthe world’s agenda for the first time.

Into themainstream

PAUL RAYMOND BERENGER calls on the internationalcommunity to recognize the seriousness of the plight ofsmall island developing states and take concrete actionto promote their sustainable development

Twenty years later, in June 1992, theUnited Nations World Conference onEnvironment and Development in Rioadopted Agenda 21 as a blueprint forsustainable development.

The inherent disadvantages andvulnerabilities of SIDS – whether ateconomic, social or environmental level –were recognized during the Rio Summitand this was reflected in Agenda 21. Sincethen, SIDS have been acknowledged by theinternational community at large as a‘special case both for environment anddevelopment’. The factors identified asmajor constraints to the socioeconomicdevelopment of SIDS are: ■ their smallness■ their remoteness■ their vulnerability to natural disasters■ the fragility of their ecosystems■ isolation from markets■ vulnerability to exogenous economic

and financial shocks■ a highly limited internal market■ lack of natural resources■ limited freshwater supplies■ heavy dependence on imports■ brain drain

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■ their limited ability to reap the benefitsof economies of scale.

The Global Conference on the SustainableDevelopment of SIDS held in Barbados in1994 expanded further the notion of their‘special needs’, and more particularly theneed to build resilience against vulner-abilities: the end result was the adoption ofthe Barbados Programme of Action. Theprogramme addresses 14 of the mostspecific island issues – including waterresources, sanitation, land use, bio-diversity, conservation and protection, andmarine resources – which are the fun-damental pillars of their economies andsustenance. The Barbados conference wasalso the opportunity for building newpartnerships for a sustainable developmentplan for SIDS.

Unfortunately, no new or additionalfunds were made available, as committed,for implementing the Barbados Pro-gramme, nor were any monitoring andreview mechanisms put in place to reporton the implementation process. The five-year review held in 1999 came and went,and it was business as usual. Very littleprogress had been achieved on addressingisland-specific issues through imple-menting the programme.

In the meantime, the world order hadtaken a turn for the worse both in economicand environmental terms. Countries withsmall economies and with little or noresilience were sinking lower and mostSIDS were in a worse situation than whenthe Barbados Programme was approved.

Very few SIDS were able to mobilizeextra resources for implementing theprogramme, and those which did had todivert already scarce resources from otherimportant development projects.

Both the Millennium Summit of WorldLeaders in September 2000 and theJohannesburg World Summit on Sustain-able Development in 2002 called for a firmrenewed commitment to meet the objec-tives of sustainable development at thehighest political level and provided agolden opportunity for SIDS to claim lostrecognition.

The International Meeting in August-

September 2004 in Mauritius provides uswith another opportunity to revisit theBarbados Programme. This time, we cannotafford to make any mistakes. We have nochoice but to develop and reinforcepartnership with the development partners.

The Programme is still as valid today asat the time of its adoption ten years ago.However, new elements have compoundedour already serious situations, such asdifficult trade rules, erosion of acquiredaccess rights to traditional trading markets,diseases such as HIV/AIDS (which areexacerbating an already critical lack ofhuman resources), serious natural disasters(more cyclones, droughts, flooding, etc.),coastal erosion and overexploitation ofmarine resources, and security problemsaffecting air transport and the tourismindustry amongst others.

Global problems need global solutionsand, to that end, we believe that a holisticand integrated approach is called for. TheMauritius International Meeting is aunique forum for challenges and oppor-tunities, for sharing experiences, anddrawing lessons from the past with a viewto bringing SIDS into the mainstream ofsustainable development. We are lookingforward to its outcome, which should notonly contain recommendations, but also betarget oriented with clear timetables asprovided for in the Millennium Develop-ment Goals and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. In addition, it will be necessary to ensure monitoring through a mechanism set up for follow-upimplementation.

In Mauritius, we are perfectly consciousof the heavy responsibilities incumbentupon us as the host country, but it is aprivilege to assume them. Every effort isbeing undertaken to make the InternationalMeeting a success in terms of organization,as well as recommendations and outcome.

We want our development partners torealize the seriousness of the stakes forSIDS and we expect they will find nodifficulty in providing the necessarysupport.

Naturally, this will require the massiveand active participation and cooperation ofone and all: SIDS, United Nations and thewhole international community.

We welcome you to Mauritius!

The Hon. Paul Raymond Bérenger, GCSKis Prime Minister of the Republic ofMauritius.

We have no choice but todevelop and reinforcepartnership with thedevelopment partners

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Creation’sforgotten daysHIS ALL HOLINESS BARTHOLOMEW OF CONSTANTINOPLE says that water is the binding force betweenheaven and earth and that pollution ofthe sea represents paradise lost

W hen we consider the creation story in Genesis, we tend torecall the first moment – or perhaps the sixth day – ofcreation. We often overlook what occurred on the third

and fifth days, when the world’s waters came into being. Yet these days are an essential part of the whole story. They are acritical part of our own story.

At the foundation of the world, ‘in the beginning … the spirit ofGod swept over the face of the waters’ (Genesis 1:1-2). The Judeo-Christian scriptures speak of water as a sign of blessing and peace(Deuteronomy 8:7). The way we relate to God is reflected in theway we respect water. Water pronounces the sealed covenantbetween God and the world; drought and thirst announce therupture of this binding relationship, an apostasy from the divinecommandments (I Kings 17). The heavens, too, are set among thewaters (Revelation 4). Marine pollution is nothing less than theviolation of a hallowed promise.

Our fourth-century predecessor in the See of Constantinople, StJohn Chrysostom, understood the spiritual and mystical connectionbetween the creation of water, the creation of humanity and the roleof the Creator:

‘We experience a sense of wonder before the boundless extent of the seas;

we are filled with awe before the unfathomable depth of the oceans;

we confess our amazement before the marvelous works of the Creator.’

In the same city of Constantinople, beneath the magnificentChurch of St Sophia (the wisdom of God), there flows a channel ofwater. The Byzantines believed that this stream issued from thechurch itself, since water has traditionally been considered to be thesymbol for life and wisdom (John 7:37). Moreover, rivers of greenmarble on the floor of the Great Church represent the streams ofparadise. Water is the binding force between heaven and earth. A

dying sea is more than simply the result of industrial or chemicalwaste, of oil spills and water mismanagement. Marine pollution isnothing less than paradise lost.

No water, no world

In Eastern Orthodox iconography, blue is interchangeable withgreen. These colours are predominantly used for foregrounds andbackgrounds, being reserved also for the depiction of the celestial.As in the viewpoint from space, so also in the perspective of icons:both heaven and earth are blue! We tend to call earth our habitat;yet, in many ways, water might be more appropriately hailed as ourhome or natural environment. If there were no water, there wouldbe no world. Marine pollution is nothing less than the devastationof our earthly premise.

An early mosaic of the crucifixion of Christ, found in SanClemente, Rome, portrays streams of water flowing from the footof the cross, a symbol for the Sacrament of Baptism (John 19:34).Like the Sacrament of the Eucharist (or Communion), theSacrament of Baptism derives from the loving passion of JesusChrist. Just as blood issued from the body of Christ, waterconstitutes the blood of the Church and of the Earth. Marinepollution is nothing less than an assault upon a delicate cosmicbalance, preserved over millions of years.

Orthodox spirituality employs water imagery to describe thestruggle to redress a balance between matter and spirit, betweenbody and soul. In Orthodox ascetic practice, tears function as away of reversing habits that abuse creation and divide the world.The silence of tears and the stillness of water (Psalm 22) echo theneed to refocus attention on sharing God’s gifts fairly. The depthsof the ocean resonate with the depths of silence. This is whyOrthodox spiritual practice emphasizes stillness as a way into the human heart and as a window into the divine abyss. PaulClaudel once observed: ‘Everything the heart desires can bereduced to a water figure’. Some 2,500 years ago, Thales ofMiletus founded his school of philosophy on the same conviction:‘All things are water’.

There is, then, something sacred, almost sacramental in the veryfabric of water. The meaning of water somehow conceals the verymystery of God. In this respect, Orthodox theology proposes amodel of environmental action based on the spiritual significanceof water. On a planet where oceans and rivers are polluted, wewould do well to remember the original and radical relationship

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between living sources of water and the life-giving spirit of God. Ina world where the unjust demands of the few stifle the fundamentalsurvival of the poor, water reminds us of the need to live simply andsimply to live. At a time when wastefulness has become so rampantand pervasive, we are challenged to recall the implications of ouractions as well as to assume responsibility for a society wherewater is justly shared and where everyone has enough.

In light of this commitment, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has todate organized five international, inter-religious and inter-disciplinary symposia: in the Aegean Sea (1995), on the Black Sea(1997), along the Danube River (1999), around the Adriatic Sea(2002) and in the Baltic Sea (2003). A sixth is currently beingprepared for the Caspian Sea in the summer of 2005. The purposeis to call attention to the plight of our seas; to attract religiousleaders, scientists, environmentalists, politicians and journalists;and to raise awareness about collective responsibility for ourenvironment for future generations. None of us is able to resolvethe environmental crisis alone; ‘everyone has a part to play’, as westated in a Common Declaration with Pope John Paul II at theclosing ceremony of the Adriatic symposium.

All of us know that we are surrounded by rivers, seas andoceans. What we do not immediately recognize is the way in whichthese are intimately and innately connected to one another as wellas to our environment. We may not immediately discern the closerelationship between the world’s waterways, the world’s people andthe world’s Creator. There is an interconnection and inter-dependence between the water of baptism, the sap of plants, the

tears of humans, the bloodstream of animals, the rainfall of a forestand the flow of rivers to the sea.

We are called to avow water as the wonder of life if we are everto avert the world crisis in water pollution and distribution. In orderto correct the wrongful politics of water by those who regard it astheir rightful property, we must first celebrate water as the irre-placeable patrimony of all humankind; we must accept theindiscriminate and inalienable right to water for all people in theworld. Water can never be reduced to a marketable commodity forprofit – especially for the affluent, especially for the few. It mustalways be protected as part of the fundamental quality of life –especially for the more vulnerable, especially for our children.

On the third day of creation, ‘God gathered the waters under thesky into one place; and God saw that it was good. … So Godcreated every living thing, with which the waters swarm. And Godsaw that it was good.’ (Genesis 1:9-21). The Greek word for ‘good’implies beauty and harmony. The very least that we owe God, thisworld and our children, is to preserve the beauty of our planet’swater, to leave behind a world that remains good ■

† BARTHOLOMEW Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome,and Ecumenical Patriarch

We tend to call earth our habitat; yet, in manyways, water might be more appropriatelyhailed as our home or natural environment

Much has been written about the sad and recurring spectreof political turmoil in Haiti. The tug and pull betweendemocracy and dictatorship has been on display for the

past few decades, personified by the desperate boat people riskingeverything to try to find hopeand opportunity for the future.Far too little attention, however,has been given to the envir-onmental underpinnings of theHaitian crisis and to theenvironmental destruction acc-elerated by the crush of povertyand rapid population growth.

Arriving at Haiti in the late15th century, Columbus wrotein his journal of the island’swonders: ‘The mountains andhills, the plains and meadowlands are both fertile and beau-tiful. They are most suitable forplanting crops and for raisingcattle of all kinds… the trees,fruits and plants are very different from those of Cuba.’

Environmental exhaustion

Five hundred years later – and 20 years after my first visit – I went to Haiti in the mid-1990s on behalf of the US Government.Just flying into the country, the extent of the environmentalexhaustion of the land was striking. The lush hillsides andmeadows Columbus described have been denuded, strippedvirtually clean. The stark contrast between forested and bare lands

acts as an unofficial but unmistakable border between Haiti andthe Dominican Republic.

The daily grind of meeting basic needs for an impoverishedpeople is a major force in eroding Haiti’s essential natural resourcesand core economic assets. Too many people scraping too fewnatural resources from the land has led to one of the world’s highestrates of deforestation. Topsoil is lost to erosion. Rivers are filledwith the resulting sediment and the freshwater resources arediminished. These trends – and associated pollution – lead towaterborne diseases and damage to human health. And all thesedevelopments push rural residents toward the island’s urbancentres, where there are too few jobs. In this despair, the seeds ofdiscontent and political chaos germinate and grow.

Comprehensive strategy

The other driving force is rapidpopulation growth. Haiti’s pop-ulation of 7 million is growingat almost 1.5 per cent annuallyand will increase by 30 percent in the next 20 years. Theaverage Haitian woman has 4 or 5 children, each entering anation whose economic, envir-onmental and political pros-pects are headed in the wrongdirection.

