Value it, it is our life

*David Sheppard


 

2010 is the Year of Biodiversity—in the Pacific this is celebrated under the theme of “Value Island Biodiversity—it’s our Life”.
This is especially true when we consider the relationship our Pacific communities have with our ocean.  The Pacific Ocean covers 35% of the earth’s surface.  The ocean is our lifeblood with the majority of Pacific communities living close to the sea.
Coastal marine resources have always played a crucial role in the lives of the people for food and economic development.
The Pacific Ocean is home to many large marine animals such as cetaceans (whales and dolphins), dugongs and marine turtles. These play a significant role in the health and functioning of our coasts and ocean. 
Did you know that over half of the world’s known species of cetaceans and six of the seven known marine turtle species occur in the region?  The Pacific supports the world’s largest remaining populations of dugongs, as well as important populations of green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles.  These marine animals are flagship species for Pacific marine ecosystems and often feature prominently in promotional materials for Pacific tourism.
The value of the Pacific Ocean is rooted deeply in Pacific history as it carried ancestors from island to island over years of voyaging.
This cultural strength and identity is being resurrected with activities such as the Vaka Project, encouraging the building of authentic Polynesian canoes and vaka sailing voyages across the Pacific. 
Many Pacific Islands cultures have legends and traditional uses of marine mammals and turtles. Dugong bone and the teeth of small cetaceans have been important in certain ceremonies such as marriages and funerals.
In Fiji, tabua (sperm whale teeth) are a highly valued commodity in cultural ceremonies and exchanges. Some of these species remain highly valued for food and their shells, skin and bones are often used for jewellery and ornaments. This clearly confirms the importance of these creatures to Pacific people’s identities, way of life and heritage.
Subsistence hunting of dugongs and turtles may have been sustainable in the past. However, the combination of increasing human populations and the introduction of technology such as outboard motors and gill nets has severely impacted several species, resulting in fragmentation of populations and even local extinctions.
For many species of large whales, commercial whaling during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, largely by countries from outside the region, reduced the breeding populations of South Pacific whales to extremely low levels. 
While humpback whales in many parts of the world are showing signs of recovery from whaling, most of the small breeding populations in the South Pacific remain at extremely low levels.
Dugongs and turtles have been hunted extensively in the region, both for traditional and subsistence purposes, and more recently for commercial gain. 
Dugongs are considered vulnerable to extinction on a global scale. Palau’s dugong population is considered to be the most isolated dugong population in the world.
Of the six species of marine turtles that occur in the Pacific, two are listed as critically endangered, and three as endangered. 
Threats to the survival of these marine animals include unsustainable harvesting incidental by-catch in fisheries, habitat degradation, and pollution including marine debris, boat strikes, and climate change.
Countries in the Pacific region are working towards protecting our marine species.
In April, awards were presented by the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium to Australia, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Niue, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu who have officially declared nation-wide marine sanctuaries to protect whales and dolphins.
New Zealand and Tonga have very strong legislation protecting cetaceans. The Kingdom of Tonga banned whale hunting in 1978 by Royal Decree of the late King Taufa’aha Tupou.
Many Pacific Islands countries are also party to international species conventions such as CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and CMS (Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals).
Several SPREP members have also signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the conservation of cetaceans and their habitats in the Pacific Islands Region, under CMS in partnership with SPREP.
SPREP has a regional marine species programme which focuses on dugongs, marine turtles and cetaceans (whales and dolphins).
A regional five-year action plan exists for each group which identifies priority actions at all levels for their conservation in the Pacific Islands region in areas such as capacity building, education and traditional knowledge. These plans are developed by member countries and territories, with partners that work on these species in the region.
There is a growing awareness of the values and benefits to local communities of tourism activities based on some marine animals.
For example, whale watching in the Pacific Islands region has grown to a multimillion dollar industry in recent years.
Most of these species have distribution and migratory pathways that extend across and beyond international boundaries.
Pacific Islands countries have a shared responsibility to ensure the recovery and maintenance of viable populations of these marine animals.
The value of the Pacific Ocean is priceless, but at what cost and when will we realise this?
The continuing health of populations of marine animals is essential to maintaining a healthy Pacific Ocean. We need a concerted and coordinated approach among Pacific Islands nations to protect our oceans and our marine species.
Let’s all work together to protect our ocean and remember to Value Island Biodiversity— it’s our Life.

*David Sheppard is the director of SPREP based in Apia, Samoa.