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Pacific Fact Sheet

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Pacific Fact Sheet Pacific Facts & figures Geography Total area: 7,635,940 km2 Land area: 22,440 km² Protected / managed land 2 1,034 km (4.6%) area: Exclusive economic zone 2 7,613,500 km (99.7 %) (EEZ): Marine protected / 1,418,334 km² managed area (MPA (18.7%) and/or MMA): Overseas Countries and New Caledonia (F), Territories Wallis&Futuna (F), French (Governance/Dependency): Polynesia (F), Pitcairn (UK) Socio-economic facts Current situation & main challenges Total population: NC = 268,767; WF=12,197; FP= Socio -economic context 268,270; Pitcairn =50 Population density: NC =13.2 inhab/km2 ; WF=86 /km2; New Caledonia (NC) is a French Overseas Territory (OT) comprising a main island of Grande Terre, secondary island groups (the Belep archipelago, the Loyalty Islands, the Chesterfield FP=73/km²; Pitcairn=0.9/km² Islands and Isle of Pines), and some islets. New Caledonia has low population density of 13 Average annual GDP: NC=26,666 €/cap.; WF=10,148 inhab./km² with a population of around 270,000, 40% of which live in the capital city, Noumea. €/cap.; FP=;18,000 €/cap. Pitcairn= n/a Mining is the main driver of the New Caledonia economy, with nickel being the main one. Commercial agriculture and fisheries are concentrated on the west coast. Main income sources: NC= Agriculture, Industry-mining, Wallis and Futuna (WF) is a French OT that includes two island groups: Wallis (also called Services-tourism; WF= Public sector, fisheries ; FP= Uvea) and the Horn Islands (Futuna and Alofi) that lie 230 km apart. Total population is 12,197, Tourism, pearl, fishing; Pitcairn= tourism two third are living on Wallis, one third on Futuna as Alofi is mostly uninhabited. Economic and soci al development of the Territory is constrained by many natural and structural handicaps including geographic isolation (accentuated by high transport costs, remoteness of potential markets), production cost superior to those in neighboring countries (stressed by the small size Biodiversity of the domestic market and the llack of specific natural resources). Threatened ecosystems*: French Polynesia (FP) is a French overseas territory that includes 118 islands in five groups NC (Rain Forest, Dry Forest, Ultramafic ecosystems, (the Society Islands, the Marquesas Islands, the Austral Islands, the Gambier Islands and the mangroves, fringing reef, seagrass beds); WF Tuamotu Archipelago). Total population is 268,270 inhabitants over 3,670 km² of dry land. (Pristine forest); PF (tropical dry and humid forests) Nearly 70% of the population lives on Tahiti. Pitcairn (P) is a British territory of four islands (Pitcairn, Oeno, Ducie and Henderson) with a total surface area of 53 km², situated 2,200 km east of Tahiti. The only inhabited island, Endemic species**: Pitcairn, is home to a population of about 50, which makes it the smallest – in terms of WF : 4 freshwater fish, 7 plants, 30 molluscs,1 reptile population – political entity in the world. Henderson Island, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a NC : 25 freshwater fish & crustacean, 2407 plants, raised coral island of about 43 km². Oeno and Ducie are small atolls. The economy is 63 reptiles, 22 birds dependent on subsistence agriculture and fishing as well as income from tourism. French Polynesia : 2030 Legal and political context Pitcairn : 99 The four territories are part of the Apia Convention, Noumea Convention, Convention on the Partula Subgonochila(molusc), Megaptera establishment Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and RAMSAR convention. novaeangliae& Dugong dugong (Mammals) New Caledonia is a sui generis territory as France has gradually transferred certain authorities since 1988, governed by a Territorial Congress composed of members of three provincial assemblies. A High Commissioner represents the French State. The Customary Senate Threatened species***: gathers the chiefdoms of the 8 linguistic areas since 1999. A referendum on independence is WF : 3 CR, 8 EN, 87 VU, NC: 69 CR, 135 EN, 293 set to be held by 2018. Environment regulation lies at the Provincial level, the Government VU being in charge of the mining & energy sector and of the EEZ. Wallis and Futuna is a French Polynesia : 173 (47 plants + 32 birds) democratic French OT. The president of the elected territorial assembly is the head of the local government. A ‘Préfet’ represents the French state. The collectivity is autonomous in terms of Pitcairn : 43 taxations, customs, social laws and land tenure, environment and energy. The OT is divided into three traditional chiefdoms. French Polynesia is a French OCT under article 74 of the French Constitution (autonomous status), governed by representatives elected through local referendum. Biodiversity is a local competence. The Pitcairn Council consists of the