Any serious effort to stab-ilize Haiti and help its residentspursue sustainable develop-

ment must fundamentally address both its people’s need for familyplanning and other basic reproductive health services and the issueof rural agriculture, the primary endeavour of two thirds of thepopulation. A comprehensive population strategy would provideservices, promote human rights and education for all, and engagewomen in the economy. A rural agriculture programme mustprovide credit, promote land reform – giving farmers a stake in theland – and include an inventory of the country’s biological diversityand opportunities.

Haiti’s misfortune is likely to be a recurring nightmare for itspeople, for the cause of democracy and for world concerns unlessthe core factors underlying its political and economic collapse areaddressed. Yet a creative, effective programme of environmentalrestoration might just transform Haiti once again into the ‘pearl ofthe Caribbean’, and help demonstrate the powerful relationshipbetween the world’s future economic and environmental fortunes ■

Timothy E. Wirth is President of the United Nations Foundationand Better World Fund, and was formerly a US representativeand senator from Colorado. He served as undersecretary of statefor global affairs in the Clinton Administration.

RestoringA PEARL

TIMOTHY E. WIRTH describes theenvironmental devastation that has led to

political turmoil in Haiti, and suggestshow it can again become ‘the pearl

of the Caribbean’

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Too many people scraping too few naturalresources from the land...

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Tuvalu began to voice its concerninternationally over climatechange in the late 1980s. Our

key concern then, and now, is sea-levelrise, which has the potential to sub-merge the islands we call home. Suc-cessive elected governments in Tuvaluhave amplified warnings of this threat.

More than 30 years ago, scientistsfirst hinted at the possibility thatmanmade emissions of carbon dioxideand other greenhouse gases wereraising the Earth’s atmospheric temp-erature, causing glaciers and polar iceto melt, and sea levels to rise. Sincethen an impressive canon of scientificresearch has been published.

Thirty years later, is the sea rising?We think it is, and this view issupported by a broad scientific con-sensus. Estimates of sea-level rise inthe southwest Pacific range between 1and 2 millimetres per year, confirmingwhat we fear most. This is what thescience tells us and anecdotal evi-dence here in Tuvalu – just south of theequator, and west of the internationaldateline – suggests the same.

What we see in Tuvalu is marginallyhigher (peak) sea levels when tides arehighest. This means annual high tidesare creeping further and furtherashore. There is crop damage frompreviously unseen levels of saltwaterintrusion. There is a higher incidenceof wave washover during storms orperiods of strong tidal activity.

Some commentators, journalistsand scientists alike, have attributedthese phenomena to construction tooclose to fragile lagoon foreshores orocean fronts, or to the loss of naturalcoastal protection (allegedly fromcutting down too many shoreline trees,shoreline mining and so forth).Whether or not this picture is accurate,this line of reasoning confuses theissue of recent material gains – princi-pally the present level of developmentin Tuvalu – with sea-level rise. If thesea is rising, as local evidencesuggests and scientists suspect, noamount of natural or manmade coastalprotection that is not prohibitivelyexpensive will fend it off. So-called‘adaptation’ measures are a short-term fix, which, however beneficial,merely delay the inevitable. Unless, ofcourse, the worldwide volume of

greenhouse gas production is cutdrastically, and cut fast.

Tuvalu’s nine small atolls and reefislands are geographically flat, risingno more than 4 metres above sea level.At any time, we are naturally con-cerned with the state of the sea, just asa desert nomad is with the health of anoasis. We have no continental interiorwhere we can relocate; no high inter-ior, as found on a volcanic island. Wecannot move away from our coastlines.All the land we inhabit is a coastline,right where the threat of rising sealevels is greatest.

Confronting issues

Successive elected governments inTuvalu have adopted the concept ofsustainable development, and we con-front its issues almost daily. Buthowever much we try to put thisconcept into action locally, we alsoknow it will not solve the problem ofrising sea levels, if in fact the sea isrising. What can we do?

As much as we try to meet theexpectations of the international com-munity, which demands that we mixsustainable development into nationalpolicy, our efforts on the ground havebeen mostly unsuccessful. (Other de-veloping countries around the worldshare the same experience.) Why? For one, a shortage of labour andcapital. Two, Tuvalu is a least devel-oped country.

In the context of climate change, ithas become obvious to us that sus-tainable development – which can offersolutions to many of the issues we con-front as a nation still in the early stagesof growth – is clearly not a defenceagainst sea-level rise, no matter howhard the international debate tries toconnect the two. As the former chair-man of the Association of Small IslandStates, Tuiloma Neroni Slade, recentlysaid: ‘It may be that we manage to getour sustainable development policesright. Yet we will still face the risk thatall will be undermined by climatechange.’ This reality is an undeniably

Stop my nationvanishing

SAUFATU SOPOANGA describes how Tuvalu is increasingly threatened by the rising seas caused byglobal warming, and calls for urgent international action

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needs. To curtail this dependence inany meaningful way will require publicor private investment from the inter-national community to finance a large-scale shift to solar energy. Otherwise,Tuvalu – and most other countries in asimilar situation – will fall well short of expectations in relation to sust-ainable development, and of theexpectations of climate change-related public policy.

From where we stand, this type oflarge-scale renewable investment andcommitment has not been forth-coming, from public or private sources.But, make no mistake, Tuvalu standsready to enter into partnership withany industrial country or manufacturerof solar energy equipment to trans-form its energy sector – and to play ourpart, however small, in reducinggreenhouse gas emissions. We cannotdo it alone. The concentration of car-bon dioxide and other greenhousegases in the atmosphere is growing.Scientific research and debate haveinformed the majority of internationalpublic opinion. Scientists sounded thealarm on climate change and atmos-pheric warming years ago. The Inter-governmental Panel on ClimateChange – in thousands of pages ofresearch documentation – has ex-plained in detail the threat posed bymanmade atmospheric warming.

Paying the price

Its effects are being felt not just inTuvalu but everywhere. Why powerfuldecision makers in countries who canmake a difference continue to down-play the threat posed by globalwarming is beyond our understanding.Isn’t mankind’s future at risk? Thebiggest emitters of manmade green-house gases are the world’s largestcountries, in North and South America,Europe, Africa and Asia – which comesas no surprise. Two countries, whichare also the world’s two mostpopulous, China and India, alsorepresent the world’s biggest futuregreenhouse gas emissions threat. Bycomparison, Tuvalu’s greenhouse gasemissions are next to zero.

It is likely that in the next 50-100years, if not sooner, the nine islands ofTuvalu will at best become uninhab-

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itable, or at worst vanish. This is basednot on speculation, but on mountingscientific evidence. The outlook isgrim, but what can Tuvalu do? As oneof my predecessors wrote, ‘Tuvalu’svoice in the climate change debate issmall, rarely heard, and heeded not atall. Industrial countries, with all theirwealth, may fret, but if atmospherictemperatures [continue to] rise, evenby a few degrees, the price will be paidby the islands of Tuvalu and all low-lying land just like it’ ■

The Hon. Saufatu Sopoanga, OBE isPrime Minister of Tuvalu.

accurate view of the situation we facein the Pacific. Manmade climatechange is not a Pacific invention, norare rising sea levels our problem to fix.There is only this: Tuvalu and otherPacific island countries will be amongthe first to suffer the catastrophicconsequences of sea-level rise.

The only international mechanismto combat climate change is the KyotoProtocol. In the absence of potentiallybetter alternatives – if and when theymight ever appear – we appeal to theinternational community: support theprovisions set out in Kyoto withoutreservation, and achieve its statedgreenhouse gas emission targets. Butthat’s not all. What we fear is thatwhether or not countries ratify Kyoto,greenhouse gas emissions will con-tinue to grow, unless there is drasticchange – for example, in howindustrial countries, by far the largestemitters of greenhouse gases, useenergy. Yet, fossil fuel consumptioncontinues to grow.

Not enough

Policy measures and non-technologyfixes are important tools in the battle tolower greenhouse gas emissionsworldwide. Examples of these meas-ures include energy conservation, thecreation of vast new carbon sinks andemissions trading. But these effortswill not stop the sea from rising unlessthere is widespread replacement ofexisting energy technology that usescarbon-based fuel to power the steamturbine and internal combustion en-gine. Sadly, this prospect seems highlyunlikely in the foreseeable future.

As far back as independence in1978, Tuvalu has consistently advo-cated the use of renewable energy. Wehave had some success with solarpower, using a technology (solarphotovoltaic) that is obviously com-patible with sustainable development.But Tuvalu still relies predominantly onimported petroleum to meet its energy

Manmade climate change is not a Pacific invention,nor are rising sea levels ourproblem to fix

Our Planet

11

plan for small island nations, and toshowcase their efforts to cut theirgreenhouse gas emissions significantly.

Projects developed under the GSEII willaddress key barriers that constrain the useof renewable energy technologies for powergeneration on these islands. This approachwill enable the development of real,sustainable projects that can be adopted andimplemented throughout other SIDS.

The GSEII – also funded by theRockefeller Brothers Fund and the USDepartment of Energy – was founded in2000 by the Climate Institute, theOrganization of American States, theEnergy and Security Group, WinrockInternational and Counterpart International.Since its foundation, it has concentrated itsefforts on the island nations of St Lucia,Grenada and Dominica.

The three islands are heavily dependenton fossil fuels: in 2000 importing themaccounted for 23 per cent of Grenada’sexport earnings, 28.2 per cent ofDominica’s and 53.6 per cent of St Lucia’s.The islands have been found to have goodpotential for power from solar, wind,geothermal, hydro and biomass resources –and could improve their energy efficiencyby 20 per cent.

The Prime Minister of Dominica andministers from the other two island nationspublicly stated their strong commitment toadopting measures to achieve energy self-reliance at the 2002 Johannesburg WorldSummit on Sustainable Development. All three nations have since developednational sustainable energy plans,establishing aggressive targets for renew-ables and energy efficiency – the firstobjective of the GSEII.

The initiative now aims to support theconsolidation of these policies. In the nexttwo years, it also plans to expand its effortsto several additional member nations of theAlliance of Small Island States across theworld and to provide outreach and trainingto over 20 island nations ■

The Hon. Tom Roper is Project Director,Small Island States Energy Initiative at theClimate Institute, and former Minister forPlanning and Environment and StateTreasurer of Victoria, Australia.

Mark Lynas/Still Pictures

Small island developing states(SIDS) are particularly vulnerableto the vagaries of the world’s

energy markets. Most depend almostentirely on oil for their needs, but fewhave any oil of their own. So they mustrely on importing it and are enormouslyexposed to the volatility of its price, andto the uncertainty of supplies. As mostSIDS are remote, the fuel has to betransported for long distances, greatlyincreasing its cost.

This dependence entails a major threatto their economies. Importing the fuelabsorbs a large proportion of their foreignexchange earnings, constraining invest-ment in economic and social develop-ment. Additionally, the high price ofenergy slows down development evenfurther, and makes it hard for the poor toget energy for the lighting and servicesthey need.

Yet, while most SIDS are poor in fossilfuels, they are usually rich in renewablesources of energy such as the sun and thewind and could do much to improve theirenergy efficiency. They are therefore wellplaced to benefit from sustainable energypolicies, which would cut back theirexpensive fuel imports and make modernforms of energy much more widelyavailable to their people.

There is also a moral reason for takingthis approach. Many SIDS are among thecountries most vulnerable to the sea-levelrise and extremes of climate broughtabout by climate change – yet they emitonly a tiny proportion of the greenhousegases that cause global warming. Settingan example by cutting back their use offossil fuels would strengthen their moralposition even further.

So far, however, little renewable energyis exploited in SIDS, and whatdevelopment has taken place has beenlargely restricted to internationalassistance programmes. Now a plannedproject, initially in three West Indianislands, partially funded by the UnitedNations Foundation, aims to speed this up.The Global Sustainable Energy IslandsInitiative (GSEII) seeks to bringsustainable energy projects, models andconcepts together in a sustainable energy

E n e r g y r e l e a s eTOM ROPER describeshow three West Indiannations are planning toreduce their dependenceon imported fuel and exploit their ownsustainable energysupplies

Our Planet

12

Our Planet

Oceansneed

mountainsCONRAD C.

