Small Pacific Island Research Articles

Public perceptions of destination vulnerability to climate change and implications for long-haul travel decisions to small island states

This paper explores public perceptions of climate change and its impacts, and their potential implications for long-haul travel to small island states. It breaks new ground because existing vulnerability research has assessed the susceptibility of destinations and their tourism assets to climate change, not to market perceptions. This study researches public perceptions of the vulnerability of South Pacific small island destinations, defined by UNWTO as especially vulnerable to climate change. Vulnerability perception is defined as the likelihood of perceived (by the public) and projected (by scientists) impacts occurring. A semi-structured online questionnaire received 98 responses from German-speaking potential travellers: 88% of the respondents linked travel to climate change, but while 79% recognise the likelihood of the environment being vulnerable, social and economic impacts were largely ignored. However, in terms of climate change-related risk to the traveller, social and environmental issues are both weakly perceived and do not appear influential when making potential travel decisions. The public's information was shown to come largely from TV (61%), print media (54%), the Internet (46%) and radio (31%). The moderate perceived risks of travel to the South Pacific may help rationalise the strong long-haul travel intentions held by 75% of the sample.

Views From a Small Pacific Island

Tobacco smoking is a significant public health issue in Niue, a small Western Pacific nation where 31% of males and 16% of females smoke, and smoking initiation is still occurring at high levels among young people. There is evidence of political support for stronger tobacco control measures in Niue with ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005 and the Niue Tobacco Control Bill 2007 currently in discussion. However, more information is needed about how best to implement tobacco control measures in Niue. The aim of this research was to identify key contextual factors for progressing effective tobacco control in Niue. Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted with health, tobacco control, and public health professionals selected purposively from both Niue and New Zealand. A semistructured interview format was used and a qualitative thematic analysis undertaken to explore common and divergent viewpoints. Significant progress in tobacco control is feasible in Niue, but outside technical assistance will be needed as there is very limited capacity to undertake all that needs to be done. Key steps will include developing a comprehensive tobacco control plan that will adopt a health promotion paradigm. This will include the building of strong cross-sectoral political support and community engagement to ensure local contextual knowledge guides the development of interventions. Capacity building throughout will be vital. A comprehensive health promotion approach that draws on outside technical assistance for support and capacity when needed is recommended to advance tobacco control in Niue.

Role of Money in Smaller Pacific Island Countries

Pacific island countries (PICs), which attained political independence, are open economies with very small manufacturing base and narrow range of exports of copra and tuna. They are highly dependent on imports ranging from food and mineral fuels to intermediate and capital goods and transport machinery. Four of the 14 PICs, namely Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu, have independent currencies with usual paraphernalia of central banks under fixed exchange rate regimes. Their financial sectors are small and with undeveloped money and capital markets. The nominal exchange rate as an anchor has served the four PICs well by keeping inflation low. The objective of the paper is to investigate whether money has played any significant part in output growth as well as determination of prices in PICs. The findings are that broad money (M2) and exchange rate have a long run as well as short-run casual relationship with both output and prices in all PICs.

