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• Past Interventions
• Current Issues for the Marshall Islands
• Programme Response

he physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the ocean and island ecosystems of the Marshall Islands create both opportunities and constraints to its development. The recognition of these ecosystems, as components of the Earth system - a dynamic, complex blend of environmental, economic and social factors interacting in a myriad of ways - is absolutely fundamental to the understanding of sustainable development.

The overall goal of the Ocean and Islands Programme, to improve scientific knowledge of ocean and island ecosystems for the sustainable management of natural resources, demonstrates a clear role in ecosystem management, with interventions focused on mapping and monitoring the physical and chemical attributes of ecosystems, and to providing resource use solutions and assessments to its island States membership. The Ocean and Islands Programme also provides assistance and support toward the development of sound policies and regulations, and meeting obligations under various treaties and agreements such as the United National Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Outputs under the ‘resource use solutions’ and ‘monitoring the physical and chemical change in ecosystems’ components of the Programme can address many of the Marshall Islands’ issues that relate to sustainable development. These issues will need to be considered by the Marshall Islands Government when they develop their National Sustainable Development Strategy and related plan of action.

Past Interventions

Past interventions in this nation that relate to ocean and islands ecosystems has involved the development of [through scientific knowledge and methods] the potential mineral resources within the Marshall Island waters, the sustainable development of the coastal areas and other related ocean and island natural resource.

The non-living resources of the Marshall Islands waters was investigated and explored extensively in 1996 and 1998. This archipelago of islands’ geophysical features and location as well as water depths suggested the presence of manganese crusts in its nearshore areas. Through the partnership of JAPAN [Japan International Cooperation Agency & Metal Mining Agency of Japan] and SOPAC, conducted in 1996 and 1998 respectively, a preliminary survey of the seamounts found in between the chain of islands and sampling the thickness of the cobalt crusts (Kojima, 2001) in the latter cruise was conducted.

Aside from these research cruises the Marshall Islands coastal areas was assisted through the survey of its resource as well as the implementation of programmes for its proper management. Particular areas were Majuro Lagoon, Djarrit, Uliga and Dalap [DUD] and Laura areas. Majuro is one of the most developed atolls in the world. It’s rate of development in relation to size warrants sustainable development. Majruro Lagoon was surveyed to identify and map alternative sand and aggregate resources within the lagoonal areas (Smith et al, 1994). The surveyed areas revealed the absence of mechanisms that would result in the regeneration of aggregate resources. However alternative sources of aggregate was located in the back-reef slopes of the northern Majuro Attoll which was recommended to the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] of the Marshall Islands to recommend to the commercial suppliers of aggregate as an alternative site for mining for commercial purposes (Smith, 1995). The findings of the survey also concluded that the nearshore aggregate mining of DUD aggravated the coastal erosion of the vicinity. This prompted the establishment of 19 beach profiles in the DUD and Laura areas of the atoll to monitor for any changes as well as the training of local personnel in beach monitoring (Woodward & Howorth, 1997). In 1997, the Marshall Islands government were provided with recommendations to counter coastal erosions, with very minimal impact on the surrounding ecosystems and other natural resources (Xue, 1997) and in 1998 a hydrodynamic model of Majuro Lagoon was set up to be able to view and analyse coastal problems such as erosion, lagoon circulation and storm surges (Fournial, 1998). A swath mapping exercise of the Eastern part of the Lagoon was completed in 2002 for the Marshall Islands government. The lagoon was mapped using multibeam and other swath mapping techniques. The findings of the key areas of concern [sand and aggregate resources location, fisheries habitats and pearl farming areas to name a few] were fed into a GIS database for efficiency in decision-making regarding the development of the lagoonal resources.

One of the changes that affect the ecosystem either way is the changing sea level due to a variety of natural causes. A south Pacific Sea Level and Climate Monitoring Project [SPSLCMP] through the collaboration of various regional organization and international research institutes, has been in place since the 1990s to monitor the changing sea levels impacted by global warming. In particular are the vulnerable atoll nations, including the Marshall Islands. The project provides the Marshall Islands government a platform on which to better understand the long term potential scale and implications of changing sea levels and climate variability induced by global warming.

