Environment
Pacific Island countries meet in Rarotonga to discuss biosecurity and trade
Tuesday 22 August 2023 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Economy, Environment, National, Pacific Islands, Regional
Over 40 participants from around the Pacific region are in Rarotonga for the Pacific Plant Protection Organization (PPPO) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) workshop, hosted at the Crown Beach Resort in Arorangi.
Brown, Pacific leaders still undecided on Japan’s plan to release nuclear wastewater
Tuesday 22 August 2023 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Economy, Environment, National, Pacific Islands
Prime Minister Mark Brown along with regional leaders are still undecided about Japan’s proposed plans to release “treated” nuclear wastewater into the Pacific.
Project launched for safe removal of legacy waste on Rarotonga
Monday 21 August 2023 | Written by Supplied | Published in Environment, National
The National Environment Service (NES) has partnered with Cook Islands General Transport (CIGT) to launch the “Tita’ ki te Tita’ kore Project”.
NES warns against disturbing whales during migration season
Saturday 19 August 2023 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Environment, National
It is the whale watching season and the National Environment Service (NES) advises that the normal movements of whales should not be disrupted.
Te Ipukarea Society: Potential impacts of deep seabed mining on our tuna fisheries
Saturday 19 August 2023 | Written by Te Ipukarea Society | Published in Environment, National
This article has been drawn largely from two reports. One was published in the journal Nature in June 2023, and the other, a Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC) report from 2018. These references are available on request.
Baby whales ‘thrown over the reef’ during migration due to warmer oceans
Thursday 17 August 2023 | Written by RNZ | Published in Environment, Features, National, Weekend
A whale scientist in the Cook Islands expects beached calves to become a more common occurrence as storms grow in intensity due to climate change. Caleb Fotheringham of RNZ Pacific reports.
Faster access to climate finance
Saturday 12 August 2023 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Economy, Environment, Fiji, National, Pacific Islands, Regional
Prime Minister Mark Brown highlighted the implementation of the redesigned Pacific Resilience Facility, which will help to ease climate financing for Pacific Island countries.
Te Ipukarea Society: Helping connect our mapu to their surroundings
Saturday 12 August 2023 | Written by Supplied | Published in Environment, National
Living in an island paradise doesn’t always mean there is a strong connection between the individual and their environment.
Cook Islands’ seabed mining ambitions unaffected by ISA failure to adopt rules
Thursday 10 August 2023 | Written by Rashneel Kumar | Published in Environment, Features, In Depth, National
Cook Islands’ ambition to mine its seabed in the future is ‘unaffected’ by the failure to adopt rules on deep sea mining at a recent international meeting. However, an environment group warns the country against jumping ahead of the work that is still to be concluded.
Cook Islands aims to become knowledge hub for seabed minerals
Thursday 10 August 2023 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Environment, National
Prime Minister Mark Brown this week spoke about the progress of Cook Islands seabed minerals exploration, data collection and being a knowledge-based economy to combat the impacts of climate change.
PM Brown asks partners to get serious about debt and climate financing
Thursday 10 August 2023 | Written by Supplied | Published in Environment, Fiji, National, Regional
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says if the region’s donor partners are serious about helping Pacific economies grow and recover, they “have to be serious about looking at changing the rules around financing, and debt management”.
‘Pick up your mess’: Rubbish dumped behind Parliament
Thursday 10 August 2023 | Written by Joanne Holden | Published in Environment, National
The environmental arm of the Cook Islands Government will be reaching out to Parliament Services after photographs emerged of rubbish dumped near the building where Parliament sits in Rarotonga.
Te Ipukarea Society: Extraction or protection? The dual mandate dilemma of the International Seabed Authority
Saturday 5 August 2023 | Written by Te Ipukarea Society | Published in Environment, National
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has the dual mandate of regulating mining of the seabed and also protecting that same seabed in areas beyond national jurisdiction (also known as international waters, high seas, or simply the area).
Sedimentation concern: Local marine biologist sounds alarm over dredging in Aitutaki harbour
Thursday 3 August 2023 | Written by Rashneel Kumar | Published in Environment, National
A recent dredging operation in Aitutaki’s Arutanga Harbour has had a devastating impact on the surrounding reefs, says a local marine biologist.
Book inspired by ‘miracle turtle’ to be launched today
Wednesday 2 August 2023 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Education, Environment, National
The journey of Ponu, the miracle turtle, to Rarotonga has been such an inspiring story that Discover Marine and Wildlife Eco Centre boss Stephenie Jansen felt she had to write a book about it.
Te Ipukarea Society : Update on the bio-control of the Grand Balloon vine on Rarotonga
Saturday 29 July 2023 | Written by Te Ipukarea Society | Published in Environment, National
Te Ipukarea Society recently guided some visiting scientists from New Zealand up to Tereora Hill to observe any unexpected impacts of an introduced bio-control agent. This article is written by one of those scientists, Alana den-Breeyen.
‘Rare’ sighting of New Zealand fur seal in Rarotonga’s lagoon
Thursday 27 July 2023 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Editor's Pick, Environment, National
A juvenile New Zealand fur seal was sighted swimming in Rarotonga’s lagoon this week, says Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR).
Cook Islands flagged cargo ship ‘barred’
Thursday 27 July 2023 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Environment, Local, National
Maritime Cook Islands has given a “cancellation notice” to a Cook Islands-flagged general cargo ship which has been barred from European ports for failing to turn up at a repair yard after a safety inspection.
Browne receives international award for Deep-Sea Research Excellence
Wednesday 26 July 2023 | Written by Supplied | Published in Environment, National
Cook Islands Seabed Mineral Authority (SBMA) senior knowledge management officer Rima Browne is this year’s recipient of the International Seabed Authority Secretary General’s award for excellence in deep-sea research.
Te Ipukarea Society : ‘We can’t go back, but we can look back and learn’
Saturday 22 July 2023 | Written by Te Ipukarea Society | Published in Environment, National
This week’s environmental column was written by Te Ipukarea Society executive member June Hosking. Te Ipukarea Society is a non-government environmental group established in 1996.
