The biodiversity of the Pacific region is recognised as being globally significant. The Solomon Islands was recently included into the famous "Coral Triangle", the area of ocean considered to have the highest marine biodiversity in the world. This includes the waters of the Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The Solomon Islands Rainforest Ecoregion is recognised as "one of the world's great Centres of Plant Diversity"

Pacific island nations are already experiencing the effects of a changing climate. Cyclones and severe flooding have hit Yap, Niue and Fiji recently. Air temperature, the number of cyclones and sea level are all predicted to rise, and changes in rainfall are also predicted across the Pacific (1). Forces driving climate change are beyond the control of island nations. Pacific islands, while constituting 0.12 per cent of the world’s population, release only 0.003 per cent of the world’s carbon dioxide from fuel combustion (2) .

A Workshop on Regional Action to Combat Invasive Alien Species on Islands to Preserve Biodiversity and Adapt to Climate Change highlighted successes, deepened connections within regions and facilitated the exchange of experiences across regions.While discussions outlined significant obstacles to invasive alien species management2 on islands, they also showcased how targeted successes have led to major gains for conservation and development.Collaboration across developmental and environmental sectors and sustained support are critical to success in this field.Exciting new initiatives are dev

This report is targeted at policy-makers, particularly those responsible for developing climate mitigation and adaption strategies that address issues like conservation, ecosystem services, agriculture and sustainable livelihoods. It focuses on the primary linkages between invasive species and climate change, as well as the secondary and tertiary interactions of their corresponding impacts.

The Helping Islands Adapt workshop was held in Auckland, New Zealand between the 11th and 16th of April 2010 to support regional action against invasive species on islands, in order to preserve biodiversity and adapt to climate change. It arose from decisions under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) relating to invasive alien species and island biodiversity, and was hosted by the Government of New Zealand with support from a number of partner organisations and countries.

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, cyclones, and tropical depressions cause average annual direct losses of US$284 million in the Pacific. With a combined population of fewer than 10 million people, annual losses are the highest in the world on a per-capita basis. Extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall are closely linked to climate change, suggesting that Pacific Island nations face increasing risk of disasters such as flooding and landslides. Proactive management through infrastructure development, social solutions, and/or ecosystem-based adaptation can mitigate these risks.

Angaur is a 8.4 sq. km island located (654' N, 134 09' E) in the southwestern Palau Islands. The island makes up one of the Republic of Palau’s 16 states. Angaur has suffered considerable land degradation due to past phosphate mining as well as military action during WWII. Land degradation problems in recent years have been compounded by El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) high tides exacerbated by a gradual increase in average sea level attributed to climate change.

The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas is one of six Commissions of the leading conservation body in the world - the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Who are we? UN Environment’s specialist biodiversity assessment centre, based in Cambridge, UK