PANTONE 3015 PANTONE 2995 PANTONE 362 PANTONE 375 BLACK 45% LEADERSHIP | COMMITMENT | COLLABORATION | ACTION Members in Action Showcasing action of Global Island Partnership Members at the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress, 1 to 10 September, Honolulu, Hawai’i. For the first time, we are sharing summaries of TABLE OF CONTENTS GLISPA Member events relevant to our strategic priorities that 2 Achieving Economic Growth while Supporting Environmental took place at the IUCN World Conservation Congress hosted Stewardship in Hawai‘i by the State of Hawai’i and the United States. 3 Local Leadership on Sustainability - Aloha+ Challenge 4 European BEST Initiative Event: To learn more about the outcomes of action coordinated by the Fostering biodiversity action in 7 key regions of the world Global Island Partnership at World Conservation Congress, please 5 Global Green Islands Summit see our Event Spotlight: Building Island Resilience in Hawaii. (GGIS): Establishing Sustainable Islands Cooperation Framework Reach out to [email protected] to learn more about how 6 Towards a new win-win approach: you can become involved in the Global Island Partnership to biodiversity conservation for work together to build resilient and sustainable island communities. disaster risk reduction 7 Micronesia Challenge and Caribbean Biodiversity Fund launched on Panorama 7 Islands at Risk: Meeting the Global Challenge of Invasive Alien Species 8 Small islands taking action 8 Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage & Promise to Paeʻ Āina o Hawai’i 9 How networks of women are driving forward conservation outcomes 9 Island Restoration and Biosecurity for Resilient Planet 10 Moana Pasifika Welcome Ceremony and Pacific Ocean Summit 10 Pacific SIDS 100% Renewable Energy Target - emerging issues A growing Partnership for all islands. L-R: Kate Brown of GLISPA; Deputy Premier Dr. Pickering of BVI and new GLISPA Leader; Vice Governor of Okinawa, Governor of Hawaii, 11 High level dialogue: Celeste Connors of Hawai’i Green Growth and John De Fries of County of Hawaii. Private Finance for Public Good 11 Rodrigues, Small Island, Big commitments PAGE 1 OF 12 Achieving Economic Growth while Supporting Environmental Stewardship in Hawai‘i FOCAL POINT: Celeste Connors, Hawai’i Green Growth, [email protected] This high-level panel explored how Hawai’i can pursue economic growth while enhancing the environment and natural resources that make the state so celebrated and sought after by tourists. The panelists emphasized the importance of tourism to Hawai’i’s economy, although Makena Coffman of the University of Hawai’i noted that while it is the state’s largest industry, it is not a growth engine. The session also underscored the vulnerability of Hawai’i’s tourism industry to environmental impacts. In particular, Alex Kaplan of Swiss Re explained that there have been fifteen near-misses by hurricanes for Hawai’i recently, underscoring the significant threat to the local economy when a hurricane makes landfall on Oahu, with greater than $30 billion in losses projected if one were to hit Waikiki. At the same time, analyses are indicating that natural infrastructure can often have high net economic benefits, for example in the case of Barbados, and help reduce the potential economic impact of natural events. “Nature in Hawai’i has economic value and we must consider it in the same way as we do the hotels on Waikiki Beach,” stated Kaplan. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez of Conservation International, and former Minister of Environment and Energy for the Republic of Costa Rica, described the parallels between Hawai’i and Costa Rica, noting that Costa Rica has been able to see significant economic growth at the same time as they doubled protected forest area and experienced significant population growth. He stressed the relevance of measuring growth beyond GDP and the need for major institutional transformations that value nature along with economic growth. John De Fries, Director of the Department of Research and Development of the County of Hawai’i, also noted that the County of Hawai’i has recently joined the Global Island Partnership to open up the international network not usually accessible to the County that can help them engage on sustainability, “We’ve gotten too comfortable going to Washington for our solutions; where we should be talking more to our Pacific cousins.” For more information go to: www.hawaiigreengrowth.org PAGE 2 OF 12 Local Leadership on Sustainability Aloha+ Challenge FOCAL POINT: Celeste Connors, Hawai’i Green Growth, [email protected] The high-level panel featured Hawai‘i’s Governor, four County Mayors, CEO of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and President of the University of Hawai‘i on the Aloha+ Challenge, Hawaii’s statewide sustainability commitment for 2030. During the two moderated panel sessions, Hawai‘i’s leaders discussed the opportunities and challenges in achieving sustainable development priorities and highlighted action towards meeting Hawai‘i’s 2030 sustainability goals since the launch in 2014. To drive implementation locally, Governor Ige announced the first statewide interagency Biosecurity Plan and initiatives to protect Hawai‘i’s forests and oceans with statewide commitments to effectively manage 30 percent of the state’s near-shore waters and protect 30 percent of the state’s primary watershed forests by 2030. The County Mayors demonstrated diverse action Mayor Billy Kenoi of County of Hawai’i shares advances made through the Aloha+ Challenge alongside the Hawai’i Mayors who are signatories to the Challenge. towards 2030 goals from clean energy to smart sustainable communities to natural resource Hawai‘i demonstrated the importance of making community management. Mayor Caldwell highlighted that Honolulu investments. Since 2012, OHA has increased its grant awards was selected to participate in the Rockefeller Foundation’s to $12 million, providing critical funding for community- 100 Resilient Cities (100RC), which will provide a global based natural resource management, ahupua‘a restoration, network, resources and a unique opportunity to increase community farms and other mālama ‘āina efforts. University urban resilience, disaster risk management and the of Hawai‘i President David Lassner launched an international capacity to implement sustainability. As Hawai‘i County student design competition with a $10,000 prize, crowd hits 49 percent renewable energy generation, Mayor sourcing ideas from the brightest minds of our youth to Kenoi is also taking action on efficiency in key operations help re-envision the Ala Wai watershed. This built on the through LED streetlight conversion, photovoltaic and wind momentum of two days of youth hybrid hack-a-thons generation, and converting the county fleet to electric focused on resilient designs to launch the competition. vehicles and locally produced biodiesel. Maui County’s Mayor Arakawa continues to lead on natural resource To connect and learn from other islands globally, Governor management, investing an excess of $4 million in the David Ige accepted an invitation from President of Palau annual budget for freshwater security and watershed and Leader of the Global Island Partnership H.E. Tommy and natural resource management protection from ridge E. Remenegsau Jr, to join the global network of islands to reef. Mayor Carvalho’s strategy to achieve the Smart to share best practices and scale models like the Aloha+ Sustainable Communities 2030 goal includes Complete Challenge to help meet the United Nations 2030 Agenda Streets initiatives in Lihue and around the island. for Sustainable Development and Paris Climate Agreement. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) and University of For more information go to: www.hawaiigreengrowth.org PAGE 3 OF 12 European BEST Initiative Event: Fostering biodiversity action in 7 key regions of the world FOCAL POINT: Carole Martinez, IUCN Europe Overseas, [email protected] The European BEST Initiative Event, hosted by IUCN in partnership with the European Commission and the European Parliament, brought together speakers from Europe and the overseas countries and territories and outermost regions to showcase the work achieved through the BEST Initiative - Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Territories of European overseas - as well as to strengthen the BEST Initiative and collaboration between Europe Overseas and SIDS through GLISPA. Humberto Delgado Rosa, Directorate General for the Environment at the European Commission, emphasized that the European Commission is very supportive of BEST evolving further and would like BEST to be the Global Island Partnership’s first inter-regional challenge. He also noted that there will be a The Hon. Dr. Pickering, Deputy Premier of the British Virgin Islands dedicated donor roundtable for BEST at (GLISPA’s new leader) with Humberto Delgado Rosa, Director for Natural Capital of the the CBD COP13 in Cancun this year. European Commission, Ambassador Kyota of Palau, Carole Martinez of IUCN Europe Overseas and Kate Brown, GLISPA after the European BEST Biodiversity Initiative event. Dr. the Honourable Kedrick D. Pickering, Deputy Premier Some of its achievements so far include 34 projects on of the British Virgin Islands, who was appointed by the the ground, which have financed projects on invasive President of Palau as a new GLISPA Leader during the species, ecosystem restoration, monitoring and Congress, highlighted the British Virgin Islands’ (BVI) management. It has produced some first ever regional