The regional approach to management of marine pollution in the South Pacific

Marine pollution does not recognise maritime boundaries. Consequently, protection of the marine environment from pollution must involve an international cooperative effort, with near neighbours, in particular, working together to protect coastal and ocean areas close to their political boundaries. This paper describes a regional approach adopted from 1988 to 1994 in the South Pacific Region to address marine pollution problems. Some 25 countries and territories lie within the region. Apart from Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, the countries of the region consist basically of a large number of small islands separated by substantial stretches of ocean. Growing populations and demands for better living standards are exerting increasing pressures on coastal and marine resources, leading in some cases to significant marine pollution. The Region has limited financial and technical resources to address such problems and countries have therefore determined to assess and control them through a concerted regional approach. This paper reviews aspects of this effort, outlining the methods adopted, describing the outcomes and discussing the problems and lessons learned.