LAUTENBACHERexplains that the health

of seas and islandsdepends on ecosystems

from ocean depths tomountain peaks,

and describes an initiative starting

in the Caribbean thatacknowledges this

The rest of the world is finally comingaround to what those who live onsmall islands and in coastal areas

have known for some time – that theprecious and pristine ecosystems uponwhich these communities depend for theirlivelihood are inextricably linked to everyother ecosystem and to their influencesupstream. The bad news is that the rest ofthe world is only just realizing this. Thegood news is that our actions to protect andrestore these vital ecosystems are helpingto improve them.

During the 2002 World Summit onSustainable Development this basic under-standing of the inter-relationships amongecosystems formed the foundation of thedecision to create the White Water to BlueWater (WW2BW) partnership. As its namesuggests, this explicitly acknowledges theinterconnected nature of ecosystems fromthe tips of the highest mountains to thedepths of the oceans and seeks to bringtogether key interests from upstream anddownstream to work together for thebetterment of the whole.

Widespread benefits

The vision of WW2BW is healthy, well-managed and productive marine andcoastal ecosystems that support secureeconomies and livelihoods in coastal

countries. In essence, coastal areas will not be able to achieve long-term sustain-able development without a coordinatedecosystem-based management structure.However, the benefits are not just realizedat the end of the line. Cleaning up thelakes, rivers, streams and watersheds thatmake up the white water part of theequation benefits all those who rely onthem for their health and a sustainableeconomy.

Making such declarations is easy. Thereal challenge is putting processes inmotion that begin working on actionablemeasures. A year and a half after the in-ception of White Water to Blue Water, theWider Caribbean region has become thelaunching point for what will hopefullyevolve into a worldwide initiative.

The underlying assertion is that sus-tainable development for the wider Carib-bean – and other primarily coastal andisland regions – cannot take place withouthealthy watersheds and marine eco-systems. The ultimate goal will be to shareknowledge and experiences gained in theWider Caribbean so as to have an impacton small island and coastal communitiesaround the world.

This is not a problem that can behandled at the local, regional or evennational level. It is truly a worldwide oneand will require the collective resources of the world to address. Consider thefollowing, for instance:

■ Today, more than 50 per cent of theworld’s population lives in coastal areasand depends heavily on oceans and coastalresources for survival. By 2025, 75 percent of the world’s population will live incoastal areas. ■ In many developing countries, fishmay account for up to 60 per cent of theanimal protein consumed; yet some 70 percent of the world’s fish stocks are fullyfished, or overfished.■ Worldwide shipping is expected totriple over the next 20 years.■ About 25 per cent of the world’s coralreefs have been lost within the past twodecades.

In small islands and coastal regions, thesenatural systems are the basis for sustain-able economic development.

Overfishing, pollution, degradation ofhabitats and natural disasters are in-creasingly undermining the ability of

coastal populations to meet basic humanneeds. The result is missed opportunitiesfor sustainable development and new jobcreation.

If we are going to achieve sustainabledevelopment, at any level:

■ We need better use of existing and po-tential resources at both the national andregional levels.■ We need better recognition of thebenefits of regional and cross-bordercooperation among all groups.■ We need to improve the capacities ofcoastal states to manage entire coastal-marine ecosystems.■ We need to treat the primary cause ofmarine pollution – that which occursupstream in the watersheds, forests, farmsand cities. Upland sources deliver poll-utants into wetlands, mangrove swampsand coral reefs – the nurseries for most ofthe commercial species on which humanpopulations depend. Ultimately thesepollutants find their way into our oceans.

These goals cannot be achieved by oneparty or a small group of interested people.The environment we seek to improve iscomplex and interconnected and ourmethod of dealing with it will require equalcomplexity. WW2BW is already beginningto accomplish this by bringing togetherstakeholders to focus their attention andresources on these problems.

In March, WW2BW partners had theirfirst ever meeting in Miami. This week-long conference and training sessionhelped facilitate partnerships and allowedkey players to exchange best practices andencourage innovation. The conference wasthe launching point for key achievementsincluding the establishment of the Inter-national Corporate Wetlands RestorationPartnership (ICWRP) for the protection,enhancement and restoration of wetlandsthat have been designated as Ramsar orWorld Heritage Sites or both, around theworld, as well as the announcement of thefirst project, sponsored by Gillette, in SianKa’an, Mexico.

New beginning

The Miami conference saw the estab-lishment of the GPA North AmericanNode, jointly sponsored by UNEP and theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-ministration (NOAA), and headquartered

13

Our Planet

at NOAA’s National Ocean Service. Thisrepresents a commitment on the part ofNOAA and UNEP to work together toprovide technical assistance, informationand links to expertise in order to protect thevaluable marine environment from pol-lution from land-based activities.

The establishment of the Node is both aculmination of many years of collaborationbetween NOAA and UNEP on this topic,and a new beginning. NOAA’s engagementpre-dates the establishment of the GPAoffice, beginning with the negotiation ofthe Global Programme of Action for theProtection of the Marine Environmentfrom Land-based Activities in WashingtonDC in 1995. Since that time, NOAA andthe GPA office have worked closely to-gether to ensure that the ‘words on paper’would not be the endpoint, but that theywould guide actions, projects and progress,on the ground and with support at theregional and bilateral levels. This vision,and the dedication to its fulfilment, are duein large part to the efforts of Tom Laughlin,NOAA’s Deputy Director for InternationalAffairs, and Veerle Vanderweerd, Coordin-ator, GPA, heading the UNEP-GPA officein the Hague.

Working together

Clearly, the Caribbean is one of manyregions that will benefit from integratedapproaches. The lessons currently beinglearned will serve as a model for othercountries, partners and stakeholders whowish to solve some of the key problems inthe search for sustainable development.

US astronaut Neil Armstrong oncenoted that science has not yet masteredprophecy. We predict too much for the nextyear, and yet far too little for the next ten.Working in partnerships, networking,brainstorming, together we can surelyexceed our goals not only in the short term,but for generations to come.

The responsibility for healthy oceansand coasts rests on all our shoulders, andcannot be carried by government alone.Sustainable development requires co-operation among the full range of stake-holders, upstream and downstream ■

Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr,US Navy (Ret.) is US Undersecretary ofCommerce for Oceans and Atmosphere,and Administrator of the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration.

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14

Demetrio do Amaral deCarvalho, a founding

father and environmental heroof East Timor, the world’snewest nation, has won one ofthis year’s Goldman Environ-mental Prizes. A formerresistance leader he foundedthe country’s first environ-mental pressure group while itwas still under occupation andis largely credited with gettingenvironmental principles in-cluded in the nation’s consti-tution, to help guide the

management of the country’s rainforests, coral reefs and vast oiland gas reserves.

Two victims of the Bhopal disaster,Rashida Bee and Champa Devi Shuklawon another of the Prizes, which werefounded by Richard and RhodaGoldman 15 years ago for grassrootsenvironmental activists. The twowomen, though poor and sick,organized a global hunger strike todraw attention to the aftermath of thedisaster and are plaintiffs in a classaction suit demanding a clean-up.

The other winners are: MargieRichard, who got her community relo-cated from polluted ‘Cancer Alley’ inLouisiana, United States; Libia Grueso,who halted logging, at risk to her life,in one of the world’s richest rainforestsin Colombia; Rudolf Amenga-Etego, aGhanaian public-interest lawyer, whosecured the suspension of a waterprivatization project that would havemade it harder for the poor to get clean

water; and Manana Kochladze, who isfighting plans to lay an oil pipeline acrossher native Georgia.

The Prize, considered the ‘NobelPrize for the Environment’ consists of$125,000 given each year to activistsfrom six regions, covering the world. Asurvey of past recipients reveals thattheir work has so far benefited anestimated 102 million people ■

KKeisha Castle-Hughes, the 13-year-old starof ‘Whale Rider’, rode in a hybrid Toyota

Prius rather than a stretch limo to this year’sOscar ceremony – where she was nominatedas best actress – to help highlight the battleagainst global warming.

‘Even though I am not old enough to drive,I am old enough to know that the environmentis in danger,’ she explained.

Charlize Theron, Sting, Robin Williams,Jack Black, Tim Robbins and Will Ferrell also arrived at the Academyawards in hybrids, courtesy of the environmental group Global GreenUSA. Ferrell, who himself owns a Prius, says: ‘In addition to beingobviously economical and environmentally friendly, they drive great andare just plain sexy.’ ■

British celebrities have launched acampaign to ask the public to make

‘one small change’ in their daily lives, tomark World Environment Day.

Monica Ali, author of Brick Lane,shortlisted for the last Booker Prize,pledged to plant a tree, reuse plasticbags (‘which I loathe’) and turn off the tapwhen cleaning her teeth (‘I wasastounded at how much water it wouldsave’). Channel Four news anchor JonSnow promised to put a water-savingdevice in his cistern, and TV quizmasterChris Tarrant undertook to plant a tree.(Our Planet editor, Geoffrey Lean,pledged to get a shredder so that hecould put the press releases that clutterhis desk onto his compost heap.)

Research commissioned by theNational Environment Agency showedthat 73 per cent of the people of England and Wales might domore for the environment if they thought it would make adifference ■

Keisha Castle-Hughes

Champa Devi Shukla

Demetrio do Amaral de Carvalho

Rashida Bee

Libia Grueso

Rudolf Amenga-EtegoMargie Richard Manana Kochladze

Monica Ali

Chris Tarrant

Professor Wangari Maathai,Kenya’s Assistant Environment

Minister, has won two more prest-igious international prizes for herchampionship of sustainable de-velopment. The Heinrich BöllFoundation, awarding her thePetra Kelly Prize, honoured her‘unique position in African politicsand her commitment to environ-

mental issues’. The jury of the Sophie Prize – established in 1997by the Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder and his wife SiriDannevig – called her ‘the most outspoken and respectedenvironmental activist in Africa’. The jury added, ‘She haspioneered a unique holistic community-based approach todevelopment, combining environmental education andempowerment of civil society, especially women.’ ■

Professor Wangari Maathai

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15

Conservation at sea lags far behind that on land. Out ofthe 754 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List there areonly about 20 with any significant marine components andfewer than ten of them have been inscribed purely for theirmarine values. Although the oceans cover 70 per cent of theglobe, less than 1 per cent of them lie in any kind ofprotected area. ETPS aims to establish a functional marineconservation corridor by creating a network of marineprotected areas across the 211 million hectare expanse ofsea that falls inside our four countries' exclusive economiczones. It also sets out to improve the management andprotection of the existing World Heritage Sites of Ecuador'sGalapagos Islands and Costa Rica's Cocos Island, andsecure the designation for Panama's Coiba National Parkand Colombia's Malpelo Flora and Fauna Sanctuary.

Collaborative vision

Planning for the development of ETPS began in 2000 whenEcuador approached CI, UNEP and IUCN–The World Con-servation Union to consider ways of protecting the area. Itwas launched two years later, at the World Summit onSustainable Development in Johannesburg by a panelconvened by the three organizations, and consisting of thePresidents of Costa Rica and Ecuador, the Vice-President ofPanama and the Vice Minister of Environment of Colombia.It has the support of the presidents of all four countries andtheir environment ministers.

The initiative will develop a shared ecosystem approachthat respects the sovereignty of each of the fourgovernments through agreements between them. Its workrepresents a unique collaborative vision for sharing themanagement of resources. And it can provide a model fortransboundary management for marine and World HeritageSites worldwide ■

Carlos Manuel Rodríguez is Minister of Environment andEnergy, Costa Rica.

Although the oceans cover 70 per cent of theglobe, less than 1 per cent of them lie in anykind of protected area

An oceanC O R R I D O R

CARLOS MANUEL RODRIGUEZdescribes a pioneering international bid to

conserve one of the world's most important stretches of sea

Out on the eastern edge of the tropical Pacific, in thevast triangle of ocean bounded by the coasts ofCentral and South America, lies one of the most valu-

able, and vulnerable, areas on Earth. Here great movementsof water – the Humboldt Current, the Equatorial Current, thePanama Current, the Costa Rica Coastal Current, theCromwell Current and the Panama Bight Gyre – convergeand mix. They cause the upwelling of the nutrients from thedeep ocean, providing food for many species. And theydisperse the larvae of fish, corals, crustaceans, molluscsand echinoderms, and affect migrations, resulting in a wideecological interconnection throughout the region.

Beneath the waves vast underwater mountains andridges rear up from the seabed, creating rich habitats, hometo many endemic species. Above them jut some of the mostbiodiversity-blessed islands in the world, such as CocosIsland and the Galapagos. And through the waters move rareand endangered migratory species, such as blue andhumpback whales, loggerhead and leatherback turtles.

