Environment
Fruition of global effort
Saturday 27 March 2010 | Published in Environment
The culmination of global efforts over the last few months will finally come to fruition tonight when a record breaking 125 countries and regions unite to take action on climate change, including 56 national capitals and 8 of the 10 most populated metropolises on the planet. The Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza, the ancient […]
Matavera MP among women leaders for Earth Hour 2010
Wednesday 24 March 2010 | Published in Environment
With just five days to go before the people of the planet switch off for Earth Hour, prominent women across the globe are leading the way to encourage the people of the world to show what can be done to fight climate change. The voice for Earth Hour in the Cooks is the newest member […]
Localising conservation
Saturday 27 February 2010 | Published in Environment
World Wildlife Fund hands over to Te Rito Enua As World Wildlife Fund (WWF) phases out of the Cook Islands, local NGO Te Rito Enua is gearing up to take its place. WWF, which will officially hand its operations over to Te Rito Enua next month, has been in the Cooks for over a decade. […]
Muri under survey
Tuesday 23 February 2010 | Published in Environment
The first phase of the Muri European Union Water and Sanitation Project is underway with a survey of 329 properties. The five-year project, worth about $5 million ($2.55 million Euro), began in April last year when government, the EU and the Muri community formed a partnership. There are three phases to the project – and […]
Green jobs can help
Friday 12 February 2010 | Published in Environment
Green jobs can create a large number of jobs quickly and help revive economies suffering from the impacts of the global economic crisis. Pacific leaders and country delegates heard more about the potential of green jobs at the final day of the regional conference on the human face of the GEC session on green growth […]
Regional environmental workshop wraps up
Tuesday 9 February 2010 | Published in Environment
The ecosystem-based management course/workshop wrapped up at the Assemblies of God hall at Takuvaine last Friday. Twenty participants from overseas, as well as four from the outer islands and government agency staff on Rarotonga, attended the two-week course which looked at integrating contemporary and traditional coastal ecosystem management in the Pacific. Henry Muller from the […]
NES look into tree cutting
Monday 8 February 2010 | Published in Environment
The national environment service is investigating the cutting of number of trees on a Vaimaanga beach property late last month. NES director Vaitoti Tupa said that developers are required to contact the service before tampering with trees in “foreshore areas” within 30 metres from the main high-water mark. Tupa said that any plans to cut […]
Copenhagen Accord makes no commitments
Saturday 6 February 2010 | Published in Environment
Government has decided to continue lobbying for a binding climate change deal to be made at this year’s United Nations meeting in Cancun, Mexico. Like other small island states the Cook Islands will not support the Copenhagen Accord – the highly criticised document created by 25 countries at the United Nations climate change conference in […]
Where to next from Copenhagen?
Saturday 6 February 2010 | Published in Environment
Climate change is a global problem requiring a global solution. More importantly, it poses a direct risk to the Cook Islands, impacting many of our key development sectors such as agriculture, health and marine resources. The Cook Islands, therefore, led by the prime minister Jim Marurai, participated in the 15th session of the Conference of […]
Taking eco action
Thursday 4 February 2010 | Published in Environment
Participants on a two-week environmental course will today put what they have learned so far into presenting their own ecosystem-based management (EBM) plan for a given scenario. Melanie King, who organised the course, says the course will equip participants with the tools and techniques, and areas they will need to consider when developing a management […]
Better integration needed for Pacific ecosystems
Monday 1 February 2010 | Published in Environment
Technical experts representing eight Pacific island countries last week endorsed an innovative approach to managing the environment which addresses natural resource management in the social, economic and political context. The forum held at the AOG Hall in Takuvaine considered the application of ecosystem-based management to address critical environmental issues which threaten delicate coastal and marine […]
Pacific islands join forces on environment
Thursday 28 January 2010 | Published in Environment
Pacific island nations are facing critical environmental issues – pollution, habitat destruction, declining fisheries and climate change – which threaten their costal ecosystems impacting food security and wellbeing. Environmental leaders and managers are in Rarotonga to meet and discuss an innovative approach to the management of coastal ecosystems, known as ecosystem-based management, as part of […]
Rarotonga to come under scrutiny
Wednesday 27 January 2010 | Published in Environment
Field trips are a large component of the University of Queensland environmental management course is being held in Rarotonga. The two week course began on Monday with those taking part from around the region getting an introduction to the course and an orientation tour. Dr Ron Neller is one of the course presenters who will […]
Talking the biodiversity talk
Monday 25 January 2010 | Published in Environment
Red List – also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List is a listed inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. For example, it is in the Red List that you can find out whether a certain species is Extinct, Critically Endangered or Vulnerable. Invasive Species – Introduced […]
Biodiversity facts! Did you know?
Monday 25 January 2010 | Published in Environment
– The global cost associated with invasive species is estimated at US$1.4 trillion annually – 5% of the world economy. – More than 450 million people live within 60 kilometers of coral reefs, with the majority directly or indirectly deriving food and income from them. – In rural areas of Pacific Island Countries, fish contributes […]
2010 Targets – Biodiversity
Monday 25 January 2010 | Published in Environment
The Cook Islands is a member of the Bureau for the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Cook Islander Tania Temata was nominated to the Bureau in 2008 to represent the interests of the Asia Pacific region. In 1994 the Cook Islands became a party to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which […]
Cook Islands Year of Biodiversity
Monday 25 January 2010 | Published in Environment
2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives. The world is invited to take action in 2010 to safeguard the variety of life on earth: biodiversity. Human activity is causing the diversity of life on Earth to be lost […]
Befriending Biodiversity
Monday 25 January 2010 | Published in Environment
Nod if you just read the word and wondered ‘what the heck is biodiversity?’ Now take a look around you, at your surroundings. Do you see trees outside your window? Are you fortunate enough to have a co-worker who is wearing a flower in her air? Have you got a great view of the ocean? […]
Fly problem worries ministers
Saturday 23 January 2010 | Published in Environment
Two cabinet ministers are joining forces to come up with a new plan to tackle the fly problem at the Arorangi waste facility which has been blamed for the large number of them in the surrounding community. Health minister Apii Piho and minister of infrastructure and planning (MOIP) William ‘Smiley’ Heather are aware of the […]
Queensland Uni course comes to Raro
Saturday 23 January 2010 | Published in Environment
A two-week University of Queensland environmental management course is being held in Rarotonga from Monday until February 5. About 30 people from the region are here to take the annual course which looks at integrating contemporary and traditional coastal ecosystem management in the Pacific. This is the first time the course has been held in […]