Assistant Minister Eden Reminds Stakeholders of Extreme Conditions Reefs Are Exposed To
Fiji is a signatory to a number of multilateral environmental agreements, within which numerous commitments are made and this includes marine protection and management. Assistant Minister for Environment Lorna Eden made this statement during the International Year of the Reef talanoa session at Koro Sun Resort in Savusavu yesterday. The session was to remind stakeholders of the extreme conditions reefs are being exposed to and to develop a 2018 Action Plan for reefs in Fiji.
She said their projects supported reef sustainability through ecosystem-based management approaches, species conservation, climate resilience and a dual management system.
“We also have well established coordinating mechanisms in place for example national environment council, the protected areas committee and the offshore technical advisory committee,” Ms Eden said.
“To complement the above there exists a strong network partnership of Government and non-government partners.
“We know the critical relationship between climate and the ocean and our coral reefs are on the front line when it comes to the impacts. “At COP23 in Bonn we launched the Ocean Pathway to find the right space for the ocean in the UNFCCC process and ensure that a healthy ocean is recognised as critical for fixing climate change and vice versa.”
She further said: “We are facing drastic loss on a global scale of our reefs as a direct result of climate change and I hope this year will be a direct result of climate change and for ocean health,” Ms Eden said.
“In Fiji we depend upon the reefs for at least three industry segments that are vital to our national sustainability. They are namely the fishing, agriculture and tourism industries.”
Coral reefs contain the most diverse range of ecosystems on the planet.
Stakeholders at the International Year of Reef talanoa session at Koro Sun Resort in Savusavu were told that “we are at a make or break point when talking about coral reefs”. United Nations Environment Programme executive director Erik Solheim said: “We have a lot to thank coral reefs for, but unfortunately people are damaging this God gifted resource.
“If you see a lot of tourists around here then you can thank the reefs. A number of reefs are coming down. Reefs are dying and you see endless coral bleaching. “We have seen killing and dying of coral reefs in the planet be it in the Pacific or Caribbean. We must take action and stop all these. “Why we need to do that is because this is an ethical issue for humanity. Everyone needs to take responsibility in making our coral reefs safe.”
Mr Solheim urged the stakeholders, non-government organisations and representatives from various government departments on the need to stop the use of plastics that we do not need.
“For example on the use of straw,” he said.
“Your parents and grandparents never used straws to drink juice. There are some restaurants which had put up signs that if you desperately need a straw then ask for it. When customers read this sign they think twice whether to buy straws or not.
“So I hope something like this happens in the Pacific.” Mr Solheim commended Fiji’s fantastic leadership at Bonn in Germany.
“We are in the right direction towards fighting climate change. We have also learned lot of things, especially how to say Bula,” Mr Solheim said.
United Nations Special Envoy for Oceans Peter Thomson shared some good and bad news during the International Year of Reef talanoa session.
The bad news he said was that our ocean was getting more acidic and warmer creating threats to living creatures.
He also said human activities like illegal fishing and overfishing have damaged the ecosystem. The good news is that there are action plans in place to save our coral reefs.