The Galapagos Islands are world famous, but not thatexceptional in these remarkable seas. Some 336 species offish have been recorded around Colombia's Gorgona Islandalone. My country's Cocos Island has 18 coral, 57crustacean, 250 fish and 510 mollusc species. Our LasBaulas National Park is one of the leatherback turtle's lastnesting grounds on the American Pacific, while humpbackwhales breed and calve around the islands of thisextraordinary stretch of ocean.

Unique initiative

Now an initiative as unique as the area itself is bidding toconserve it. Four governments – those of Costa Rica,Panama, Colombia and Ecuador – have joined with over 50partners, including leading conservation and researchgroups, to launch the first ever attempt to pursue integratedecosystem management across multiple internationalpolitical jurisdictions. The Eastern Tropical Pacific Seascape(ETPS) initiative, which is partially funded by the UnitedNations Foundation, is part of a broader $15 millionagreement between the Foundation, the Global ConservationFund at Conservation International (CI) (with funds from theGordon and Betty Moore Foundation) and the UNESCO WorldHeritage Centre to conserve current and proposed NaturalWorld Heritage Sites.

Edmund P. Green

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Our Planet

At a glance: Seas, oceansand small islandsSmall island developing states

(SIDS) are perhaps the mostbeautiful group of countries on Earth.They are also among the most vul-nerable – and becoming more so.

They are vulnerable on the en-vironmental level. Cut off from the restof the world, they have developed theirown fragile ecosystems, rich in en-demic species which are particularlyat risk of extinction. Dependent on theoceans, they can be especially affected

by such threats as overfishing andmarine pollution. Surrounded by theseas, they are often short of fresh-water: rainfall is unpredictable – whatdoes fall often runs quickly off theland, and what remains is often proneto pollution. With little or no hinter-lands, they are short of space for their wastes and particularly vul-nerable to natural disasters likestorms, droughts and floods, whichare increasing with global warming.

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ce: U

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Human Development Index for SIDS,2003

Official development assistance for SIDS (US$ billion)

Trends in urbanization in selected SIDS (% urban)

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0

100

80

60

40

20

0

400

300

200

100

0

Source: OECD

Source: UNEP Western Indian Ocean Environmental Outlook

Aid to SIDS has declined sharply overthe last decade – falling by about ahalf in real terms. Meanwhile foreigndirect investment has dropped inmost SIDS since 1998 – and whatthere is has been largely restricted to investment in tourism and topurchasing utilities like electricity and telecommunications.

The numbers of tourists visiting many SIDS easily exceed theirpopulations, and tourism is vital totheir economies, bringingemployment and foreign exchange. Itaccounts for over a quarter of theentire economy of the Caribbean, andemploys 70 per cent of the labourforce in the Bahamas. It will continueto be one of their few developmentoptions but, if not managed carefully,threatens to ruin the veryenvironment that attracts the visitors.

Mar

k D

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0

5

0

5

0

5

0

Norway

Barbados

Seychelles

Bahrain

Bahamas

St Kitts and Nevis

Cuba

Trinidad and Tobago

Antigua and Barbuda

Russian Federation

Mauritius

Western Samoa

St Lucia

Jamaica

St Vincent and the Grenadines

Fiji

Paraguay

Maldives

Dominican Republic

Turkey

Cape Verde

São Tomé and Príncipe

Vanuatu

Comoros

Pakistan

Madagascar

Haiti

Sierra Leone

Many SIDS score well on the HumanDevelopment Index, which measures howmuch their policies actually benefit theirpeople. Most rank in the top half of alldeveloping countries. Barbados has thehighest score in the South, while theSeychelles and Mauritius head the list forAfrica.

Tourism in selected small islands, late 1990s

1990 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02

1960 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 00 05 10 15 20 25

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

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0

0

0

0

0 SeychellesMauritiusComorosMadagascar

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country

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Tourists as % of populationTourism as % of exports

Source: Waters J.K., World Travel Industry Yearbook

The rapid growth of cities in manySIDS is making heavy demands on theenvironment. Waste builds up,causing problems for collection anddisposal. Water supplies are pollutedby sewage, or contaminated by salt asheavy use causes saline intrusionfrom the coasts. Air pollution, noiseand congestion also increase, andpoverty and unemploymentconcentrate in the cities.

17

Our Planet

And climate change is also bringingperhaps the greatest danger of all –rising seas that threaten to makesome SIDS uninhabitable, and toswamp large tracts of others.

They are also vulnerable at theeconomic level. They usually have fewresources, and depend on just ahandful of crops or industries. Withlittle industrialization, they are par-ticularly prey to the vagaries of worldcommodity prices. They are exception-ally dependent on strategic importsand economically penalized by theirremoteness, and resulting high trans-port costs. And they have little clout inthe fora that decide the rules of theworld economic system.

Inevitably these vulnerabilities areintertwined. Many SIDS depend ontourism, but this is threatened byenvironmental degradation; up to fourfifths of shallow-water coral reefs insome parts of the Caribbean havebeen destroyed. Some are reliant onextractive industries, like forestry ormining, which too often severelydamage the environment. Most areseeing their vital fish catches level offor decline as overfishing affects theworld’s oceans.

Twelve years ago, at the 1992 RioEarth Summit, world leaders resolvedthat SIDS were ‘a special case forenvironment and development’, andthis was reaffirmed at the 2002 World

Summit on Sustainable Development.Ten years ago, the world community,meeting in Barbados, drew up aProgramme of Action for SIDS. Yet thepromised support has not material-ized. Aid has declined. So have com-modity prices. And environmentalthreats have grown. SIDS are morevulnerable than ever, while their abilityto cope with environmental or eco-nomic shocks has shrunk. TheMauritius meeting to review theProgramme of Action offers a chanceto reverse these trends, and to begin toenable SIDS to gain a strength tomatch their beauty.

Geoffrey Lean

Global sea-level rise, estimated and predicted

Source: AAAS

Source: OFDA/CRED 2003

Source: UNEP-WCMC 2003

The very existence of some low-lyingSIDS – like Tuvalu and the Maldives –is at stake as a result of sea-levelrise. Long before vanishing beneaththe waves they would becomeuninhabitable, as salt contaminatedtheir freshwater, and storms sentwaves sweeping over them. Yet theycontribute less to greenhouse gasemissions than any other group ofnations.

Dead zones are increasing in the world’sseas; the number of those known – now146 – has doubled since 1990. Pollution –associated with agricultural runoff, fossilburning and human waste – stimulatesthe growth of algae, which bloom and then sink to the bottom of the sea anddecompose. In the process they use upmost of the oxygen, effectively stifling fish,shellfish and other living things. Fisheriesand biodiversity suffer.

Isolated in the oceans, small islands havedeveloped a unique wildlife. In Madagascar,for example, over half the vertebrate and overfour fifths of the plant species are endemic.But this wildlife is particularly endangered;virtually every one of the SIDS has speciesthreatened with extinction. Islands were hometo about three quarters of all the animalspecies known to have vanished forever.

Number of endemic, threatened and extinct species, by SIDS region,2003

Indian Caribbean Pacific Ocean Ocean

PlantsEndemic 406 2 010 222Threatened 380 2 595 273Extinct 47 23 0

Total no. of 1 171 7 328 3 492plant species

AnimalsEndemic 303 698 824Threatened 196 571 427Extinct 44 51 24

Total no. of 4 273 13 891 11 270animal species

No. of protected 124 823 219areas

Annual

Episodic

Periodic

Persistent

Oxygen depletion:

POLLUTION ALERT: Coastal zones starved of oxygen

Natural disasters in selected SIDS, first nine months of 2003

Country Event No. people Total no.killed affected

Dominican Rep. Floods 1 400Earthquake 3 2 015

Fiji Storm 17 132 823Haiti Floods 36 4 070Madagascar Floods 16 25 585

Cyclones 89 162 586Drought 0 527 000

Papua New Guinea Landslides 13 621Puerto Rico Floods 2 2 405Solomon Islands Cyclones 0 425TOTAL 177 857 930

SIDS are particularly vulnerable tonatural disasters, and these areincreasing. Last December, for thefirst time in decades, the Caribbeanwas hit by a hurricane outside thenormal season. This year particularlyhigh tides have swept Pacific islandstates, especially Tuvalu. Storms anddroughts are expected to grow both infrequency and in severity as globalwarming increases.

Oxygen depletion

Annual (seasonal)

Episodic (< once a year)

Periodic (> once a year)

Persistent (all year round)

Source: UNEP/GEO Year Book 2003

1900 2000 2100 2200

centimetres

1990 level

Stabilization ofCO2 at 750 ppm

Stabilization ofCO2 at 500 ppm

100

80

60

40

20

0

They call her ‘la diva aux pieds nus’ and Cesaria Evora doesindeed like to perform barefoot as a symbolic salute to thepoor of Cape Verde, the small island developing state

where she was born and still lives, and which she evokes in her songs.

She was born, in the 1940s, into poverty herself. Her fatherdied shortly after her seventh birthday, and she and her six sib-lings were raised by her mother, in straitened circumstances, onscant earnings as a cook. The young Cesaria was left in the careof a local orphanage, where she learned to sing in the choir.

From 16 she was earning a meagre living, singing for a fewescuados or a couple of drinks in the bars of her home town,Mindelo, on the island of São Vicente, one of the ten islands withsome 400,000 people, over 560 kilometres off the coast of WestAfrica, that make up the country. She took up the hauntingsounds of the local morna (named after the verb to mourn) – theroots of which go back to the times when Cape Verde was animportant station in the slave trade. Her music revolves aroundthe themes of suffering, melancholy and exile.

Songs of poverty

‘My songs are about loss and longing, love, politics, immigration– and reality,’ she has explained. ‘We sing about our land, aboutthe sun, about the rain that never comes, about poverty andproblems: how the people on Cape Verde live.’

After many dark years, she got her big break in her 40s, whenshe was invited to give a series of concerts in Lisbon and metJosé da Silva, a young Frenchman with Cape Verdean roots. Hebecame her producer and persuaded her to go to Paris andrecord her first hit album ‘The barefoot Diva’. She became anovernight success. She won a Grammy early this year, after beingnominated for the sixth time, and has been honoured in Franceas an Official of the Order of Arts and Letters.

Fighting hunger

But her songs still go back to her roots. ‘Poverty has always beenunreal for you, so who are you to judge the situation in ourcountry’, she challenges in the song ‘Tudo Tem Se Limite’. Or inmore optimistic mood, she sings in ‘Jardim Prometido’: ‘CapeVerde is green in our hearts. Full of love, our hands will make theland grow green.’

For a long time she resisted associating her name with anyhumanitarian agency, but last year she became an Ambassadoragainst hunger for the World Food Programme – the first Africanartist to take up that role – after witnessing the impact of itsSchool Feeding Programme in Cape Verde. ‘I saw with my owneyes how food attracted children to school,’ she said. ‘We need toeducate our children if we want our continent to prosper, but theycan’t learn if they go to school hungry.’ GL

Cesaria Evora‘La diva aux pieds nus’

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The sea is the home of nostalgia

In the late afternoon, when the sun was settingI was walking on the beach at NantasquedIt reminded me of the beach at FurnaI was overwhelmed with nostalgia and I cried

The sea is the home of nostalgiaIt separates us from distant landsIt separates us from our mothers, our friendsUnsure if we’ll see them again

I thought of my lonely lifeWith no one I have faith in at my sideI watched the waves gently dyingSentiment overcame me

From Cesaria Evora, ‘Cabo Verde’, 1997,Nonesuch Records, a Warner Music GroupCompany

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NO ISLANDis an ISLAND

RONNY JUMEAU explains how the existence of some small island developing states depends on what happens at the very ends of the Earth

Nothing could be further away fromthe tropical waters of most smallisland developing states (SIDS)

than the sub-zero temperatures of theRussian permafrost. So why should webother about what is happening at the fro-zen ends of the planet when, for example,the Pacific Ocean is reclaiming more andmore of tiny low-lying Tuvalu by the year.

After all, Tuvalu, just 5 metres abovesea level, is seeking to move its entirepopulation of 12,000 to Australia or NewZealand, fearing that rising seas caused byglobal warming and an increase in cy-clones caused by climate change willeventually swamp their homeland.

Well, it is precisely because the ‘kingtides’ of Tuvalu are threatening to sub-merge the islands that we SIDS need to beeven more vocal about the melting ice a

whole world away at the northern andsouthern poles of the Earth.

