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14 August 2020 
Weekly News and Related Items
National News Regional News Mixed News
Tools and Research Funding and Training Job Vacancies and Tenders
Fiji - Seagrass Nursery launched for Marine Protection
The role of seagrass in the natural ecosystem for the production of a food chain for conservation and protection of marine life is vital. This was highlighted by the Minister for Waterways, Environment, and Agriculture Hon. Dr Mahendra Reddy while launching a Seagrass nursery and a conservation site at Maui Bay in Sigatoka today.
NATIONAL NEWS
New Zealand - Estuary management tangled in red tape - Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment report
Estuaries are stuck in a “complicated jigsaw” of overlapping management and ever-changing policies and it is impacting the environment, a report…
Kiribati - The tiny Pacific nation of Kiribati wants to raise its islands to save it from the rising sea
Kiribati is going under. The tiny nation in the Pacific Ocean is comprised of low-lying islands and atolls — circular land masses with water in the…
Australia - These historic grasslands are becoming a weed-choked waste. It could be one of the world’s great parks
Volcanic plains stretching from Melbourne’s west to the South Australian border were once home to native grasslands strewn with…
Palau - PICRC completes proposal for collaborative coral rehabilitation project
Since 2018, the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC) has been partnering with the Palau Visitors Authority (PVA) and Koror State…
Tonga - With TOML acquisition, DeepGreen expands its footprint across the Pacific
Last week DeepGreen announced that it had finalized the acquisition of Tonga Offshore Mining Limited, a subsidiary of the former Nautilus Minerals…
Niue - Cabinet reopens shooting season for fruit pigeons and bats
The shooting season for Lupe – fruit pigeon and Peka – bats has now reopened. Minister for Natural Resources Mona Ainu’u announced…
Samoa - Falealupo village in three-day conservation workshop
A three-day workshop in Falealupo village run by the Samoa Conservation Society has enabled participants to learn about how to identify…
Papua New Guinea - PNG fishing association wins MSC certification
The Papua New Guinea Fishing Industry Association won Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification in May…As part of…
REGIONAL NEWS
10th Pacific Islands Conference Nature Conservation and Protected Areas
SPREP, PIRT and New Caledonia, event organizers for the 10th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas…
Fisheries ministers strengthen commitment to regional cooperation amid pandemic
Fisheries Ministers from member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) have expressed serious concern about…
Warning for Pacific governments gambling on deepsea mining
As the pandemic dries up traditional revenue sources, some Pacific Island governments are considering diving into the unknown waters of…
Customary and individual rights at odds in coastal fishing
A virtual talanoa hosted by the Pacific Community exposed how constitutional rights of the individual could be at odds with…
COVID-19 related Challenges for Protected Areas and Biodiversity in the Pacific Region
The Biodiversity and Protected Areas Programme (BIOPAMA) is conducting a global review of the impacts of COVID-19 on area based…
COVID-19 related impacts on Protected Areas and Biodiversity in the Oceania Region
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as the major international body for nature conservation is responding in…
MIXED NEWS
Blue Action Fund - Call for Expressions of Interest - Technical Project Evaluators Asia-Pacific Region
Blue Action Fund is interested in setting up a network of evaluators of its grant programme. To that effect, it is seeking Expressions of Interest…
Bioprospecting in Practice: How a drug goes from the ocean to the clinic.
Bioprospecting, the discovery of new pharmaceutical compounds, industrial chemicals, and novel genes from natural systems, is frequently cited…
Animals Non Grata: The Invasive Species Wreaking Havoc On Our Environment
The United States Department of Agriculture defines invasive species as species that are “non-native (alien) to the ecosystem”, and that have…
GLF Biodiversity Digital Conference: One World - One Health
Contribute to shaping the agenda for the post-2020 Biodiversity Framework and the upcoming UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. With…
TOOLS AND RESEARCH
Microplastics have moved into virtually every crevice on Earth
In the Maldives, a developing nation that lacks much local manufacturing, a single tourist produces almost twice as much trash per day as a resident of…
Sharks are community-minded and good at making friends, study finds
Sharks may have a reputation as cold-hearted killing machines, but they are actually rather good at making and keeping friends, a study finds…
‘Critical’ questions over disease risks from ocean plastics
Key knowledge gaps exist in our understanding of how ocean microplastics transport bacteria and viruses—and whether this affects…
New global study shows ‘best of the last’ tropical forests urgently need protection
The world’s ‘best of the last’ tropical forests are at significant risk of being lost, according to a paper released today in Nature Ecology and…
Deep-sea misconceptions cause underestimation of seabed-mining impacts
A new publication on the impacts of deep-seabed mining by 13 prominent deep-sea biologists, led by University of Hawai’i at Mānoa oceanography…
Why deforestation and extinctions make pandemics more likely
As humans diminish biodiversity by cutting down forests and building more infrastructure, they’re increasing the risk of disease pandemics such as…
Researchers hope to save seabirds by calculating the value of their poop
Seabird species such as gulls and pelicans are often overlooked when it comes to conservation and can struggle to capture the public eye…
Plant community more sensitive to plant invasions on tropical coral islands
Chinese researchers have discovered that the plant community showed higher sensitivity to plant invasions than the soil microbial and fauna…
FUNDING AND TRAINING
Remote Sensing of Coastal Ecosystems
Users, particularly those with little remote sensing experience, stand to benefit from this training covering some of the difficulties associated…
BMWHI/PALRC Online training course on Adaptive Management for Conservation
The Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute (BMWHI), in partnership with PALRC, is running an online training program over 10 half days from…
PhD Scholarship - Climate Change Impact on the Spread of Invasive Weeds
The PhD candidate will work alongside the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), as well as national governments and…
PhD Scholarship - Understanding the Human-Invasive Species Relationships for Climate Resilient Communities
The PhD candidate will work alongside the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), as well as the national governments…
BIOPAMA Rapid Response Grants 2020
On 2 June 2020 the BIOPAMA Action Component launched the call for proposals for Rapid Response Grants. The Rapid Response Grants are…
Second call for application - Pacific Fund 2020
A second call for application of the 2020 Pacific Fund is now open until 6 September 2020. To be selected, projects will need to contribute to…
JOB VACANCIES AND TENDERS
Request For Tenders: READVERTISEMENT - Building Capacity Of Fiji To Address Regulatory And Legal Obligations Relating To CITES With Respect To Some Appendix II Listed Coral, Live Rock And Giant Clam Species.
SPREP would like to call for tenders from qualified and experienced consultants (individuals or teams) to lead the preparation of a number of…
Request For Tenders: Development Of An Asbestos And Asbestos Containing Materials Legislative Ban Policy Note For Use In PacWaste Plus Participating Countries
SPREP would like to call for tenders from qualified and experienced consultants who can offer their services to develop an…
Request For Tenders: READVERTISEMENT - Nursery Expert (Service-Based Consultancy): Vanuatu PACRES Project Component
SPREP is seeking to recruit a Nursery Expert (Service-Based Consultancy) for the Vanuatu Component of the Pacific Adaptation to Climate…
Request For Tenders: READVERTISEMENT - Project Officer (Service-Based Consultancy): Solomon Islands PACRES Project Component
SPREP is seeking to recruit a Project Officer (Service-Based Consultancy) for the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change and Resilience Building…
Waitt Institute - Sustainable Fisheries Director
The Waitt Institute is hiring a director who is looking to foster sustainable fisheries that support livelihoods, improve economies, and ensure…