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Island resources not protected
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Posted on Feb 22 2001
PORT MORESBY (PINA Nius) — Most small Pacific Islands countries do not have their Exclusive Economic Zone properly mapped and well documented, a small states science journalism workshop in Canberra heard.
Indian Committee on Science and Technology in Developing Countries (COSTED) chief executive Dr. G. Thyagarajan said the islands are vulnerable to being cheated of intellectual property rights and marine and natural resources.
This is because most of the marine life, resources and native plants and animals are not documented, he said.
Dr. Thyagarajan said Pacific Islands countries such as the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Samoa and Papua New Guinea have vast marine resources, but are vulnerable.
He said each country has to look at and strengthen their laws dealing with marine life and other resources.
He said valuable minerals are under the seabed and because most island states do not have the technology to extract them, other people will exploit these resources.
The workshop was organized by UNESCO, COSTED and the Centre For Public Awareness of Science at the Australian National University.
Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) nominees from the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands were among participants.
The main goals of the workshop were:
• to help train small island state broadcasters to become good science reporters;
• and to bridge the knowledge gap between the scientists and the general public, with the main intention to get the work of scientists understood by the people.
PINA participants came from NAUFM/YUMIFM (Papua New Guinea), the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Pohnpei, Fiji’s Ministry of Information, Radio and TV Tonga News, and Radio Cook Islands.