As leaders of SIDS – the world’ssmallest and most environmentallythreatened countries – meet in Mauritiuswe should not confine ourselves to theexpected chorus of complaints that theinternational community has not doneenough to help us overcome our specialvulnerabilities and make progress insustainable development. We also need tospeak out on what other countries aredoing – or not doing – in their ownbackyards, even as far as the icy wastes ofthe polar regions.

In October last year I was in London fora presentation to members of the BritishParliament organized by the AdvisoryCommittee on Protection of the Sea(ACOPS), of which I am one of the African

vice-presidents. Before the presentation, Iattended a joint ACOPS-UNEP newsconference to announce a $30 millionclean-up operation in the Russian Arctic.This will rid it of toxic wastes and otherpollution caused by decades of industrialand military activities ranging frommineral mining to the dumping of nuclearsubmarines.

The project will also deal with the large-scale release of methane into the atmos-phere as global warming steadily melts theArctic permafrost. Such a release will inturn speed up that very climate change,

We are all linked together:what happens in the Arcticaffects us all on the equator

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which is already running at twice theglobal rate in the Arctic. Methane is themost important greenhouse gas in theatmosphere after carbon dioxide and con-tributes a very significant fraction of actualanthropogenic global warming.

I was asked at the news conference whatinterest an environment minister from atropical small island state could have in theRussian project. You could not find, afterall, more extreme opposites than giant coldRussia on the shores of the Arctic Oceanand tiny hot Seychelles in the middle of theequatorial Indian Ocean.

Yet the project document states that:‘the role of the Arctic in influencing globalclimate [is a matter] of legitimate concernto all countries of the world [adding] aglobal dimension to a topic that would, atfirst glance, appear to be a matter of con-cern only to the Arctic states’.

And it adds: ‘The important role playedby the Arctic in world ocean circulation,global biodiversity and planetary climatecontrol is unquestionable. It is in the Arcticand Antarctic that any major change inconditions… will result in direct effects onglobal climate.’

A month before, we in Seychelles hadtaken notice when it was announced thatthe largest ice shelf in the Arctic had, after3,000 years, broken up on the coast ofCanada and drained a 32-kilometre-longfreshwater lake into the sea. We have also never forgotten the 2002 report by theIntergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC) which concluded thatglobal warming could cause the world’s sealevel to rise by as much as 1 metre withinjust 80 years.

Such a rise would cause nearly all ofMaldives’ 1,196 coral islands to disappearoff the map, turning the entire populationof 300,000 into refugees. Maldives is oneof Seychelles’ neighbours, a mere two anda half hours flight northeast of us.

Serious stake

I duly pointed out at the news conferencethat low-lying island states like Seychelleshave a very, very serious stake indeed inany potential environmental catastrophe inthe Arctic – or the Antarctic for that matter.The melting ice and snows, the heat-trapping gases being released, and theincreasing temperatures all contributesubstantially to the changing weather. Thisresults in warming and rising waters which

are killing our coral reefs in the Caribbeanand the Indian and Pacific oceans, erodingour beaches and – as in the case of Tuvaluand Maldives – threatening to erase wholecountries from the face of the Earth.

‘We are all linked together: whathappens in the Arctic affects us all on theequator,’ I said. This is why, for example,Seychelles and other small island states areamong the loudest voices calling forRussia to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.

Early warning system

I had hardly landed back home inSeychelles when scientists at the ScottPolar Research Institute at CambridgeUniversity announced that another giantice shelf the size of Scotland, this time inthe Antarctic, was melting rapidly. It wasreleasing an extra 21 billion tonnes ofwater into the oceans each year, whichcould help change global ocean circulationand weather patterns. The warning came aday after a University College, Londonreport confirmed a 40 per cent thinning ofthe Arctic ice-cap in the past 30 years.

Interestingly, UNEP Executive DirectorKlaus Toepfer said at the same newsconference that the Arctic was ‘the earlywarning system for the world’. The verysame term has also been used to describethe small island states as, thanks to oursmallness and special frailties, we will bethe first to succumb to the major environ-mental problems afflicting the world today.

Our message to the internationalcommunity at the Barbados +10 meeting inMauritius should indeed be to do more tohelp small island developing states putthings right at home. We should, however,also be more vocal in asking othercountries to clean up their own backyards,all the way from the northern to the south-ern polar ice-caps.

We should not be so preoccupied with,or blinkered by, our own problems as toignore what is happening in the rest of theworld. When other countries mess up theirparts of what is, after all, our same MotherEarth, they mess up ours too.

When the polar glaciers, ice sheets andsnow covers melt, the small island devel-oping states at the equator will be the firstto be submerged. It is already happening in Tuvalu ■

Ronny Jumeau is Minister for Environmentand Natural Resources, Seychelles.

Ten years ago, the internationalcommunity gathered in Barbadosto agree on a broad-based plan of

action for the sustainable developmentof the small island developing states(SIDS). The plan covers 40-plus suchislands sprinkled all over our planet,ranging from Tuvalu (with the smallestpopulation, of 10,000) to Papua NewGuinea (the largest, with 5 million) –two big concentrations being in theCaribbean and the Pacific.

Vulnerability – economic, environ-mental and social – continues to be amajor concern for countries in theirdevelopment efforts. No single group ofcountries is as vulnerable as thesesmall island states, and that placesthem at a distinct disadvantage com-pared to larger countries. Beyond theiridyllic natural beauty lies a fragility thatmakes these countries so vulnerablethat they needed to draw up a specialglobal endeavour to overcome theircomplex challenges and make theirdevelopment sustainable.

Their smallness is compounded byremoteness, isolation from themainstream of the world economy andinternational trading system, ecolog-ical fragility and environmental degra-dation, marine pollution, and over-dependency on tourism as a majorsource of national earning. All thesefactors contribute to their slow andcomplex development process.

SIDS contribute the least to global

Smallislands,

bigpotential

ANWARUL K. CHOWDHURYassesses the prospects for a new resurgence of

the most vulnerable section of humanity at the

Mauritius meeting

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climate change and sea-level rise, butsuffer most from their adverse effectsand could, in some cases, becomeuninhabitable, as indicated in the Bar-bados Programme of Action. It hasbeen rightly observed that ‘As islandsocieties strive to raise living standardsfor growing numbers of people andstruggle to survive in a complex globaleconomy, they often sacrifice thefragile ecosystems which are amongthe most valuable assets’. They con-tinue to experience stress that they canhardly cope with by themselves.

Elusive promises

Both in its Millennium Declaration of2000 and in the development goalsidentified in that historic document, theUnited Nations has recognized SIDS’special needs. The Barbados Pro-gramme of Action of 1994 is the firstever intergovernmental policy pre-scription to integrate the small islandsinto the world economy. But afterdecade-long serious efforts, this well-crafted and elaborate document hasremained largely unimplemented. Thewell-intentioned commitments in 14priority areas have failed to get therequired political will to turn them intoreal actions.

The ‘new and equitable partnershipsfor sustainable development’ promisedto them have remained elusive. Theneed for national-level action has beenrepeatedly emphasized, but it has beenoften forgotten that these countrieshave limited capacity to respond to thenever-ending challenges they face andto recover from recurring disasters.Despite all the demanding national-level actions they have undertaken, therequisite external support has persis-tently evaded them.

A serious effort was made inSeptember 1999 – at a two-day specialsession of the United Nations GeneralAssembly – to conduct a five-yearreview of the Barbados Programme,but the outcome did not have thedesired effect of galvanizing the globalsupport the SIDS needed. Indeed theoverall disbursement of internationalassistance to them has fallen from $2.9billion in 1994 to $1.7 billion in 2002.Though the Millennium Declaration,the Monterrey Consensus and the

Johannesburg Plan of Implementationall recognized their special needs,international support to these coun-tries has been minimal.

Now the General Assembly hasdecided to undertake a ten-year reviewat the International Meeting inMauritius in August 2004. The hostcountry is also the chair of the Allianceof Small Island States, the group thathas the responsibility of substantivenegotiations on behalf of these coun-tries. With nearly a decade's exper-ience of the implementation process,the United Nations is well placed toarticulate a worthwhile outcome atMauritius.

We must keep the focus on an outcome that is practical, cost effective, benefits the neediest insociety – and is, above all, implement-able. Focus on key priorities throughenhanced regional integration wouldsurely be considered a pragmaticapproach. As we engage ourselves inthe ten-year review of the BarbadosProgramme, the prospects for en-hanced international development ass-istance are not in any way significant.Hence, a greater degree of realism iscalled for in the exercise we areembarking upon, especially in thepriorities that the SIDS intend to set forthemselves. Importantly, we have todetermine what worked against theeffective and speedy implementation ofthe Barbados Programme.

The smallness and the remotenessof SIDS continue to pose serious prob-lems in providing international aid andenhancing foreign investments. Inmany cases projects and programmes

are not viable when targeted forspecific countries. However, many ofthe social, economic and human devel-opment projects and programmescould prove viable and yield betterresults when SIDS band together tointegrate their economies and meetcommon challenges.

The small island developing count-ries need to increase their efforts tohasten the pace of regional economicintegration. However, it is worth notingthat, at the regional level, they havemade advances in putting appropriatepolicy frameworks and arrangementsinto place to integrate their economic,social and environmental approachesto a sustainable development focus.These actions – including significantinitiatives by the Pacific Islands Forumand the Caribbean Community – willundoubtedly help them to maximize theopportunities available.

Overcoming obstacles

Attracting more foreign direct invest-ment to take advantage of SIDS’ eco-nomic potential and to strengthen thehands of the domestic private sector iseasier said than done. Their inherenthandicaps – particularly small popu-lations, lack of technological sophis-tication and narrow resource bases –pose obstacles in competing for theforeign direct investment needed if theyare to avail themselves of the oppor-tunities offered by the globalizationprocess. Globalization is based on opp-ortunities for cost reduction and eco-nomies of scale, which small islandscannot easily offer. Special and creative

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ways and means must be found toattract foreign investments.

The effectiveness of the monitoringmechanism is key in implementing anynegotiated document among govern-ments. It is also important to set theright tone by sequencing a congenialand practical negotiating processamong all stakeholders. Regionalmeetings in Samoa, Cape Verde,Seychelles, and Trinidad and Tobagobrought in an elaborate set ofrecommendations, which were blendedtogether in a SIDS strategy paper at aninterregional gathering in the Bahamasin January this year. There was then athree-day preparatory meeting in NewYork in mid-April involving SIDS and alltheir development partners.

If the Mauritius meeting is to have ameaningful outcome that has themaximum support of the internationalcommunity, it is essential that thedonor countries, relevant UnitedNations entities, multilateral financialinstitutions, the private sector and civilsociety enthusiastically participate inand contribute to this process. Thespirit of partnership is the mostimportant ingredient in making theoutcome worthwhile and its realizationpossible. The international community,equipped with the lessons of the lastten years, now needs to come togetherto support – in real terms – thegenuine aspirations of the small islanddeveloping states and their deter-mined effort for a new resurgence inMauritius to bring true benefit andprogress for the women, men andchildren of this most vulnerable seg-ment of humanity.

Recognizing this reality, our sloganfor the Mauritius International Meetingshould appropriately be ‘Small Islands,Big Potential’ ■

Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury isUnited Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative forthe Least Developed Countries,Landlocked Developing Countries andSmall Island Developing States andSecretary-General of the MauritiusInternational Meeting for the Review ofthe Barbados Programme of Action forthe Sustainable Development of SmallIsland Developing States.

Small island developing states (SIDS)face vulnerabilities and challengesthat other developing countries are

spared. They have to contend with chall-enges arising from their physical size andarchipelagic formations, their geographiclocation and other factors relating to their‘islandness’. Vulnerabilities arise from ex-posure to external shocks beyond theircontrol, and from structural handicaps –exacerbated by, among other things, a highdegree of openness, export concentrationand dependence on strategic imports;remoteness and high transport costs; andsusceptibility to natural disasters madeworse by climate change and sea-level rise.

The United Nations has recognized thatthere is a special case among SIDS forsustainable development, and that theyrequire special attention. The BarbadosProgramme of Action provided them withthe basic blueprint for sustainable devel-opment, but there has been very littletangible progress in accepting their specialcase. Their efforts to secure a more sus-tainable future have not been matched byinternational assistance – which has fallenby half in real terms. Only a few have beenable to obtain foreign direct investmentsand, in most cases, these have gone towardsprivatizing state monopolies. So while theUnited Nations has stated clearly that SIDSare a special case for sustainable devel-opment, the international community hasyet to take concerted and practical action toimplement that principle.