Other interventions in the Marshall Islands include the training of their nationals in relevant areas in order to strengthen the capacity of the relevant organization to meet up to its demands. Two nationals were trained in bathymetric surveying, data processing, collation of maps and data, basic MapInfo? and related GIS training.

Current Issues for the Marshall Islands

The following environmental, economic and social issues and concerns that can be addressed under the Oceans and Islands Programme, either wholly or in part, have been cited in various assessment reports and national development plans of the Marshall Islands (National Assessment Report, 2002):

• Sustainable development of ocean and coastal marine resources.
• Eutrophication and pollution of coastal waters.
• Coral reef destruction due to dredging, channel blasting and boat anchoring.
• Coastal erosion, principally caused by dredging, sand mining, the development of the coastal zone and the construction of inter-island causeways.
• Need to conserve terrestrial and marine biodiversity.
• Need for the establishment and management of protected areas.
• Lack of relevant data and information on natural resources.
• Inadequate human resources in environmental management.
• Need to strengthen the technical capacity of the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority.
• Lack of coordination and collaborative action among environmental and resource regulatory agencies in the Government.
• Need for environmental education and public awareness campaigns.
• Need to strengthen institutional mechanisms, laws, regulations and procedures involved in environmental management.
• Need comprehensive monitoring programme for coastal and marine resources.

Programme Response

The Ocean and Islands Programme address island ecosystems through the improvement of scientific knowledge for the sustainable development and management of natural resources. This is reflected in the components of the programme, which tackle sustainable development issues through regional programmes as well as through specific requests from the member countries themselves. In response to specific issues in Micronesia, the Ocean and Islands Programme is currently providing technical assistance to this member country through the following projects:

• An Offshore Sand Recovery and Environmental Impacts project which involves the review of existing data and the assessment of the environment and economic aspects of the recovery of aggregates and the convening of a workshop to present the results of the findings.
• To advice the Marshall Islands on legal and policy issues relating to delimitation and the continental shelf, marine research scientific and offshore minerals and legislation to exploration and mining as well as to monitor law of the sea issues of relevance to SOPAC work programme .
• An ongoing work component of SOPAC in the RMI is the Coordination of Marine Scientific Research and Retrieval of Offshore Data that is acquired by foreign researching states and organisations in areas under national jurisdiction within a 12 nautical mile limit and under resource jurisdiction within a 200 nautical mile EEZ.
• The ongoing Offshore Sand Recovery and Environmental Impacts project in Majuro, Marshall Islands .

The following regional projects cover all SOPAC member countries including Marshall Islands:

• The establishment and maintenance of a regional deep-sea minerals database.
• The Certificate of Earth Science and Marine Geology [CESMG] builds the capacity of island member nationals in the areas of applied geoscience and forms the basis, for some, to pursue higher education in degree courses in geoscience.
• SOPAC’s monitoring of the physical and chemical change in ecosystems of island member countries embraces the philosophy of Global Ocean Observing Systems [GOOS], which advocates public access to long-term oceanographic data and information. The recently established regional alliance of GOOS, the Pacific Islands – Global Ocean Observing System [PI-GOOS] , seeks to ensure that relevant applications for ocean observations and resulting products from global, regional and national long-term observing systems are developed and made available to Pacific Island end-users in order that they can make better decisions for sustainable development.
• The South Pacific Sea Level and Climate Monitoring Project provides tide gauge and other data, and related products, collected over the past fifteen years. SOPAC provides an important maintenance and operations role for project equipment installations.
• SOPAC also offers assistance in the area of Ocean Governance, by offering professional development programmes for strengthening legal and negotiation skills of advocates for maritime boundary delimitation , the implementation of Part XIII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS] through the provision of technical skills and policy advice , and the coordination of issues related to the law of the sea in their member country regions .