Crucial for stronger economies: SOPAC chief

Shane Fairlie
Tourism and the ocean are two of the Pacific’s most important assets. Ocean resources have always been at the heart of the Pacific’s existence and tourism is essential to the livelihoods of the islanders as one of the biggest employers in the region.

When natural resources are managed effectively, lives improve and communities benefit. When managed less effectively, government opportunities for stronger economies are missed.

In 2004, a Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) cost-benefit analysis revealed that successful management of the Manihiki Island pearl industry had the potential to generate benefits of more than NZ$40 million over 15 years to farmers and the broader Cook Islands community, including those involved in tourism.

This was compared to a projected loss of almost NZ$3 million over the same period, as well as the loss of indirect, secondary benefits, without the implementation of an effective pearl farming management plan.

Although many countries in the Pacific are blessed with plentiful natural resources, regional discussions are often about political and fiscal governance rather than natural resources governance.

Director of SOPAC Cristelle Pratt, told the recently held SOPAC 35th annual session in Honiara, that sound management of natural resources is vital to improving community livelihoods and strengthening economies throughout the region. And it is also becoming increasingly recognised as being as important as political and fiscal governance.

“This is especially so for us in the Pacific as our natural resources underpin our economies and are absolutely critical to helping advance living standards and building communities that are more secure and robust.

If we are to manage our resources sensibly, then we must also manage the way people interact with these natural resources and their perceptions of ownership and economic value,” Pratt said.

Hosted by the Government of the Solomon Islands, SOPAC’s 35th annual session involved more than 100 international scientists, SOPAC technical experts, donors and national government representatives from the 21 SOPAC Pacific member countries.

The theme of the scientific component of the conference, the Science, Technology and Resources (STAR) Network Session, was natural resources governance, with a particular emphasis on the ocean, minerals, water and energy, and involved three days of practical presentations and working group meetings.

Victoria University Associate Professor in Geology and STAR chairman, John Collen, called it a rare chance to create solutions because of the opportunity for free and frank discussion.

“Most scientific meetings are pure science and full of specialists, but this was open to everyone and enabled interaction between decisionmakers and independent participants, including many not funded by SOPAC or national governments, who had paid their own way because of their love for the Pacific and commitment to helping communities better use their environmental resources,” Collen said.

“This was a great exchange of local knowledge and a positive networking opportunity with Pacific delegates and scientists talking openly about finding applied science solutions in the Pacific and ensuring that these solutions are taken right down to the village level to improve lives,” Professor Collen said.

The forum discussed needs and challenges that face Pacific countries who share more than 37 and a half million kilometres of ocean and resources needing to be used and managed in a sustainable manner.

Papers were presented on SOPAC work including water resources management, energy efficiency, the management of non-living resources through economics, coconut oil as a viable biofuel option and the implementation of national action plans for disaster risk reduction and management.

The conference also hailed an important increase in participation from Pacific scientists.

“Since its introduction two decades ago, the science component of the annual session has developed from a predominately expat gathering to now having more than half of the presentations from Pacific Islands professionals. This gives the region greater confidence to move on to the bigger scientific stage,” Collen said. 

Agenda items also included reports from the three SOPAC programme areas of community risk, oceans and islands and community lifelines, and independent assessments of work programmes, initiated by SOPAC last year.

“We also continue to recognise the need to link the use of science and management to protect natural resources together with a sound policy framework that reaches from the regional level right down to the local level. This is to ensure that those most in need benefit from our scientific and technical work,” Pratt said.

Solomon Islands’ Deputy Prime Minister Job Dudley Tausinga, who officially opened the session, said SOPAC has made a significant contribution to improving the welfare of individual countries through good economic and social progress, and highlighted the importance of natural resources to countries like the Solomon Islands.

Tausinga also underlined the need to utilise and develop natural resources in order to improve and provide quality lives for the people in the Solomon Islands and other Pacific countries.

• Shane Fairlie is SOPAC’s Communications Adviser.