As assistance declines – and theircommitments under international agree-ments increase – many SIDS have soughtto integrate and optimize their resources toenable them to cope better. Many haveestablished national sustainable develop-ment councils and coordination mech-anisms. These have been successful tosome degree but have not reached the levelat which they could be considered imple-menters of national sustainable develop-ment strategies, or of mainstreaming sus-tainable development. This shortcominghas been recognized, and there is a genuine

drive to seek effective mechanisms fordeveloping and implementing suchstrategies.

The strategies were demanded byAgenda 21 at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit,reaffirmed by the Barbados Programme ofAction, and reiterated in the JohannesburgPlan of Implementation at the 2002 WorldSummit on Sustainable Development. AllSIDS regions have reaffirmed the need tohave them in place. Promoting the conceptwill require some further work, andpractical measures for integrating policies– for making a holistic approach togovernment – will continue to be achallenge. Practical steps need to be taken,and SIDS have called for ‘best practices’ inthis regard.

Growing vulnerabilities

The Alliance of Small Island States(AOSIS) has assessed progress in imple-menting the Barbados Programme.Meeting in Nassau in January, our min-isters noted that some progress has beenmade – but largely through our own dom-estic measures, despite the impediments ofour structural disadvantages and vulner-abilities. They recognized that thesevulnerabilities are growing and that SIDSwill have to pay greater attention to sus-tainable development and to buildingresilience. They recognized the importanceof international assistance in these tasks,and expressed great concern at the ‘weak-ening economic performance of manySIDS since the adoption of the BarbadosProgramme of Action, due in part to theirdeclining trade performance’. They there-fore emphasized the necessity for the inter-national financial and trading systems to grant SIDS special and differentialtreatment.

SIDS have traditionally produced fewcommodities and many have enjoyed pref-erential market access for their productsfor decades. Those preferences are nowrapidly eroding. This is likely to cause tre-mendous economic upheaval in many

Small is vulnerableJAGDISH KOONJUL outlines the special challenges facedby small island developing states in their pursuit ofsustainable development

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SIDS, as they find themselves at a newthreshold in international trade.

Their major challenge is not just toincrease their share in world trade but –even more important – to gain enoughleverage to shape World Trade Organ-ization (WTO) rules to take account oftheir concerns, allowing them a conduciveinternational environment to pursue theirdevelopment goals. This can only happenthrough their wide and effective partici-pation in WTO negotiations, which unfor-tunately is not the case.

Their meaningful participation in thenegotiations has been handicapped by thelack of a critical mass in WTO membershipas well as capacity and financial resources.Accession processes are too cumbersomefor them and many do not have permanentrepresentation in Geneva.

Their small administrations face greatdifficulties integrating into the multilateraltrading system. Their inability to partici-pate actively in the multifaceted WTOprocesses and to implement and administerWTO agreements effectively – compound-ed by their very limited capacity toformulate and administer trade policy – islikely seriously to marginalize them fromthe global economy.

Tourism has contributed enormously tothe development of SIDS and, as one oftheir few development options, it willcontinue to be very important for theirfuture growth. But if not properly plannedand soundly managed, it could signifi-cantly degrade the very environment onwhich it so depends. The fragility andinterdependence of coastal zones – and ofthe unspoiled areas essential for eco-tourism – call for careful management.

The UNEP GEO Reports on SIDSregions show considerable diversity withinisland states. The diversity and fragility oftheir environments are reflected in thediversity and fragility of their cultures. Pro-tecting the former is an important con-dition for protecting the latter.

Disruption and conflict

Climate change has long been our pre-occupation. It is indeed appropriate andtimely that the Pentagon is seeking tounderstand its implications, concluding ina recent study that it ‘would challenge theUnited States national security in ways thatshould be considered immediately’.

The study predicts ‘mega-droughts’,

flooding and violent storms, all on anapocalyptic scale, driving ‘waves of boatpeople’ from country to country; frequentwars over basic resources such as oil, foodand water; deaths from war and famineuntil the planet’s population is reduced to alevel the Earth can manage; and rich areaslike the United States and Europe be-coming ‘virtual fortresses’ to keep outmillions of migrants forced from landdrowned by sea-level rise or no longer ableto grow crops. It concludes: ‘Disruptionand conflict will be endemic features oflife. Once again, warfare would definehuman life.’ SIDS have been emphasizingthe importance of addressing climatechange for decades – and are alreadyexperiencing its effects. This year sawunprecedented ‘king’ tides in the Pacific,particularly in Tuvalu. In 2001, in Majuro,Marshall Islands, shop owners with ‘storesin the downtown area of the capitalbarricaded their front doors to prevent theone-foot deep water from washing in’.

Impacts on health

New and emerging diseases, such asHIV/AIDS and SARS, pose a specialchallenge, as do concerns over com-municable and vector-borne diseasesimpacted by the changing environment andclimate. Studies by UNEP and the WorldHealth Organization have shown thatclimate change will have dramatic impactson health, particularly in SIDS, whosecapacity to cope with increasingly frequentepidemics causes great concern. Theranges of current diseases could be altered,with malaria returning to areas where ithad been thought to be eradicated. Inhuman terms, this would be a tragedy; ineconomic ones, it would ruin the SIDStourism industry.

Security concerns are high on every-one’s agenda, but SIDS are particularlyworried about the costs of adjusting to newsecurity procedures at airports and har-bours. They take a larger view of the sub-ject to include issues of food security andwater resources. While self-sufficient forcenturies, they are now increasingly depen-dent on imported food. Changes in precip-itation and in the frequency of storms arecreating uncertainty over harvesting rain-water, used as drinking water in manySIDS since they cannot afford desalination.AOSIS will call upon UNEP to make arenewed effort to assist SIDS in this regard.

Capacity building, access to appropriatetechnology and means of implementationwill also feature prominently in our dis-cussions with the international communityin Mauritius. AOSIS member states willseek to ensure that the meeting producescredible and practical solutions for thesustainable development of SIDS. We needthe partnership of the international com-munity – and particularly of such organi-zations as UNEP. Together we can strivefor a sustainable future for SIDS, forgenerations to come ■

Ambassador Jagdish Koonjul is Chairmanof the Alliance of Small Island States(AOSIS).

The fragility of coastalzones calls for carefulmanagement

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Na t u r a l resilienceALBERT BINGER describes how the resilience of small island developing states in a difficult world dependson the proper management of their natural resources

The economies and social struc-ture of the vast majority of smallisland developing states (SIDS)

were developed under colonial rules.When most of them became inde-pendent nations in the later half of the20th century they inherited economiesbased principally on providing com-modities to their former ruling nations– and on small populations, securemarkets for products, assistance withnatural disasters and internationalpolitical protection. Independence didnot bring about any significant changein the nature of their economies ortrading relationships.

At the Mauritius meeting on SIDS’progress in implementing the Bar-bados Programme of Action, the globalcommunity is to be told that this pasteconomy (inherited with significantsocial and ecological debt) cannotwork any more. All the previousconditions have changed, and newones with potentially devastatingpresent consequences – like the WorldTrade Organization (WTO) rules – andfuture ones – like climate changes –place us in great peril. None of thesethings are of SIDS’ making. Theinternational community must do abetter job of helping them withresources to implement the BarbadosProgramme, because implementingsustainable development is the onlyprescription for the perilous situationfacing the majority of them.

The Barbados Programme set outthe necessary actions that SIDS wereto follow and the basis for internationalassistance in helping them pursuesustainable development – and pointedout that SIDS’ development was, in thevast majority of cases, linked toextracting services and products fromthe environment. Economic activitiesin the Caribbean, for example,primarily involve direct exploitation ofsuch fragile natural resources ascoastal environments, marine eco-

systems, forests, agricultural land andmineral resources. The pressuresbeing exerted on these resources froma combination of poor managementpractices in using them, tourism, andlivelihoods for the un- and under-employed (in some countries above 30per cent of the working population)lead to ecological and environmentaldegradation. The losses eat away atthe limited natural resource endow-ment. So their carrying capacity de-clines, even as population expands.

Special case

Agenda 21, adopted at the 1992 EarthSummit in Rio, stipulates that SIDSconstitute ‘a special case for environ-ment and development’. This waselaborated in detail at the GlobalConference on the Sustainable Devel-opment of Small Island DevelopingStates in Barbados in 1994 andreaffirmed at the 2002 World Summiton Sustainable Development in Johan-nesburg. The special case was basedon the high levels of economic andenvironmental vulnerability inherent inSIDS as a result of their relativelysmall size, remote location, suscepti-bility to natural disasters, the nature oftheir economies and fragility of theirenvironments. But neither the specialcase designation, nor the adoption ofthe Barbados Programme that shouldhave brought additional and specialinternational assistance, has had theintended outcome. Consequently, eco-nomic and environmental conditions inthe vast majority of SIDS continue todeteriorate.

With special case designation, theinternational community was expectedto provide increased support to helpSIDS pursue sustainable developmentas set forth in the Barbados Pro-gramme. However, over the lastdecade, official development assis-tance to SIDS decreased from $2.9

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Foreign direct investment inselected SIDS

US$ million1998 2001

Samoa 3.0 1.2Cape Verde 8.8 0.7Barbados 15.8 17.5Vanuatu 20.4 18.0Grenada 48.7 34.3St Lucia 83.4 50.9St Vincent 89.0 35.7Papua New Guinea 109.6 62.5

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billion in 1994 to $1.7 billion in 2002(see figure on page 16). By contrast areport by the United NationsDepartment of Economic and SocialAffairs shows that SIDS have carriedout 70 per cent of the tasks and actionsstipulated by the Barbados Pro-gramme, even if it has not yet beenfully implemented.

The progress report for Mauritius isnot encouraging: the vast majority ofSIDS’ economies have recorded neg-ligible growth rates in the ten years ofthe Barbados Programme, with theexceptions of those islands wheregrowth is attributed to tourism. SIDS’development, to date, has beenprimarily through unsustainable use ofnatural non-renewable and potentiallyrenewable resources to provide rawmaterial. As a result, many of thecritical ecosystems – such as near-shore coral reefs, mangroves andother wetlands – are either understress or showing significant signs ofdegradation. Yet they sustain liveli-hoods in SIDS and are the foundation oftourism, their largest and fastestgrowing economic driver. Tourism is amajor economic sector in most SIDS,accounting, for example, for between25 and 35 per cent of the total economyof the Caribbean region.

A United Nations DevelopmentProgramme report – Vulnerability ofSmall Island Developing States –points out that the economic andenvironmental vulnerability of themajority of SIDS has increased sig-nificantly since the 1994 BarbadosConference and that their capacity tocope (resilience building) has conse-quently decreased. It calls for SIDS totake innovative steps to build resilienceand position themselves better toaddress the future threat of climatechange and sea-level rise. These arecaused predominantly by the growingemissions of greenhouse gases fromburning fossil fuels globally – butparticularly in the OECD countries – asituation over which SIDS have nocontrol. SIDS are extremely vulnerableto these threats and – according to theIntergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange – Caribbean ones are amongthe most susceptible.

SIDS will have to build social, eco-nomic and environmental resilience as

part of a process of achieving sus-tainable development. Building suchresilience – an imperative for them –comes about through managing theenvironment, which provides all theraw material, so that it maintains itshighest level of diversity: this requiresall products and services to be ob-tained in a synergistic way. Maintaininghigh levels of diversity allows theenvironment to recover from externalshocks. Reducing diversity, throughabsence of proper environmentalmanagement, will lead to significantreduction and eventual loss of rawmaterial, with consequent damage tothe population’s quality of life. Sus-tainable development in SIDS thereforerequires sustainable management ofthe environment, such as acquiringgoods and services in a mannerconsistent with maintaining highdiversity or high levels of resilience.

Most SIDS’ ongoing difficulty in gen-erating economic growth and buildingresilience results from a combinationof factors that include a declining valuefor traditional export commodities –impacted by the coming into force ofWTO rules that prohibit preferentialaccess – and the ongoing increase inthe price of petroleum compared totraditional exports as shown in thefigures, left.

