Pacific

11/11/08 George Tami writes:
I work for the Native Land Trust Board as GIS officer and have access to tribal land ownership maps – surveyed from 1907 to 1927…. When comparing these lands on satellite images (google earth) a lot of changes along the coast line and river banks…in rivers, some islands are completely washed out, coastline have given away to sea encroachment…we need to save our lands in the future and those countries who are disturbing the climate through industrial waste should assist us in many ways.

Thank You

I am replying in response to Isoa Koroiwaqa's request for information on the use of Vetiver Grass in controlling sedimentation and river bank erosion, seen in the 7th November newsletter.

Hello,

22/10/08 Pacific, Fiji, Isoa Koroiwaqa writes:
I am from the Fiji islands in the South Pacific. My village sits near an estuary and we have come across flooding over the years, the most recent in 2004 where we had to be evacuated. We are experiencing a dangerous rise in sediments along the river and we have contacted the Fiji government for some research. We really need some technical assistance to study what is happening so that we as a people can get some information that will help us in making a decision whether to move or not.

Isoa Koroiwaqa

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is one of the island nations in the Pacific that is beginning to experience the effects of Climate Change (C/C). Although the negative effects of C/C are affecting the lives of the people here, the people are ill prepared for it (C/C) and are caught by surprise. The vast majority of the people about 90-95% of the population don’t understand what C/C is. About 60-70% of the population could have access to a few information about Global Warming as there was less or no awareness of that nature in PNG.

A little information about C/C in PNG.

Thanks for this. I wrote an article for Just Change a DEV NZ
publication in their October 2007 issue titled, 'Managing Climate Change Fijian Style' at http://www.sun.com.fj/main_page/view.asp?id=6637

Kia ora,

I received an email regarding effects of climate change on indigenous communities and I'm interested in collaborating with others on this matter.

Tui

Dear People of the Islands

13/07/08: I fully agree with the notion that Climate Change is changing seasons and making them increasingly unpredictable. And in my home country of Samoa Climate Change has done far more than that. It looks as if we are beginning to loose much of the traditions, the wisdom and the skills that has kept us survive life for many years and I can see no way we will be able to get those back. It looks as if we will loose them forever.

04/07/08: I am original from Papua New Guinea but I now live in Samoa, South Pacific.

The debates so far on climate change are centered around weather and how it is affecting plants and animals and the environment. These are very important issues and they ought to be brought to this forum.

In the Pacific the issue that is not so obvious is the effect of loss of land due to the sea level rise. Land is very important to and for humanity without which humanity, or for that matter, all other living things cannot conduct the business of sustaining their lives.