Republic of Palau

Republic of Palau Donald R. Shuster (bio) President Johnson Toribiong's third year in office was very busy. One of the most important issues was the finalization of negotiations of the Amended Compact of Free Association with the United States. This was done in early September when Toribiong and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Frankie Reed signed a six-page, ten-part agreement with funding support totaling $229 million for fiscal years 2011-2024. It included an additional estimated $36 million in US federal programs and services, but without a cap on the total amount of federal dollars available. Initially there was hope that the US Congress would pass the agreement before the end of 2010, but Mr Toribiong was not able to testify before Congress until June 2011. While his testimony was respectful and comprehensive, he made a case for special consideration by mentioning Palauans serving and making the ultimate sacrifice in the United States' conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Palau's nearly unanimous support for the United States in United Nations voting, and overtures made to Palau by the People's Republic of China. He said, "We all want greater economic interaction with China, but it should be without compromising the close alliance between Palau and the United States." In his testimony before the US Senate, he strongly urged support from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and from Congress as a whole. At the time of this review, Congress had not acted on the amended compact agreement. President Toribiong hosted two important regional meetings in 2010: one with the Micronesian presidents in July and one with the Micronesian chief executives in December. A communiqué was issued for the first meeting and a 225-page proceedings document for the second. Three key issues addressed at both meetings were the high rates of non-communicable diseases, the depletion of Micronesia's fisheries resources, and adaptation to climate change in the islands. It is generally acknowledged that the pillars of good governance include a public auditor, a special prosecutor, [End Page 163] a free and independent press, and a competent, independent judiciary. By mid-year, Palau had no public auditor (although it has had an acting auditor for over ten years) and no special prosecutor. Furthermore, the president had fired the special counsel hired to prosecute those responsible for the collapse of the Pacific Savings Bank (the so-called People's Bank) in 2006. In February 2011 the president appointed Assistant Attorney General Lucketta McMahon as the new independent counsel. However, McMahon is new to Palau and very new to the savings bank collapse. President Toribiong is a superb speaker and appeared before the UN General Assembly. Mentioning Palau's peacekeeping efforts in Darfur, Timor Leste, and Solomon Islands, he also reported on his nation's efforts to maintain the viability of Pacific fish stocks by limiting purse seine activity as well as on the work being done by the Pacific Small Island Developing States to persuade the world that climate change is not merely a development issue but also a security issue. Toribiong called on the UN Security Council to include Japan in its ranks and requested that the world body also include Taiwan in select UN activities. In response to the president's appeal to the world's conscience, Germany volunteered to assist in the removal of explosives left over from World War II battles on Palau's southern islands of Peleliu and Angaur. In January 2011, the president delivered special remarks to the World League for Freedom and Democracy in Taipei, Republic of China. In those remarks he stressed how his nation has demonstrated its dedication to the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Finally, Toribiong addressed the graduates of Palau Community College in late May, delivering a very personal message that emphasized goals and passion as necessary for success in any endeavor. It was a grand speech that mixed Palauan proverbs with personal experiences. In April, the president presented his third progress report, known as the State of the Republic Address. It was comprehensive and laudatory of his ministries. The president announced that the compact...

The inverse sovereignty effect: Aid, scale and neostructuralism in Oceania

Theories and practices of international aid have stressed the need for the full participation of recipients. This approach has been strengthened by international agreements such as the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness in 2005, which called for ‘ownership’ of development strategies by recipient agencies. This seemed to promise recipient governments an increased stake in the way aid was used for development and poverty alleviation. However, in practice, the new aid agenda has actually increased demands on recipients with new conditions over the management of aid funds, the setting of development strategies and the meeting of other global obligations. This issue is of particular concern in small Pacific Island states where the small size of government is coupled with increasing demands from donors for consultation, accountability and engagement to create what we argue is an ‘inverse sovereignty’ effect: despite the rhetoric of ownership and independence, recipient states are actually losing control over their development strategies, policies and programmes.

Changes in shifting cultivation systems on small Pacific islands

The limited information on change in shifting cultivation systems of small islands of the Pacific stands in contrast to increasing evidence of this farming system's demise in other parts of the tropics. Here, we assess changes in agricultural activities during the past 40 years of Bellona Island, Solomon Islands, where shifting cultivation is still maintained in the traditional way. Fallow length has increased despite population growth due to redistribution of the cultivated area, migration-induced extensification and changes in crops. Productivity of the farming system remains high although there are indications of soil degradation in the centre of the island. However, there are no signs that the traditional shifting cultivation system in Bellona may become unsustainable in the near future and extreme land use transformations seen in other Pacific islands are not found here.

The Trichoptera of Lord Howe Island, including 3 new species, larvae and keys

Three new Trichoptera (caddisfly) species are described for the small south-western Pacific seamount island of Lord Howe, all probably endemics. These are 2 hydropsychids, Cheumatopsyche erskinensis sp. nov. and C. howensis sp. nov., and a leptocerid, Symphitoneuria neboissi sp. nov. These are the first species recorded from Lord Howe in the respective genera and increase to 5 the number of genera recorded from the island, and to 9 the number of named species. Features of 2 distinctive but unidentified Cheumatopsyche larvae, larval cases of S. neboissi sp. nov., and the larva and case of Tasiagma eremica Neboiss are illustrated and described. Life stages of species in 3 other genera are recorded from the island: several larvae and females identified as Ulmerochorema (Hydrobiosidae); 2 females of a species of Triplectides (Leptoceridae); and a larva of Plectrocnemia (Polycentropodidae), which is illustrated. Although, conceivably, none of these 3 has permanent populations, the 3 genera are included in the checklist of Trichoptera of Lord Howe Island and in the identification keys provided for Trichoptera adults and larvae of the island.

