Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

About 75 per cent of the Small Grants Programme resources to date address the biodiversity focal areas [ ] 172 Advocating sustainable living through high level strategic planning Niue has integrated biodiversity into planning at the highest level, with the country’s National Strategic Plan having environment as one of its sev- en pillars. A wide range of activities have been undertaken to advocate sustainable living. This largely comes in the form of legislation, strategies and action plans. The Environment Act of 2003 pro- vides for the establishment of the De- partment of Environment as the focal agency for the implementation of all environmental agreements. It further provides for the establishment of an Environment Council to coordinate the work of government departments regarding the various requirements of the CBD, UNCCD and UNFCC. The Biosecurity Bill aims to protect health, environment and agriculture of Niue and to facilitate trade in its animal and plant products. This creates a comprehensive regime to control the import and export of plants and animals, as well as inter- nal control of pests. The Coastal Management Policy of 2008, with its vision statement of “a safe, productive and sustaina- ble coastal environment for Niue,” provided a framework to guide the management and development of Niue’s coast. The fundamental guiding principle of the Forest Policy of 2004 referred to sustainability, “keeping in mind future generations so that equity between generations can be main- tained.” The themes of sustainable use, conservation, basic needs, indi- vidual and collective responsibility, and economic development complete the statement of basic principles. The Niue government identifies the coastal resources as a priority, prompting the creation of biodiversi- ty projects. Comprehensive develop- ment of the Environmental Impact Assessment regulations emphasise sustainable development. The National Integrated Strategic Plan 2009–2014 set out nation- al strategic objectives. One of the environment component objectives was to promote “sustainable use and management of Niue’s natural re- sources and environment for present and future generations”. The Private Sector Strategic De- velopment Plan 2007–2010 provided a framework for the development of the private sector. Reference to the enactment of the Biosecurity Bill is of importance to ensure that strin- gent border controls are in place. The National Implementation Plan for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) 2005 provided strategies in the imple- mentation of the Stockholm Conven- tion and attempted to address POPs issues in Niue. B iodiversity is very important to the economy of Niue with about a fifth of GDP coming from the agriculture, fishery, forestry and hunting sectors. It is also the basis for subsistence lifestyles and has cultural significance. Niue has about 19,000ha of native forest comprising approximately 70 per cent of the island’s land area, with 23 per cent in conservation areas, primarily the Huvalu Conservation Area. The forest is the critical habitat for three prized food species; fruit bat, wood pigeon and coconut crab. The environmental values of the forest also have economic value in that the natural environment of Niue is its principal tourist attraction. Avaiki Cave Sandwich on flickr Niue