Kiribati's Precious 'Gift to Humanity'

In September 2015, UN member states are set to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Pacific Island countries have played an active role in these negotiations, and have successfully led efforts to advocate and secure a stand-alone goal on oceans. In particular, and because of its importance for our region, I would like to reflect on SDG 14 to "conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development." I come from a region that is more than 98% ocean, where our countries are spread across approximately 40 million square kilometers of ocean and have jurisdiction over areas of ocean that are, in some cases, thousands of times larger than their land area. We are large ocean island States, and while we derive significant economic, social and cultural benefits from our ocean, there is scope to improve and increase these benefits. Pacific Island nations identify ocean resources as a major opportunity for economic development, not just through fisheries but through non-extractive practices, such as tourism and transport. As large ocean island states, the ocean plays a pivotal role, not only in our sustainable development, but in the very fabric of our lives. The ocean is very much a part of our daily existence, our culture and heritage. The ocean not only provides for our daily sustenance, but also defines who we are. For the Pacific, the ocean is our lifeblood -- it sustains us and it provides for us. A secure future for Pacific Isla...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news