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Environment
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Environment
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Extract from 170EX/4 August 2004
(pdf
version of the complete document)
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Environment and development in coastal regions and in small islands (CSI)
Towards sustainable living in coastal regions and on small islands
Main line of action 1: Advancing an intersectoral and interregional programme of action in Small Island Developing States
73. Cross-sectoral and interregional contributions have been made to the Barbados+10 (B+10) review process and the preparations for the associated Mauritius International Meeting (MIM) (January 2005). Activities have included: the continued development of an interactive website (http://portal.unesco.org/islandsBplus10); the participation in various United Nations and Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) preparatory activities for B+10/MIM, including a substantive contribution to the United Nations Secretary-General’s consolidated report to the April 2004 session of the Commission on Sustainable Development. A contribution was also made to the evolving Programme of Action in Small Islands Developing States (SIDS), e.g. in terms of incorporation in 2004 of dimensions such as cultural diversity and economic opportunities of island cultures. A Small-Island dossier was published in the New Courier and A World of Science. In addition, the discussion document on "Small Islands: Looking Forward – Beyond 2004" was updated.
74. In cooperation with UNESCO field offices, especially in Apia, Dar-es-Salaam and Kingston, and as a means of attaining the expected results of establishing linkages between small island projects and strengthening the capacities in Member States, especially SIDS, integrated approaches to sustainable living and development were advanced and strengthened through the cross-cutting initiatives Small Islands Voice (SIV) and Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) in more than 15 island settings in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific regions. Additional progress in promoting sustainable living and development was achieved through a regional workshop on community-based responses to coastal erosion held in Cuba, in February, with the cooperation of the Havana Office. The workshop brought together participants from the eastern Caribbean SIDS.
Main line of action 2: Developing wise practices: building capacities for managing conflicts over coastal resources in small islands and continental regions
75. National capacities to manage conflicts over coastal resources and social, economic and cultural values were reinforced through activities, including stakeholder dialogues, at a dozen selected field projects in Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Pacific and South America – all implemented with the corresponding field offices. A report on "Exploring Wise Practice Agreements" resulted from the Asia-Pacific University Twinning Network and was published on the web (www.unesco.org/csi/wise/khura1.htm). In Russia, the White Sea-Barents Sea coastal project made important steps towards establishing a wise practice agreement and published the first textbooks in Russian on integrated coastal management (www.unesco.org/csi/act/russia/text.htm). Through the internet-based forum Wise Coastal Practices for Sustainable Human Development, aimed at sharing experiences and refining wise practices, a global discussion took place on the vulnerability and resilience of small islands (www.csiwisepractices.org/?read=495).
Jointly with SC/ECO and Culture Sector:
Main line of action 3: Enhancing the linkages between biological and cultural diversity as a key basis for sustainable development
67. With regard to expected results relevant to the interdependence of biological and cultural diversity research activities in the Andaman Sea (Thailand) were launched to better understand the role of sea-people in the management of marine biodiversity, with the support of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (United States) and in cooperation with researchers from Chulalongkorn and Chiang Mai Universities of Thailand.
Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) in a global society
201. The Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) project continued its efforts to place marginalized rural communities at the heart of sustainable development and biodiversity conservation initiatives, by emphasizing the need to recognize and integrate indigenous knowledge, practice and worldviews. Work has continued on consolidating and expanding the network of field and research projects in 10 countries worldwide with partner institutions from another nine countries. To consolidate and further expand LINKS field projects in Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS), consultations on indigenous knowledge, biodiversity conservation and traditional knowledge education were held with partner institutions and local communities in Palau and the Solomon Islands. As part of this effort, work is under way with the University of Bergen (Norway) to revise and update an Encyclopaedia in Marovo and English that provides a detailed understanding of traditional knowledge of the extensive and unique biodiversity of the Marovo Lagoon (Solomon Islands).
202. The field project in the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve (Nicaragua) has obtained the formal agreement of the indigenous (Miskito-Mayangna) Kunaspawa Association to focus on the traditional ecological knowledge of the Maynagna communities of Lakus River. Training was provided to local, indigenous schoolteachers and community leaders to lead village debates and systematically record local knowledge on natural resources, their modes of exploitation and changes in abundance. Also, the LINKS project hosted and trained a Cree intern from James Bay (Canada), in collaboration with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS-France) and with support from the Quebec Government. Training focused on developing a photo and audio archive on Cree culture, including identifying audio materials from the National Museum of Civilization (Canada). Finally, a survey of curricula has been conducted in five Pacific countries in order to determine current pedagogical content pertaining to traditional knowledge. On this basis, a curriculum has been developed to integrate the CD-ROM on traditional navigation into coursework on science, mathematics, English and cultural studies.
Small islands Voice (SIV)
219. Dialogue surrounding small-islands issues gained a refreshing perspective when, in January 2004, the DVD entitled Small Islands Voice: Laying the Foundation was produced to fulfil an awareness-raising role. In 25 minutes, people living on small islands outline a myriad of issues that they encounter on a regular basis including solid waste disposal; rising rates of crime and violence; loss of traditional cultures; limited economic opportunities; over-dependence on tourism; island "brain drain"; and poor infrastructural development. Through promotion of the DVD and by generating debate via two Internet discussion forums, the project has continued to advance local (and global) participatory modes of communication while bringing small-islands issues to the fore. Also during the six months under review, the SIV global forum (16,000+ recipients) highlighted debates concerning the export of spring water from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; illegal fishing in Ascension Islands in the South Atlantic; and the "right" type of tourism development for Aitutaki, Cook Islands, in the Pacific. The case studies and insights presented on the forum have proved valuable for learning, teaching and research purposes, with postings being further relayed by local media (newspapers, radio) in islands in the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.
220. Additional awareness-raising activities among young islanders focused on the SIV youth Internet forum (username: view, password: only). Thirty-eight schools in 12 island territories across the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific have been discussing three themes – "Life and love in islands", "My island home", and "Money in my pocket" – of the "Youth Visioning for Island Living" that is associated with the Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). To enhance the intercultural dimension of the youth Internet forum, students from Villa Clara in Cuba joined the youth Internet forum in early 2004 and have been posting responses in Spanish and English. Interregional linkages were enhanced through a student exchange programme allowing five secondary students and their teacher from the Seychelles to visit the Maldives in January 2004. One of the objectives of the SIV project is also to contribute the views of the general public to the review of the Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). During January 2004, the SIDS interregional preparatory meeting was held in the Bahamas and a Nassau Declaration was prepared. UNESCO collaborated with the Ministry of Education in the Bahamas to involve youth from New Providence and the Family Islands in Youth Focus Bahamas. This was a two-day event during which 35 young people met to develop a future vision for their islands and present their views and a manifesto to the main United Nations meeting.