Between 1995, the first year of theWTO, and 2000, the unit value of sevenof the Caribbean’s eleven most import-ant exports fell. The decline for five ofthem was greater than 25 per cent.Consequently, the trade deficit almosttripled from $1.2 billion in 1994 to $3.4billion in 2001. Furthermore, SIDS haveonly seen very limited foreign directinvestment (see table, left) – and thishas been overwhelmingly in tourismand in the purchasing of utilities likeelectricity, and telecommunications –even though they provide an enablingenvironment under the aegis of theIMF and the World Bank. Their depen-dency on petroleum (with the exceptionof one or two countries) to meet allcommercial, transportation, industrialand most household energy needsrepresents yet another major chal-lenge to sustainability. The price ofpetroleum continues to increase rela-tive to the value of traditional exportsand is increasingly reducing SIDS’

ability to compete internationally in theproduction of goods and services ■

Professor Albert Binger is Director ofthe University of the West IndiesCentre for Environment and Develop-ment, and Visiting Professor at SagaUniversity Institute of Ocean Energy,Saga, Japan.

SIDS will have to buildsocial, economic and

environmental resilience

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BOOKS & PRODUCTSOur Planet

The Athens EnvironmentalFoundation (AEF) – in

partnership with the Athens2004 Organizing Committee(ATHOC) and UNEP – is cele-brating World EnvironmentDay with a clean-up. It istackling several beachesaround the Greek capital, in-cluding Piraeus, and mount-ing an underwater clean-upled by Jean-Michel Cousteau(right) near the port and atseveral other places aroundthe Greek coast. Hundreds ofdivers are involved. Threeships are to remove largedebris, such as cars andrefrigerators, from the sea bed, while municipal trucks takethe rubbish for recycling and/or disposal. Two other ships areto demonstrate oil spill containment. The International OlympicCommittee and Greek Government officials are participatingalong with thousands of citizens and local and internationalmedia. The Executive Director of UNEP, Klaus Toepfer, is to beconnected live via satellite from the main internationalcelebrations of the Day in Barcelona, while Athens organizes areception – with an exhibition by the Greek synchronizedswimmers team – around the Olympic Pool ■

Clean Up the World – a global campaign

which promotes comm-unity action as the key tolong-term environmentalchange – is organizingspecial drives to markWorld Environment Dayand support UNEP’s focuson seas and oceansthroughout 2004. Members of Clean Up the World are supporting theDay from Pakistan to Cuba, and from Cyprus to Kenya. In PakistanWorld Environment Day is the highlight of a three-month campaignexpected to attract a million participants. During 2004 the CyprusMarine Environment Protection Association is conducting acampaign to clean up the Pedieos River to try to prevent waste from thecity of Nicosia travelling down it to the sea, while the Emirates DivingAssociation, in the United Arab Emirates, is mobilizing more than 300divers, conducting 500 beach clean-ups and monitoring coral as part ofits activities ■

Two reports on the state of the seas – Protecting the Oceans fromLand-based Activities and its popular version A Sea of Troubles –

are available from UNEP. Produced by the Joint Group of Experts onthe Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection –representing UNEP and seven other United Nations agencies – theyprovide a comprehensive survey of the latest knowledge on the effectsof pollution and overfishing on the oceans ■

The 2003 UNEP Annual Report details UNEP's activitiesduring the year to promote the wise use and sustainable

development of the global environment. Focus sectionsinclude UNEP's work during the International Year ofFreshwater; environment and security; and regionalimplementation. The report is available from Earthprint at$10, plus packing and postage, and at www.unep.org/annualreport/2003 ■

The first-ever global survey ofseagrasses has been published by

UNEP-WCMC. The World Atlas ofSeagrasses estimates that world–wide there are some 177,000 squarekilometres of the habitats –consisting of some 60 species ofunderwater flowering plants, andmaking up one of the most importantof all marine ecosystems. Yet it alsoreveals that 15 per cent of them havebeen destroyed in the last decade.‘We now have a global, scientificview of where seagrasses occur and

what is happening to them,’ says Klaus Toepfer, UNEP’s ExecutiveDirector. ‘Unfortunately, in many cases, these vitally importantundersea meadows are being needlessly destroyed for short-term gainwithout a true understanding of their significance.’ ■

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Poor island and coastalcommunities may be able to

get drinking water from the seaby using a simple, solar-poweredplastic cone. The Watercone –which promises to save long,backbreaking walks to rivers orponds inland – makes saltwaterdrinkable without the vast ex-pense of traditional desalinationplants. It needs no electricity orhigh maintenance technology,and each cone will produce a litreof freshwater in 24 hours. Thebase, the size of a car wheel, isfilled with salt water, which evap-orates in the sun and condensesonto the curved edge of the coneso that freshwater can be pouredout through a spout. The cone canalso clean polluted water. Atpresent its cost, $60, is still toohigh for many poor communitiesand so it would be distributed as aid: CARE Germany has beenusing it in a pilot project in the Yemen ■

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A t ten o’clock on the night of 16 Jan-uary 2001, the fuel tanker Jessicaran aground in the appropriately

named Wreck Bay at San Cristobal, theeasternmost island of the Galapagos. Overthe next fortnight more than 800,000 litresof oil spilled from her hull and into thewaters, raising fears of an ecologicaldisaster in perhaps the world’s mostcelebrated Natural World Heritage Site. Inthe event, the islands where CharlesDarwin developed his theory of evolutionwere extraordinarily lucky – the slickthreaded its way through them and escapedto sea without doing massive damage.Even so, some 60 per cent of the iguanason a neighbouring island seem to haveperished from the pollution.

Renewable sources

Minimizing the risk of a disastrous spill inthis extraordinary archipelago, 965 kilo-metres off the coast of Ecuador, is one ofthe main motives behind a remarkableproject being prepared by the UnitedNations Foundation (UNF) in partnershipwith the E7 Fund – representing some ofthe world’s premier electricity companies –to support efforts by the Government ofEcuador, the United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP) and the GlobalEnvironment Facility (GEF). It aims tosubstitute renewable sources for fossil fuel

in generating electricity on the islands andthus substantially reduce their emissions ofcarbon dioxide.

Electricity is generated by small dieselgenerators on the four inhabited islands ofthe Galapagos, as in many remote parts ofthe developing world: the fuel is broughtby frequent deliveries in small tankers. Butthe sun and the wind could meet over 70 per cent of their needs, cutting theamount of diesel shipped to the islands inhalf. And the people will benefit from aclean, modern and reliable source ofelectricity.

The E7, created after the 1992 RioEarth Summit, consists of nine leadingutilities from the G7 countries – AmericanElectric Power, Eléctricité de France,ENEL (Italy), Hydro-Québec, KansaiElectric Power Company (Japan), OntarioPower Generation, RWE (Germany),Scottish Power and Tokyo Electric PowerCo. It promotes sustainable developmentby helping developing countries increasetheir capacity to generate and deliverelectricity.

Internet access

Led by American Electric Power in thisproject, it is already introducing solarpower to enable internet access on SanCristobal Island, educating the communityon ways to use electricity more efficiently

Keeping oil from troubled watersPAUL LOEFFELMAN describes a bid to bring renewable energy to the

Galapagos archipelago and reduce the risk of oil spills devastating its unique wildlife

and – together with UNDP and UNF – ispreparing to develop wind power there. Itis working towards receiving an environ-mental licence for the development, withadvice from wildlife experts and thearchaeology authority, and plans to startproducing electricity by the end of 2005.The E7 has created a community website(www.ecolapagos.com) to keep everyoneinformed, and observe data on energyproduction and use, and the weather. TheUNF and GEF will invest in two otherislands, Isabela and Santa Cruz.

Learning by doing

E7’s philosophy is ‘learning by doing’ andit is hoped the plan will be copied by otherisland states and across Ecuador, where 45per cent of the rural people have no accessto electricity services – and may not beconnected to the grid for the next 15-20years because of the high investmentrequired for grid expansion. Success in theGalapagos should give private companiesand investors the confidence to set up minigrids based on renewable energy tech-nologies to serve these people, giving thema better quality of life, enabling them toearn more, and substantially reducingemissions of carbon dioxide ■

Paul Loeffelman is Director, EnvironmentalPublic Policy at American Electric Power.

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Our Planet

More than half of the members of the Commonwealth– 27 out of 53 countries – are small island developingstates (SIDS). They are a key part of our identity and

have an important role to play. They contribute to the internalbalance of the organization and to its global reach – and theyallow the Commonwealth to play its part as a bridge betweensmall and large nations, between rich and poor, powerfuland vulnerable.

The Commonwealth was the first organization torecognize the unique challenges faced by small states – andin particular small island ones – and to raise internationalawareness of them.

The vulnerabilities of SIDS stem from a number of factors,such as size, remoteness and isolation, susceptibility tonatural disasters, limited diversification, lack of access toexternal capital, poverty – the list goes on. These are built-inand are there to stay. But SIDS can grow stronger anddevelop wealthier, healthier, better-educated communities,if we assist them.

Defining progress

The 1994 Barbados Programme of Action presents a detailedstrategy to help SIDS address some of these problems. Whilesome progress has been made, there is a great deal more toachieve. The International Meeting in Mauritius on theBarbados Programme of Action provides an opportunity toreview efforts and actions taken over the past ten years anddefine how further progress can be achieved.

Particular progress has been made, for example, in elab-orating policy frameworks and negotiating multilateralagreements. More should be done, however, to integratepolicy and to raise awareness of the Barbados Programmeof Action as a blueprint for sustainable development in SIDS.

A number of new issues have also emerged. Chief amongthem is security – from food and water security to the chall-enges faced by poor and archipelagic states in complyingwith United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373,adopted in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks.

The Commonwealth has been closely involved with thepreparatory meetings for the Mauritius meeting andprovided support to member countries in preparation for thereview. Through the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-

operation, we supported the preparation of case studies onthe implementation of the Programme of Action in thePacific Region and helped member countries completenational assessment reports in advance of regionalpreparatory meetings.

Commonwealth consultations on the Mauritius meetinghave also been facilitated through fora such as the Meetingof the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Small States inAbuja, Nigeria in December 2003. When Commonwealthleaders met in Abuja immediately thereafter, they gave theirfull support to the Barbados Programme of Action. Theyhighlighted the burdens that terrorism and its consequenceshad placed on small states. They noted that ‘global warmingand climate change were life threatening to small islandstates and other low lying areas’ and reaffirmedCommonwealth support through technical assistance toaddress these concerns.

Trade concerns

In July 2003, heads of three regional organizations (IndianOcean Commission, CARICOM and the Pacific Forum)requested the Commonwealth Secretariat’s help to ela-borate a strategy to address SIDS’ trade concerns in thecontext of the Mauritius meeting. Trade experts representingthese organizations met in Geneva and produced a draft texton trade issues that was considered at the inter-regionalpreparatory meeting held in the Bahamas in January 2004.During this meeting, the Secretariat also highlighted theCommonwealth of Learning’s project of a Virtual Universityfor Small States, which gained the support of Com-monwealth education ministers meeting in Edinburgh inOctober 2003. This initiative will use information andcommunication technologies to contribute to the sustainabledevelopment of human resource capacity in small states.

In response to issues raised at the regional preparatorymeetings, the Commonwealth Secretariat, in close collab-oration with the University of Malta, convened a group ofexperts in March 2004 to propose measures that wouldenable small states to strengthen their resilience in order tomanage inherent economic vulnerability. The statement itproduced was submitted to the Secretary-General of theUnited Nations to be circulated as an official document forthe Mauritius meeting.

We also help strengthen the objectives of the BarbadosProgramme of Action in many other areas of our work. Werecognize that small, and small island, states are oftensidelined when decisions are made at a global level. Theyfind it difficult to defend their interests in the face of theoverwhelming influence of bigger players. Much of theCommonwealth’s work is aimed at trying to help redress thebalance in their favour, by giving them tools to stand theirground and help level the playing field.

When a small island state government enters intonegotiations with a large multinational about the exploitation

REDRESSINGthe balanceDON MCKINNON describes how the Commonwealth and SIDS strengthen each other

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of its natural resources, the chances are that it will lose out.The Commonwealth's role is to provide experts who willstrengthen the government’s hand and ensure that thecountry does not get a raw deal. Similarly when there is adispute over maritime boundaries between a country thesize of Dominica and one the size of France, it is clear whomthe odds favour. In this case the Commonwealth provided theknowledge and expertise to prevent Dominica from be-coming sea locked.

It is the same over trade: the Commonwealth’s objectiveis to make sure that less powerful players do not end up onthe sidelines. There is clearly a serious imbalance when itcosts a US farmer twice as much to produce a bag of ricethan, say, a farmer in Guyana, and yet the American can stillsell it more cheaply. How can SIDS be expected to trade theirway out of poverty when the largest economies – the UnitedStates, the European Union and Japan – dump commoditiesat a fraction of what they cost to grow? And how can theyhope to compete globally when they are cut out from theindustrialized world's markets?

