News

Building upon data collected in 2017 by NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, the Nautilus expedition marks the first partnership between the NMSAS and the Ocean Exploration Trust, and is sponsored by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. Link to full article below. 

The Pacific Community’s Global Climate Change Alliance: Pacific Small Island States (GCCA: PSIS),  funded by the European Union (EU) was the proud recipient of the 2019 Energy Globe Award, recognised for its outstanding work and contribution towards advancing peer to peer learning in climate

A unique island ecosystem and culture lying 270 kilometers (170 miles) off Papua New Guinea is once more in the crosshairs. Their latest challenge comes from a foreign-owned company, Kulawood Limited, which has applied for a permit to log and clear 30,000 hectares (74,100 acres) of land.

The intensifying pressure on the ocean is a challenge for Pacific Islanders, so it is vital that ‘climate issues’ are prioritised. Under the topic ‘healthy oceans’ the biggest fear remains unseen as the ocean ecosystem and communities are being threatened.

The Pacific Islands’ effort and ambition for climate and ocean action was the key message conveyed to the Secretary General (SG) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr. Kitack Lim, during a public lecture at USP last weekend. Link to full article below. 

More than one million plant and animal species worldwide are facing extinction, according to a recent United Nations report. Now, a new UBC-led study suggests that Indigenous-managed lands may play a critical role in helping species survive. Link to full article below. 

Hydrothermal vents host rare species at incredibly high density comparable to tropical rainforests or coral reefs...Now, species in even the most inaccessible parts of Earth are threatened by disturbance from human activity, including mining the depths of the ocean.

Improved recycling and a circular economy negates the need for costly and damaging mining of the deep seabed...Interest in alternative sources of minerals is growing among civil society, scientists and companies, with work being undertaken towards “urban mining” and the shift to a circular econom

Coastal communities have a stronger effect on local ocean acidification than previously believed...new measurements taken in California’s Monterey Bay show that it absorbs carbon dioxide emissions from the surrounding cities and agricultural lands, making it more acidic.

The Oceania Regional Conservation forum entails a week full of debates, discussions and decisions which will be the input imposed on the 2020 global biodiversity framework.