Page 36 - IB MAY 2017

Oceans
what integration means

for ocean management

Message from the Secretariat of
the Pacific Regional Environment
Programme (SPREP)

OUR Ocean is an inherent part of who
we are as a Pacific people, and in June
our Pacific voices will amplify our tribute
and respect of this valuable resource
that plays such a significant role in our
lives. Faced with the daunting task of
sustainably managing our interactions
with the ocean and its resources, the
need for integrated ocean management
is vital. Our Pacific leaders recognised
this when they endorsed the regional
Framework for a Pacific Oceanscape in
2010. The global community will now
confront the task of integrated action on
oceans in New York at the United Nations
Ocean Conference on SDG14 - Life Under
Water in June 2017.
The ocean carried our ancestors as Coral reefs and islands, Vanua Levu, Fiji. Photo: Stuart Chape
they journeyed across the Pacific Ocean
to settle distant islands where our cul- almost all SPREP work and our Member but we also depend critically on a global
tures and communities were formed. countries and territories determined community that is equally committed and
The ocean is the foundation of our that the ocean should be an overarching actively working with us to achieve truly
cultural traditions and beliefs and helps theme in our new SPREP Strategic Plan sustainable use of our ocean ecosystems
sustain our Pacific livelihoods, bringing 2017–2027. and resources, because many countries
our communities economic revenue and Integration means acting together, are closely dependent on the health of
sustenance. recognising that ocean ecosystems and the world’s oceans, including our vast
Ocean currents are the lifeblood of the socio-economic systems are one inter- Pacific Ocean.
planet, mediating our climate, connect- connected whole and not independent Our ocean connects us all. The best
ing countries and economies, and land components to be treated separately. things, and the worst, are transferred
and sea ecosystems. We hope our ocean We need to protect and manage marine on ocean currents. Integration means
will be the link that binds all nations to- and coastal ecosystems and the benefi- standing together as a global community,
gether in effectively tackling the planet’s cial ecosystem services they provide to to make the right choices together for
multiple challenges on climate change ensure that our societies remain strong our ocean.
and the decline of critical ecosystems and resilient. The benefits gained from global aware-
and natural resources. Many of our SPREP work programmes ness and partnership are why SPREP and
But what does integration really mean are interwoven around health of the other regional and national representa-
when we talk about environmental ocean, and we have taken steps in the tives are taking the Pacific story to the
management, and ocean management Secretariat to ensure that ocean manage- UN Ocean Conference, to be held in New
in particular? ment is active and effective in our work. York this June. We are very proud that the
At the Secretariat of the Pacific Region- Our ocean-related work at SPREP Pacific island nation of Fiji is co-hosting
al Environment Programme (SPREP), we includes the Pacific Meteorological this milestone event, the first of its kind
see first-hand the connections between Desk Partnership, and our work on to consider a global plan for sustainable,
projects, challenges, and solutions that strengthening island resilience through integrated ocean management.
are happening in the Pacific region. We programmes on ocean acidification and Integration cannot just be a word. If
see every day how maintaining a healthy ecosystem based adaptation to climate we decide that integration means ef-
ocean is a cross-cutting issue that influ- change. Our role in marine debris and fective, transformational action, ocean
ences all areas of our work and the lives pollution is linked with our work in ecosystems and species could thrive.
of the people in the countries we serve. marine conservation, including that of And because we’re connected, we
The ocean and the climate and their species protection. will too.
connections are dominant drivers across SPREP works for this large region, n SPREP

36 Islands Business, May 2017