Generating consensus

We have been consistently putting pressure on developedcountries to phase out agricultural subsidies. We providetrade advice to our small and developing member countriesto ensure they are in a strong position to negotiate withlarger players.

We have assisted our small, and small island, states todevelop the World Trade Organization work programmetargeted at small economies, mandated in the Doha Dec-laration. In addition, the Commonwealth recently receivedEUR17 million from the European Commission to build thetrade capacity of the African, Caribbean and Pacific countriesand ensure they too can reap the rewards of global trade.

The failure of last year’s trade talks in Cancún concernseveryone, particularly small states. There is a real dangerthat the project of a rules-based multilateral trading systemcould flounder. At their Abuja meeting, Commonwealthleaders showed their determination to help put the tradetalks back on track and decided to establish a Common-wealth Ministerial Trade Mission. Last February, the minis-terial group, which included the trade ministers of Barbadosand Fiji, went on a mission to key capitals and engaged withmajor players to help generate a consensus on the wayforward.

As an organization bringing together countries of all sizes,sea locked and land locked, and at every stage of economicdevelopment, the Commonwealth is ideally placed to make adifference in the lives of its people. SIDS have a great deal togain from the Commonwealth. What other organizationenables their leaders to sit at the same table with leaders ofG8 countries, talk to them as equals and exchange viewsabout matters of common concern?

In return, the Commonwealth is made stronger by its

small island states members. They enrich it and are an inte-gral part of its diversity. They extend its range of influenceand allow it to play a crucial role as a consensus builder. Thepartnership between small island states and theCommonwealth is at the heart of the organization and iscrucial to its future ■

The Rt Hon. Don McKinnon is Commonwealth Secretary-General.

The Commonwealth’s objective is to make sure that less powerful players do not end up on the sidelines

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NEIGHBOURSwithout BORDERSELLIK ADLER describes how small island developing states and other countries unite to tacklecommon threats to the seas on which they depend

Threats to the marine environmentknow no bounds on our oceanplanet. Biodiversity loss, the dest-

ruction of coastal habitats, uncontrolledcoastal development and related land-based pollution, sea-based pollution suchas oil spills and marine litter, overfishingand excessive use of marine resources:these are the destructive forces whichplague the world’s coastal cities, villagesand communities. Their effects on people’slives and livelihoods are both direct anddevastating. Their more indirect impactsreach far inland to drain the economies anddevelopment opportunities of entire count-ries, regions and even continents.

The best that can be said of these threatsis that they unify. All over our planet,conflicts and quarrels have been pushedaside by nations who recognize their mut-ual interest in working together to stop theaccelerating degradation of their oceansand coastal areas. From the Mediterraneanto the North-West Pacific, often-content-ious neighbours have found commoncause in their shared marine environment.

help improve the management of newproblems threatening marine and coastalenvironments.

More than 140 countries now partici-pate in 13 regional programmes estab-lished under UNEP’s auspices, coveringthe Black Sea, the Caribbean, East Africa,East Asia, the Kuwait Convention region,the Mediterranean, North-East Pacific,North-West Pacific, Red Sea and Gulf ofAden, South Asia, South-East Pacific,South Pacific, and West and CentralAfrica. Five partner programmes for theAntarctic, Arctic, Baltic Sea, Caspian Seaand North-East Atlantic are also membersof the Regional Seas family. The pro-gramme is coordinated by a small team ofprofessionals from UNEP’s headquartersin Nairobi.

Particular concerns

The process of establishing a RegionalSeas Programme usually begins withdeveloping an action plan outlining thestrategy and substance of a regionally co-ordinated programme to protect a commonbody of water. It is based on the region'sparticular environmental concerns andchallenges, as well as on its socioeconomicand political situation. These may, ofcourse, differ greatly from region to region;in one it may focus on chemical wastes andcoastal development; in another it mightspotlight the conservation of marinespecies and ecosystems.

In most regions the action plan isunderpinned by a strong legal frameworkin the form of a legally binding regional

For three decades, UNEP has fosteredthis unity, encouraging neighbouring coun-tries to sit at the same table and work outpractical solutions to their problems.UNEP’s Regional Seas Programme,launched in 1974 in the wake of the 1972United Nations Conference on the HumanEnvironment in Stockholm, has created aforum where the countries of a region en-gage in dialogue, exchange experience andinformation, and express their formalcommitment to agreed goals backed up byspecific, practical actions.

So, at 30, has the programme’s frame-work stood the test of time? Is its approachstill relevant? Is it equipped to face thechallenges of the future? My answer to allthree questions is yes. Most programmesare now self-sufficient, self-financing andself-propelling, using very much the sameframework as in 1974. The Regional Seasapproach has provided the springboard ofscience and management skills for collab-oration with global environmental agree-ments – and for local implementation ofglobal treaties. And, as for the future, it can

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convention – expressing the commitmentand political will of governments to tackletheir common environmental problemsthrough joint coordinated activities, withassociated protocols on specific problems.

At the request of its Governing Council,UNEP strengthened its commitment to theprogramme in the mid-1990s. It began toconvene regular global meetings of thesecretariats and partner programmes –today 18 in all – to discuss commoninterests, priorities and links with one an-other and with global environmental con-ventions and international organizations.The Governing Council has particularlyencouraged ties with the Global Plan ofAction for the Protection of the MarineEnvironment from Land-based Activities(GPA), the Multilateral EnvironmentalAgreements, and other internationalpartners.

It was no accident that this ‘rebirth’coincided with many initiatives thatfocused attention on the marine environ-ment, as the world took on board the newprinciples expounded by the 1992 RioEarth Summit and its products – partic-ularly Agenda 21 and the Convention onBiological Diversity (CBD) – and preparedfor its successor, the 2002 World Summiton Sustainable Development (WSSD).

Shared priorities

The Jakarta Mandate of the CBD (1995)and its 1998 Programme of Action, rep-resented a fresh and progressive approachto managing and using marine and coastalresources sustainably. It reinforced thepriorities of the Regional Seas Prog-rammes – soon to be echoed by WSSD andits Plan of Implementation – including theconviction that integrated marine andcoastal area management is the best imple-mentation tool. More recently, the SeventhMeeting of the Conference of Parties to theCBD adopted a series of important res-olutions related to the conservation of thebiodiversity of marine and coastal eco-systems, which further reflect the sharedpriorities of the Regional Seas and theirglobal partners.

UNEP has singled out small islanddeveloping states (SIDS) for greaterattention. Their marine and coastal en-vironments are vital resources for socio-economic development. Marine speciesprovide food, medicines and ingredientsfor industrial products. Coastal eco-

systems. such as coral reefs, mangroves,seagrass beds, estuaries, coastal lagoonsand wetlands, are essential as nurserygrounds for commercial fish species,protectors of shorelines from storms, andbuffers for the impacts of land-basedactivities. Clean sandy beaches, offshorecoral reefs and a lack of industrialdevelopment provide a base for tourism.These resources are both limited andconcentrated, and so particularly vulner-able to the adverse effects of coastaldegradation. They are already dispro-portionately threatened by naturaldisasters, climate change and sea-level rise.

Efforts to safeguard their coastal envir-onments are quickly moving up the list of international priorities. The RegionalSeas Programme is being called upon toplay a central role, partly because all SIDSare part of at least one Regional SeasProgramme, and partly because the pro-gramme already has in place globallycoordinated, region-wide mechanisms toimplement environmental agreements andinitiatives.

The 1994 Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of SIDS(SIDS/POA) asks for the ‘establishmentand/or strengthening of programmeswithin the framework of the Global Pro-gramme of Action and the Regional SeasProgrammes, to assess the impact ofplanning and development on the coastalenvironment, including coastal comm-unities, wetlands, coral reefs habitats andthe areas under the national jurisdiction ofSIDS and to implement the POA’. TheWSSD Plan of Implementation identifiesthe Regional Seas Programme and theUnited Nations Convention on the Law ofthe Sea as key actors for implementingSIDS activities related to the marineenvironment.

SIDS dominate the South Pacific andthe Wider Caribbean regional programmes,and are also members of the MediterraneanAction Plan, the East Asian Seas ActionPlan, the South Asia Seas Programme, andthe Convention for the Protection, Man-agement and Development of the Marineand Coastal Environment of the EasternAfrican Region (Nairobi Convention). TheGPA Coordination Office harmonizesUNEP’s SIDS activities and addressesland-based activities at the national levelthrough national programmes of action,within the context of the Regional SeasProgrammes.

Coral reefs are one of the SIDS’ mostimportant and extensive ecosystems, somany of UNEP’s activities are based onclose partnerships with groups andinitiatives devoted to protecting them. Theactivities – too numerous to mention here –are based on many international part-nerships, such as those with the Inter-national Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), theGlobal Coral Reef Monitoring Network(GCRMN), the International Coral ReefInformation Network (ICRIN) and theInternational Coral Reef Action Network(ICRAN). They are aimed at promoting‘on the ground’ actions and good practicesfor coral reef management and con-servation through partnerships with theworld’s leading science and conservationorganizations in the field.

Important role

Agenda 21, the WSSD Plan of Imple-mentation and the new global strategy havegiven the Regional Seas Programme amandate and a roadmap for the yearsahead. But there are still many roadblocksto overcome, such as lack of political will,insufficient financing and competitionwith such overriding concerns as war orpoverty.

A new era of environmental action isemerging, focusing on practical imple-mentation of the principles of sustainabledevelopment. The Regional Seas Pro-gramme has had – and continues to have –an important role in sustainable develop-ment. Given its achievements, built uponmodest resources, it has providedexcellent value for money in its first threedecades ■

Ellik Adler is Regional Seas ProgrammeCoordinator, UNEP.

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Will MotherNature wait?

As a West Indian, the ocean plays a critical part in my life. Every day, itis there for me, shining as I wake up. Every happy memory I have as achild, teenager – and now as an adult – has it somewhere in the back-

ground. It was my nursemaid when I was a baby, my teacher as I was growingup, my dancing partner at teenage parties, my friend when I needed someoneto talk to. It speaks to me as I fall asleep; it features in most of my dreams.

I live in the parish of St James in Jamaica, known to both locals andtourists as a beach paradise where one can relax, socialize and experience asuperb day of swimming. Because we live by it, the ocean is part of our family.We love it and care for it like an elder brother or sister. The thought ofharming it would never occur to us. Most people in the parish depend on it fortheir livelihood.

However, there are other parts in Jamaica where the ocean does not havea major social or economic impact on people’s lives. I now study in Kingston,the capital, and the contrast is stunning. Every day, I see and hear people whothink it is fine to use the ocean as a dumping ground for industrial waste andother rubbish. I read in the papers that conserving it is low in thegovernment’s concerns, as there are more pressing political and economicmatters to deal with. And, in my experience, local environmental groups whotry to promote the importance of the ocean and other issues are usuallymismanaged and always short of money.

Because of this, to my mind, the priority for Jamaica and other West Indiancountries must be to attract major investment from first-world states, to helpin the environmental care of the oceans that lap our shores. Help fromrespected countries and governments outside will surely raise the status ofconcern in my country.

How long?

But I am worried, because it is not just in Jamaica that care for the oceans isaccorded low priority. Amid all the impending issues in world politics andeconomics, there is a paucity of environmental investment. Concern for ‘sus-tainable development’ appears to be only skin deep. And again, I worry as acitizen of Jamaica that we and other third-world states do not possess enoughinfluence to turn the eyes of first-world governments to such issues as theincreasing pollution of the ocean and its impact on our livelihoods. And this isserious: the ocean today is nothing like as clean and sparkling as I rememberit as a child. In another few years, if it continues getting dirtier, tourists willstay away; the fish will die and St James will rot and become a slum.

Only, in my opinion, when first-world states assert the priority of thesustainable development of the oceans, will Jamaica and other third-worldcountries receive the environmental investment that they need, along withother equally important expenditures. But how long will we have to wait? Andwill Mother Nature wait that long?

The joys and the importance of the seas are not just indigenous to the WestIndies. They are shared worldwide. But my perception as a Jamaican, and asone who has grown up in the West Indies, is that our whole lives, economy,culture, sense of well-being and spirituality are heavily dependent on theseas. As small states, we need affluent nations to work with us and MotherNature to make the investments that will prevent the destruction of ourlivelihood, the ocean ■

Jodi-Ann Johnson is studying psychology at the University of the West Indiesin Kingston, Jamaica.A

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