21 years of serving the environment and peoples of the Pacific

Pacific history was made twenty one years ago on June 16, 1993. On that day Pacific island countries signed an agreement to establish SPREP – the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme –

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World Oceans Day – 8 June

“We are the sea. We are the ocean. We must wake up to this ancient truth.” – Professor Epeli Hau’ofa The oceans play a vital role in supporting all life on Earth. The oxygen in every third breath

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Island Biodiversity

Since its establishment the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has worked to raise awareness on environment issues across the region and help empower others to do the same. Through our

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April, a time to learn more about Asbestos

This month we commemorate Global Asbestos Awareness Week to raise awareness of an insidious and slow killer – the substance known as “asbestos”. Asbestos, which occurs naturally as a silky white

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Weathering the storm together

I n January 2014, Tropical Cyclone Ian devastated a number of islands in the Kingdom of Tonga, a brutal and sobering reminder of how extreme weather affects our islands homes. On behalf of SPREP, I extend our deepest

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More cyclones loom for the region?

As many as 11 predicted in next 3 months It’s been slow in coming this season but the next three months could bring as many as 11 cyclones to the Pacific islands region. In the preceding 2012-13 November-April

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Wetlands and agriculture— partnering for sustainability

We commemorate World Wetlands Day on February 2, each year to mark the birthday of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. This is an international environment agreement that now has 168 contracting parties, with 2,170

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Measuring sea level rise in the Pacific

Crucial for decisionmakers Anticipating the effects of climate change on sea level is a pressing task, particularly in the Pacific. Getting hard data on sea level into the hands of decisionmakers and scientists is one

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