Trouble in Paradise Islands: How Can You Help?
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| Sunset Saint John Virgin Island, Antony Caldaroni |
As we continue the search for Global solutions to face the problems affecting the Ocean and our Society Small Islands have already proven that they have much to offer to the World.
On April 1 The World Post reported that a new Meeting at New York could change the Future of the Ocean.
At the New York United Nations Headquarters World Leaders are gathered to discuss the initial draft of a new agreement which will deal with International Marine Biodiversity on high seas. The new document is expected to be presented by the end of 2017. The issue has been discussed for over 10 years but still an international agreement has not been reached. Small Islands could play a vital role in the drafting of this new agreement.
“Can you name all the Small Island Developing States?” FOA asks. The answer is a surprisingly long list. There are a total of 52 Small Island Developing States spread through the richness of the Caribbean, the vast waters of the Pacific and the Atlantic, the mystical waters of the Indian Ocean, the historical waters of the Mediterranean and attractive waters of the South China Sea.
Most of the Small Islands are internationally known as a Paradise locations on Earth. Islands such as Cabo Verde, Maldives, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, the mighty Singapore, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Fiji, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa or Vanuatu are just some of the most known names which belong to the Small Islands Developing States group.
What these Small Islands know is Treasure, their Ocean culture can truly enlighten the World in this hour.
But these paradise locations are impacted by global problems and knowing the problems is the first step to take in the road to developing solutions.
“Most SIDS countries have high levels of poverty. In the Caribbean for instance, poverty rates range from a low of 9.3 percent in the Bahamas to 41 percent in Belize and as high as 58.7 percent in Haiti. In the Pacific...it ranges from 12.7 percent in Vanuatu to a 35.2 percent in Fiji. The highest poverty rates are registered in the AIMS Islands with 66.2 percent in São Tomé e Príncipe and 69.3 percent in Guinea-Bissau,” official data responds.
Poverty, irresponsible development, water contamination, ocean contamination, extreme social distress and lack of political leadership, lack of opportunities, inflation, human rights violations, natural disasters in grand scale, food demand, health, diseases, vector epidemia, violence, lack of water and sanitation, children malnutrition and gender issues, climate change and ocean natural disasters are among the top conflicts affecting some Small Islands.
On April 3 another warning on the impacts of Global Natural Disasters hit the International News again. Just off the coast of Vanuatu -one of the Small Islands Nations a powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake stretched out from its epicenter. Warnings of “Hazardous” Tsunami waves reached out along the coasts of the Pacific archipelago.
“The Small Island Developing States are among the most affected by climate change -at the same time, they are among the least responsible for it,” FAO General Director José Graziano da Silva said at Expo Milan.
The Director stated that Urgent Action is needed to secure the future of Small Islands. Graziano da Silva assured that Islands need to adapt not as a matter of priority but as “a question of survival.”
But not all is bad news for Small Islands. Back in New York and far from Vanuatu the Huffington Post reported on voices heard at the United Nations Ocean Summit. The representative of the Small Island of Nauru Ambassador Marlene Moses explained that despite Nauru being one of the smallest members of the United Nations -just like more than 50 other Small Island Nations they have chosen to speak out strongly for the Ocean for years now.
Their hard work is now beginning to bear fruits.
Marlene Moses assured that they pushed hard to “make the ocean central of the program” -”and we succeeded!”
“For Nauru, the Pacific small island developing state that I am privileged to represent, this has meant giving a voice to the countries and people that have a special relationship with the ocean. Although there are fewer than 10,000 people living on my island home, we are disproportionately touched by changes to the sea around us. Sea level rise and ocean acidification from climate change, fishing pressure on our wealth of tuna stocks, and the impact of mining for phosphate is changing the waters we depend on -economically and culturally,” Nauru representative added.
Just like Nauru other Small Islands have been working hard towards renewable energy, decreasing the amount of food imported, increasing access to nutritious food, working to prevent and relief natural disaster situations, increased agriculture adaptations and aquaculture sustainably, protecting their land environment and their ocean environment and increasing tourism and programs of development. And their fruits of labor have also been reaping fruits.
The Food and Agriculture Office FAO reported on March 30 that “most recent data of FAO indicates that many of the SIDS Islands have achieved undernourishment levels of less than 5 percent”.
Countries working to reach undernourishment in less than 5% include Barbados, Cuba and Dominica in the Caribbean; Fiji, Samoa and Kiribati in the Pacific among several others.
In the FAO Zero Hunger report titled: “How much do you know about Small Island Nations? The organization assures that the most essential factor in increasing nourishment and nutrition and therefore increase health and conditions of life is Good Governance.
St Kitts for example has realized the potential there is to be found in strengthening fisheries cooperatives to increase food production and reduce food imports.
It is estimated that ocean and freshwater systems provide source of food for over 1 billion people. Fisheries and aquaculture programs are on the rise internationally. Several international organizations work the sector pushing the limits. FAO’s response to the issue is the Blue Growth Initiative. The Initiative's approach includes developing new technologies and programs for aquaculture and fisheries to become sustainable and productive as well as reduce impacts on ocean waters and the environment.
In Asia, 48 million people alone work in fisheries and aquaculture. This accounts for 87 percent of the global total. 170 million employment opportunities are made possible in Asia thanks to these sectors. Aquaculture and local fisheries are spreading fast through Africa, America and other regions. Europe has already established itself as another world leader in the sector.