Island Mayor, Secretary, Deputy Mayor, five Councillors and the Governor’s Representative (a UK diplomat who resides in Pitcairn). The Natural Resources Division deals with environmental issues. The most important environmental strategies are the Pitcairn Islands Environment Management Plan (2008) and Henderson Island Management Plan (2004-2009). Current conservation status Important conservation activities Threats and pressures on biodiversity INTEGRE project Budget: €12,000,000 NC: Invasive Species, Mining, Fire, Urban development, Climate Activities: Promote and strengthen regional integrated coastal management, change (shoreline erosion, mountain ecosystems degradation…) contribute to sustainable development WF: Invasive Species, Waste management, Overfishing RESCCUE project (especially on holothurias), Destructive fishing practices, Sand Budget: €10,000,000 exploitation, Shoreline erosion, Deficient legislation, Climate Activities: Restoration of Ecosystem Services against Climate Change change unfavourable Effects FP: Invasive alien species, infrastructures development, coastal PACIOCEA project waters’ pollution, climate change. Higher water surface Budget: € 500,000 temperature causes bleaching or death of coral reefs. French Activities: sustainable development, management and conservation, marine Polynesia has experienced seven coral bleaching events in the spatial planning tools past 20 years. ICONE Pitcairn: Invasive alien species, illegal fishing, climate change. Budget: 0,8M € (2011-2014) Activities: Experimental Invasive pig & deer control Results: Long term strategy for invasive pig & deer control for Province nord Current investments Mount Panié Wilderness reserve management NC: Regulation with Environmental codes (1/province); Important Budget: 0,8M€/year Bird Areas; Reptile Red List assessment; Red List assessment Activities: invasive species control, awareness group; Regional strategic marine analysis (EEZ); World Heritage Results: Freshwater security, erosion control, plant conservation, first site; creation of the CEN; Marine park creation (covering the whole references on terrestrial protected area co-management with indigenous people EEZ); Conservation plans for threatened species: kaguis (until 2020), Ouvea parakeet (Eunymphicusuvaeensis), Dugong; Dry CEN World Heritage sites forest programme, IAS group is defining a strategy to fight invasive Budget: 0,5 M€/year Activities: capacity building alien species, Coral reef monitoring programme led by GCRMN Results: Management plan implementation (Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network). CEN Invasive species WF: MUSORSTOM scientific explorations on tropical deep-sea Budget: 0,5 M€/year benthos, global study on invasive species (2009), regulation on Activities: capacity building Results: NC Invasive species strategy introduction, transport or sale of certain species, regulations prohibit blast fishing or fish toxins, fishing around fish CEN Dry Forest Budget: 0,5 M€/year concentration devices, free-dive spearfishing or night fishing, and Activities: protection, restoration, management the fishing of certain species (marine mammals, sea turtles, Results: Dry forest management shellfish such as the spiny lobster and coconut crab, or trocas) FP: Important Bird Areas, Regional strategic marine analysis, Biosphere Reserve of Fakarava, Scilly and Bellinghausen atolls Useful links strict Nature Reserves, Moorea MPA, prohibition on fishing some protected species throughout the EEZ (manta ray [Manta alfredi], http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/best sea turtles [Chelonia mydas, Dermochelys coriacea, Eretmochelys /index_en.htm imbricate], black coral [Cirripathes, Antipathes], all sharks and https://www.sprep.org/index.php cetaceans), Marquesas World Heritage project, Flora Red List http://www.spc.int/fr.html assessment. http://www.environnement.pf/ Pitcairn: Important Bird Areas, Henderson Island World Heritage http://www.pitcairn.pn/ http://www.nouvelle -caledonie.gouv.fr/ Critical areas for action: http://www.biodiversite.nc/ NC: rainforest conservation, fight against IAS, develop knowledge http://www.endemia.nc WF: increase efforts on fight against IAS, reinforce prevention of https://www.ibatforbusiness.org/login poaching, scientific research to further develop knowledge and http://www.wallis-et-futuna.pref.gouv.fr/ monitoring of local ecosystems and species. French Polynesia: increase scientific knowledge in particular conservation status of species and level of degradation of their habitat, establish a network of key sites with management plans, ease funding access to NGOs for biodiversity projects create protected areas, especially sanctuaries in the Pitcairn: three uninhabited islands, strengthen biosecurity policies and actions to eradicate IAS especially in Ducie and Oeno. May 2015 .
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