DEFINITION - % of total arable land that is under cultivation
PURPOSE - Tracks the area of arable land that is developed for agriculture
DESIRE OUTCOME - Stable trend in area under cultivation. A decreasing area under cultivation might affect food security and an increasing trend under area under cultivation implies some conversion of natural vegetation to agriculture
DEFINITION - % cover of wetlands, mangroves, and seagrass
PURPOSE - Wetlands, mangroves and seagrass provide ecosystem services not provided by other ecosystems (such as nurseries for economically important fish species, natural flood mitigation and water filter systems). They also support plants and animals not found in other ecosystems.
DESIRED OUTCOME - Stable or positive trend in area of wetlands and mangroves
DEFINITION - % of live coral cover in coastal and marine environments
PURPOSE - Indicator of overall health of reef ecosystems. These ecosystems provide important services for humans
DESIRED OUTCOME - Stable or positive trend in live coral cover
DEFINITION - Enterococci levels in water samples
PURPOSE - Enterococci are bacteria found in the intestines of animals and humans and indicate the presence of faecal pollution in coastal waters
DESIRED OUTCOME - Enterococci levels are within the safe threshold for marine recreation at all monitored sites. Current United States EPA thresholds are
DEFINITION - Trends in biomass of tuna species
PURPOSE - Track the health of this important component of the ocean ecosystem
DESIRED OUTCOME - Stable biomass catch
DEFINITION - Fish biomass for inshore fish populations
PURPOSE - Indicates inshore fish population status and reef health
DESIRED OUTCOME - Stable level of biomass; or juvenile fish are not overrepresented in markets
DEFINITION - % of plastic in waste audits, including beach clean-ups
PURPOSE- Determine trends in marine plastic pollution from land and at-sea sources
DESIRED OUTCOME - Stable or declining trend in proportion of plastic in waste audits
Indicator 13 : Terrestrial Protected Areas
Indicator 14 : Marine Protected Areas
Indicator 15 : Protected Area Management Effectiveness
Indicator 16 : Key biodiversity areas protected
Indicator 17 : Governance and equity of protected areas
Indicator 18 : Integration of protected areas into wider land and seascapes
Indicator 19 : Invasive species under management or eradicated
Indicator 20 : Priority sites with invasive species managed
DEFINITION : Population abundance of identified species
PURPOSE : Tracks the status of populations of priority species over time
DESIRED OUTCOME : Stable or positive trend in population size
DEFINITIO : Number and types of species listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List and a summary of their threats
PURPOSE : Track the status of threatened species and understand the most important threats
DESIRED OUTCOME : Trend for species to be downgraded to lower threat levels or off the threatened species list
DEFINITION : Trend in consumption of ozone depleting substances (ODS)
PURPOSE : Tracks countries progress to phasing out ODS. Ozone depleting substances destroy the earth’s ozone which protects the earth from UV radiation
DESIRED OUTCOME : Negative trend in ODS consumption
DEFINITION : Trend in percentage production of energy from renewable sources
PURPOSE : Energy generation is a major source of GHG emissions. Pacific island countries also have limited capacity for oil and gas storage and are therefore highly vulnerable to fluctuations in fossil fuel price and availability
DESIRED OUTCOME : Positive trend in energy production from renewable sources
DEFINITION : Annual per capita generation of municipal solid waste
PURPOSE : Accurate measurement of per capita waste generation for better waste management
DESIRED OUTCOME : Stabilisation and subsequent negative trend in household waste generated
DEFINITION : Quantity of generated hazardous wastes processed/treated (including export)
PURPOSE : Treatment and safe storage of hazardous waste mitigates the risk to humans and nature. Hazardous materials can have direct and indirect, chronic or acute impacts
DESIRED OUTCOME : Full treatment/processing of all hazardous waste generated
DEFINITION : % of households connected to central sewerage system
PURPOSE : Tracks progress in managing sewage in a way that minimises the risk of water contamination. Untreated sewage and leaking septic systems are a major source of ground and surface water contamination
DESIRED OUTCOME : Positive trend in % of households connected to central sewerage system
In this report, a set of recommendations is provided for each indicator to support the next best steps for management action that will advance progress towards the target outcome and support Pacific people and biodiversity.
This first state of the environment report for the Pacific region uses regional environment indicators to assess the status, trends, and data quality and availability for the endorsed Pacific environmental priorities. This report also includes an update of the State of Conservation in Oceania report produced in 2013, which was endorsed and published in 2017.