73% of the World’s fishing fleet is registered under Asian flags. 97% of the World’s aquaculture farmers work in the region but still there also are problems there.
“Few fisheries in the greater Asia and Pacific regions are effectively managed,” FAO’s Blue Growth paper points out.
The situation is not irreversible, and recent commitments by a number of countries have shown how effective action can reverse the decline of fisheries.
Fish alone does not stand as an adequate diet. Inadequate diets in Small Islands lead to increased health problematics. In Maldives FAO works to establish a commercially viable and environmentally sound domestic egg sector that sustainably increases family incomes and improves household food security and nutrition.
In Jamaica FAO installed automated weather stations in all major agricultural production areas in the country to improved weather and climate observations. The system is expected to increase production and reduce losses by providing critical data such as when to irrigate, how much irrigation is needed, if pests are affecting the crops and other situations.
Natural disasters affect Small Islands and in turn affect an environment and its people for decades. Haiti today is still working to recover from the last Earthquake which killed estimated 160 thousand Haitians and affected 3 million. Lack of food access, lack of housing, lack of clean drinking water and health epidemia still stigmatize the Island.
FAO explains that during the period 1990–2014, 182 major natural disasters occurred in the Caribbean. In Cuba, Hurricanes Gustav and Ike severely affected several provinces, causing a sharp decrease in levels of food production and availability leading to food insecurity. There FAO works to provided supplies and equipment to restore food production capabilities in the livestock and fisheries sectors.
FAO says that in the end it comes down to Good Governance.
"Good governance is perhaps the most essential factor in increasing food security and nutrition in the Small Island Developing States. It is characterized by predictable, enlightened and transparent processes that are ideally cross-cutting, multidisciplinary and multilevel," FAO ends its.
Small Islands across the world continue to work on global issues. On March 28 the small Caribbean Island of Bonaire announced it had switched to 100% renewable energy. After a complete collapse of its energy system the island invested strongly in wind power and set a transformed electric system which is powered by 12 wind turbines. The news was welcomed by other Small Islands.
“We see a green economy not only as the area of renewable energy, but we see the green economy as a means of providing new opportunities for our people in St. Kitts,” Earl Asim Martin, Deputy Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis said responding to the news.
"I commit my Government to working assiduously with the Social Partnership to ensure that the measures identified in Barbados’ Green Economy Scoping Study, which can contribute to a more prosperous and environmentally sensitive Barbados," Freundel J. Stuart, Prime Minister of Barbados applauded the news.
"We are also showing that it is possible to create a better, environmentally sustainable national economy without compromising our citizens’ legitimate aspirations for increased prosperity," Bharrat Jagdeo, Former Prime Minister of Guyana joined in.
"Many of the world’s small islands are among its best-loved places, [attracting] visitors from all over the globe. To many they seem idyllic places – havens of sun and sand set in clear, brilliant seas. While there is some truth to this it is not, of course, the full story. The world’s Small Island Developing States are also on the front-line of the global struggle to protect the environment and pursue sustainable development," the Small Island States Foundation -just one of thousands of organizations working towards solutions to Small Island problems states.
The Nature Conservancy -another very active grassroot organization which works thanks to normal people who commit and become active in the solutions assured that Small Islands Nations are on a Sea of Change and this change can be driven by the everyday people.
“Time is a luxury we cannot afford,” TNC says.
Late last year when World Leaders met in Paris for the COP 21 Climate Change Agreement and the entire globe awaited for an positive outcome The Nature Conservancy kept busy working beyond COP21.
"For Small Island Nations like Seychelles, a country of 115 islands off of the coast of Madagascar... waiting for an outcome at COP 21 is not an option. The people that call these low-lying islands home are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Increased storm frequency, rising sea levels and coral bleaching threaten their economies. Will an agreement at COP21 protect their homes? Their livelihoods? Their legacies?" The Nature Conservancy then asked.
"While the World awaited those answers (the outcome of COP21 another World Summit), the people of Seychelles showed that even though their island is small they are powerful creators of solutions," TNC stated.
TNC teamed up with the Government of Seychelles and France and announced the the first-ever debt for adaptation swap in December 7 in Paris in 2015 ends.
TNC designed a debt for adaptation swap deal valued in 30 million USD which was enough for the Government of Seychelles to establish 400,000 square kilometers in Marine Protected Areas.
This deal became the first ever debt restructuring for climate adaptation. It was a considered a innovative solution around the World.
“From Small Islands, come big ideas,” said Ronald Jumeau, Ambassador for Climate Change & Small Island Developing State Issues of the Republic of Seychelles.
“Shortly after this memorable quote, several small island countries -including Grenada, Jamaica and Palau - stood up and not only applauded this innovative mechanism, but announced their willingness to explore the idea of a debt swap in their respective countries,” The Nature Conservancy ended it.
How can You Help? Hope you can find your own answer to this question whatever your answer may be Small Islands will continue to act as beacon illuminating the wide Oceans.
Lights of hope continue to spark across the Small Islands. They spread through the distant oceans of our World, lights which serve as inspiration and enlighten the road of International Ocean Conservation as well the road to a brighter Humanity. Ancient lights brought forward by Societies which proudly represent an alive Millenary Ocean Culture.
