Solomon Islands State Of Environment Report Endorsed By Cabinet And Tabled In Parliament

A newly endorsed State of Environment (SoE) Report 2019 for Solomon Islands is now available for public viewing and download on the Solomon Islands Environment Data Portal.

The SoE report is an important tool that provides information on the status and trends of the environment of Solomon Islands. It provides the basis for sound and effective environmental planning and decision making by providing information on drivers and pressures impacting the environment, states and trend across environmental indicators, and appropriate practical responses to improve environmental conditions.

“We are very thankful that the report is now made available and readily accessible to all of us to help guide and direct our decision making,” said Mr Joe Horokou, Director of Environment and Conservation Division of Solomon Islands Government, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology.

“The State of Environment Report is an extremely valuable tool to make sure we are making the best choices based on well informed decisions when it comes to development, and other areas, for our environment. This was developed with the input of our people of Solomon Islands with support from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and other partners.”

The development, review and updating of SoE reports is a key national requirement for Solomon Islands and is one of the core functions of SPREP. The development of updated SoE reports across Pacific island countries has been underway over the past three years with Solomon Islands being the most recently endorsed.

“State of Environment Reports provide critical information for our Pacific island Members, which assist in their planning and decision-making processes,” said Mr Kosi Latu, Director General of SPREP.

“But it’s not enough to develop one report – we have to continue to review and update these reports and indicators, so we know what is happening in our environment, what we are doing well, and where we need to work harder.”

SoE reports are also an effective system for reporting against national priorities, including reporting to international and regional commitments such as those for Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the SAMOA Pathway, and the Paris Agreement.

Mr Horokou wanted to acknowledge all who helped make the SoE report possible. “We acknowledge with appreciation the commitment and efforts of the Environment and Conservation Division of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, Government and Non-Government Stakeholders in the Solomon Islands for their participation and inputs to the SOE, and the guidance by the Permanent Secretary and leadership by the Honourable Minister Dr. Culwick Togamana to ensure that this statutory requirement of the Environment Act is fulfilled. What is important going forward is for the Government and Stakeholders to take heed of the findings, and halt and reverse environment degradation.”

The Solomon Islands State of Environment report was completed with technical assistance from SPREP. Funding was provided from the European Union – funded ACP MEA 2 Capacity Building Project as well as the GEF funded regional Inform Project implemented through UN Environment and executed by SPREP.

The SoE report presents an overview of Solomon Islands’ environment across seven thematic areas: Culture and Heritage; Atmosphere and Climate; Coastal and Marine; Freshwater Resources; Land; Biodiversity; and Built Environment. The report uses the ‘Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact and Response’ (DPSIR) model to describe the environment. The report is based on quantitative data relating to the state of the environment, supplemented by stakeholder input to describe causal relationships and environmental effects.

To view or download the new SoE, click here: https://solomonislands-data.sprep.org/dataset/state-environment-report-2019

To contact our team regarding national SoE report developments or for additional information, please email: sprep@sprep.org or visit www.sprep.org