News

The Pacific Islands’ effort and ambition for climate and ocean action was the key message conveyed to the Secretary General (SG) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr. Kitack Lim, during a public lecture at USP last weekend. Link to full article below. 

More than one million plant and animal species worldwide are facing extinction, according to a recent United Nations report. Now, a new UBC-led study suggests that Indigenous-managed lands may play a critical role in helping species survive. Link to full article below. 

Hydrothermal vents host rare species at incredibly high density comparable to tropical rainforests or coral reefs...Now, species in even the most inaccessible parts of Earth are threatened by disturbance from human activity, including mining the depths of the ocean.

Improved recycling and a circular economy negates the need for costly and damaging mining of the deep seabed...Interest in alternative sources of minerals is growing among civil society, scientists and companies, with work being undertaken towards “urban mining” and the shift to a circular econom

Coastal communities have a stronger effect on local ocean acidification than previously believed...new measurements taken in California’s Monterey Bay show that it absorbs carbon dioxide emissions from the surrounding cities and agricultural lands, making it more acidic.

The Oceania Regional Conservation forum entails a week full of debates, discussions and decisions which will be the input imposed on the 2020 global biodiversity framework.

Rubbish has been washing up on its isolated beaches in the Pitcairn chain at a rate of several thousand bits of plastic a day. Link to full article below. 

Climate change will cost Pacific island countries and territories about $60 million in lost tuna-related revenue by 2050, Johann Bell, senior director of Pacific tuna fisheries at Conservation International, reportedly told the Pacific Islands News Association.

All mining operations, on land or at sea, cause environmental damage. Research strongly suggests that deep-sea mining will result in the loss of biodiversity...Such efforts could protect fragile marine environment from impacts of mining. Link to full article below.

International fleets are putting pressure on the world’s shark populations, whose natural habitat is largely located in industrial fishing areas — where no legal protection exists, according to a new study published in the journal Nature.Link to the full article below.