Oceania

The Pacific Islands of Oceania are small islands and atolls occurring over a vast expanse of ocean that are characterized by immense biodiversity and endemism. This project represents a major expansion of the coverage of the Pacific Islands’ marine biodiversity on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

This report assesses the overall state of conservation in the Pacific Islands region of Oceania, that is, the 21 countries and territories covered by SPREP plus Pitcairn Island (see Figure i.1). The report uses an analysis of 16 indicators chosen in consultation with SPREP and based on the Global Biodiversity Indicator project (http://www.bipindicators.net).

Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) are becoming more common in government life, necessitating a great familiarity by more people, as many countries are unable to engage effectively in treaties and conventions owing to lack of necessary expertise and resources. This handbook was created to suit the needs of the Pacific region and was prepared as a practical introduction to negotiating or working on MEAs for people with little or no technical background in negotiations.