Coral reefs in Upolu Samoa

Samoa, Apia, Sinalei Reef Resort-
Samoa, Apia. Photo by Traveller.com.au

National Geographic published a video of the recent study by a team of researchers in Upolu island of Samoa. They concluded that the combination of climate change and human activity has led to intense die-offs around the Samoan island of Upolu.

Here is the abstract:

Coral reef ecosystems worldwide are immediately threatened by the impacts of climate change. Here we report on the condition of coral reefs over 83 km of coastline at the island of Upolu, Samoa in the remote South West Pacific in 2016 during the Tara Pacific Expedition. Despite the distance to large urban centers, coral cover was extremely low (<1%) at approximately half of the sites and below 10% at 78% of sites. Two reef fish species, Acanthurus triostegus and Zanclus cornutus, were 10% smaller at Upolu than at neighboring islands. Importantly, coral cover was higher within marine protected areas, indicating that local management action remains a useful tool to support the resilience of local reef ecosystems to anthropogenic impacts. This study may be interpreted as cautionary sign for reef ecosystem health in remote locations on this planet, reinforcing the need to immediately reduce anthropogenic impacts on a global scale.

Read the full study: Status of coral reefs of Upolu (Independent State of Samoa) in the South West Pacific and recommendations to promote resilience and recovery of coastal ecosystems

Growing Tourism to 2030: Enhancing a national identity of Timor-Leste

Timor Leste_CBET website

“Taking into account the growth of tourism in the South-East Asia region and the high priority that the Government of Timor-Leste (GOTL) is attaching to tourism development, the new National Tourism Policy will certainly be a very important document to further guide the growth of tourism in Timor-Leste in a sustainable and inclusive manner” UNWTO (2017)

Timor-Leste National Tourism Policy is a pledge by the Government of Timor-Leste to develop a unified and holistic tourism sector that places emphasis on sustainability, community, quality and business competitiveness. This Policy provides the framework to deliver on this ambition and is a call to action by industry, tourism agencies, government departments, academic institutions, and everybody with an interest in Timor-Leste tourism to partner, collaborate, and cooperate to ensure that we collectively achieve these ambitions.

That is from The Timor-Leste National Tourism Policy (2017)

Nature is Speaking

NIS-AllTitles_Newsroom

Have you ever imagined the voices of our nature? If nature could speak, what would it say?

In “Nature is Speaking” campaign launched by Conservation International in 2015, people were invited to listen to nature. Their message to humanity is simple, that ‘nature doesn’t need people; but people need nature’.

There are 12 films including mother nature and other nature elements, such as forest, water, ice, mountain, coral reefs, flower, voiced by celebrities who donated their time and voice.

The series in here.

UNESCO World Heritage List: Lagoons of New Caledonia

Ilot Mato Lagoon Island, South Lagoon Wilderness Area New Caledonia. Photo by newcaledonialagoon.com

New Caledonia’s lagoons cover a total surface area of around 24,000 km². It is home to an exceptional diversity of plant and wildlife. The famous lagoons are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They provide fish, coastal protection, and hold vast ecotourism potential.

In 2014, New Caledonia created 1.3 million km2 Natural Park of the Coral Sea (an area greater than twice the size of France). It marked a historic moment in marine conservation and is the first contribution to the Pacific Oceanscape by French overseas territory. Given high values for this area to sustains, an integrated approach to manage this Natural Park is important for the wellbeing of the people.

To see more references about Lagoons of New Caledonia (photos, video, map), visit UNESCO World Heritage Convention site.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Mt Mantalingahan, Philippines

Mt. Mantalingahan Protected Landscape. Photo by Jeanne Tabangay.

Today and in the next blog post, I am going to share about UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Asia-Pacific region: Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape in Philippines and Lagoons of New Caledonia.

What do you need to know about Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape? Below are some excerpts from the UNESCO World Heritage Convention site and references from Conservation International:

  • The protected landscape declared as the protected area in Palawan through Presidential Proclamation 1815 signed on June 23, 2009. It covers a total area of 120,457 hectares within the territorial jurisdiction of the municipalities of Bataraza, Brooke’s Point, Quezon, Rizal, and Sofronio Espanola.
  • The peak of Mt. Mantalingahan towering at 2085 meters above sea level is the highest peak in the province and considered sacred by the indigenous Palawan people.
  • The mountain’s substantial forest cover plays an important role in absorbing and storing carbon. Like many forests in this region, it faces considerable threats — including illegal logging and wildlife poaching, conversion to agricultural land, mangrove loss and unsustainable mining.
  • Mount Mantalingahan provides more than US$ 5.5 billion in ecosystem services to people. It is a key biodiversity area where new species are still being discovered.
  • It holds over half its original forest cover and provides an essential watershed for the 200,000 people that depend upon it