Participants at the PACPOL workshop in Brisbane, Australia
Representatives from 13 Pacific island countries and territories have gathered in Brisbane, Australia this week to review and update the Pacific Ocean Pollution Prevention Programme (PACPOL) strategy.
This important strategy, implemented in partnership by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), defines activities to protect the public health, safety, environment and natural resources of the Pacific islands from the effects of marine pollution.
Mr Kosi Latu, Deputy Director General of SPREP, explained, that for example, ship sourced marine pollution encompasses a number of issues including oil spills, dumping and ballast water management:
“With a huge volume of ship traffic passing through the Pacific Ocean, all these issues pose a threat to the people and the environment in our region. Through initiatives like PACPOL, Pacific island countries and territories are better able to protect the marine and coastal environment, the natural and cultural resources of island nations as well as the general safety of the public.”
Significant inroads have been made in this area of the past few years, with ground-breaking initiatives such as the modernisation and revision of the Pacific Islands Regional Marine Spill Contingency Plan (PACPLAN).
Another very recent success story has been the endorsement of the world-first Regional Reception Facilities Plan, developed by SPREP, IMO and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) which will result in the reduction of waste materials being dumped from ships in Pacific waters.
At the opening of the five-day workshop, Mr Simon Moore, Manager of International Relations at AMSA, spoke about the trans-boundary nature of marine pollution and the need to tackle the issue through coordinated approaches in both prevention and control:
“We are brought together through our willingness to better protect the marine and coastal environment – the natural and cultural resources – of island nations in the region. We must remain conscious that there is great potential for us to work together as individual states and territories to progress regional priorities.”
This spirit of regional cooperation is reflected in the make-up of participants and observers to this workshop, with representatives from SPREP, AMSA, Australian Government Department of Environment, Maritime New Zealand, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority all in attendance, and prepped to engage in meaningful dialogue with the 13 Pacific island countries and territories present.
Source and Image Credit: SPER
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