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Niue, linked to New Zealand by an association treaty, is one of the smallest self-governing nations in the world. Only 1,700 people live on the island between Fiji and the Cook Islands. The diversity of species in the waters around Niue with their coral reefs and underwater mountains is even greater. They provide a habitat for sharks, dolphins and sea turtles, among other things.
These ecosystems are threatened by illegal fishing, pollution and climate change. Little Niue has been campaigning on the international stage for years for support for the protection of its valuable marine areas.
“We have been telling our story at conferences for so long, but it seemed like it led to nothing,” Niue’s Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi told the AFP news agency last week on the sidelines of the general UN debate in New York. He experienced the international meetings as ‘speech events without measures’ and is therefore now trying it in a different way.
The government has divided the 40 percent of its territorial waters that Niue wants to leave untouched as protected areas into 127,000 parts. These shares, called Ocean Conservation Commitments (OCCs), cost 250 New Zealand dollars (140 euros) each.
By selling the shares, the island state wants to raise approximately 17 million euros for the 127,000 square kilometer marine protected area over the next twenty years. In return, shareholders receive a certificate and an annual progress report.
Tagelagi finds the unconventional project “very exciting”. His government has taken over 1,700 sponsorship shares – one for every resident of the island.
The project is being implemented by the Niue Ocean Wide Project. His boss Brendon Pasisi cites pollution from plastic waste and sewage and intensive fishing as threats to marine ecosystems in the South Pacific.
According to Pasisi, people in Niue usually only fish in the coastal areas for their own needs and often still use traditional canoes for this. But as fishing equipment and refrigeration capabilities for catching catches improve, fishing is increasing.
Moreover, there are foreign fishing fleets that can enter protected waters largely unhindered. Prime Minister Tagelagi points out that this “huge area” cannot be controlled with patrol boats alone. Therefore, international donations will be used to purchase surveillance drones.
The small country of Tagelagi faces many challenges. Unlike other small island states, the coral atoll, which is 60 meters above sea level, is not acutely threatened by flooding due to rising sea levels. However, the fact that climate change is leading to warmer and more acidic seawater is causing problems for the corals and other marine life around Niue. In addition, global warming is causing the intensity of tropical storms to increase.
By protecting their nature, the people on the island not only want to preserve the legacy of their ancestors. According to Tagelagi, the new marine reserve could also bring his country “a surprising economic benefit” in the form of increased tourism revenues.
Angelo Villagomez of the American organization Center for American Progress praises Niue’s approach as a “very innovative model”. The environmental expert is certain: “If we want to tackle climate change, if we want to protect the resources of the oceans, we have to provide money to these communities living on the front lines.”
(SDA)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