Ant community structure on a small Pacific island: only one native species living with the invaders

In most studies about ant communities, species are grouped into competitive hierarchies where top dominants drive the majority of other species away from resources. Nevertheless, in some ecosystems high ground temperatures may disrupt this hierarchical organization. Other changes in community structure are caused by the arrival of invasive ant species, which rapidly disassemble local communities. We studied the effects of competition and temperature on ant community organization on Surprise Island (New Caledonia). Four different habitats were distinguished: a central plain, a sea shore Argusia shrubland, a dense Scaveola shrub, and an arboreal Pisonia strata. Eight ant species were identified from pitfall traps (seven introduced and only one native species, Pheidole oceanica). Ant assemblages in each habitat had a different ecologically dominant species, and a dominant species in one habitat could be non-dominant and less abundant in another. From interactions at baits, we built a competitive hierarchy where the top dominant species was the native Ph. oceanica. Daily foraging activity rhythms of the different species mostly overlapped. The relationship between bait occupation and ground temperature followed a negative linear pattern at all sites and for most species, except for the relatively thermophilous Monomorium floricola. Indices of co-occurrence in pitfall traps indicated that species co-occurred randomly with respect to one another. Conversely, species appeared to be segregated when we examined co-occurrence at baits at the sites where Ph. oceanica was abundant. Oceanic islands are very susceptible to alien species, but on Surprise Island it seems that the sole native species dominates in some habitats when confronted by invasive species.

Pacific Regional Perspectives on Women and the Media: Making the Connection with UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (Women, Peace, and Security) and Section J of the Beijing Platform for Action

If empowerment means challenging social norms, equalizing power relations, and enabling individuals and groups to actively claim their rights, then what does it mean for women in rural communities in the Pacific Island region, where the basic necessities of life remain unfulfilled? Where is the peace if there is poverty of information and communication? What does it mean for small Pacific Island states where national budgets for gender equality rely on bilateral support rather than real investment and equity in the allocation of national budgets? What does all this mean for women working to transform information and communication systems to ensure that women in our rural communities are not just informed but are also able to inform and influence both the security-sector-governance and truth-and-reconciliation processes as well as to articulate our economic security priorities, which are linked to our political security? These questions are critical when trying to decipher the implications of Section J of the Beijing Platform for Action for women of the Pacific region, which includes a diverse media environment ranging from a major global news hub in Australia to our mobile women’s radio station in Fiji. They are equally critical in our work of coordinating a regional women’s media network dedicated to advancing the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.

Role of remittances in small Pacific Island economies: an empirical study of Fiji

In the context of the ongoing current global economic downturn, mobilisation of foreign exchange earnings has assumed considerable importance. By adopting an augmented Solow model approach, this paper examines the long-run growth effects of Fiji's inward remittances during a three-decade period (1979-2008). The study finds that remittances have had a positive and significant effect on economic activities. This paper also discusses some important policy implications arising out of the study findings.

Financial Sector Development and Remittances in Pacific Island Economies: How Do They Help the World’s Two Most Recipient-Dependent Countries?

Abstract In the context of the current recession in industrialized countries and the resultant dim prospects for exports from small Pacific island countries, mobilization of foreign exchange earnings assumes considerable importance. The dependency of Samoa and Tonga on inward remittances is well known, as the two Polynesian island countries in recent years have been among the first top ten remittance recipient countries of the world. This paper examines the long-run nexus between economic growth and inward remittances during a three-decade period (1981-2008). The paper also discusses some important policy implications arising out of the study’s findings.

Oil Price and Economic Growth in Small Pacific Island Countries

Among the 14 Pacific Island countries (PICs), only Papua New Guinea has fossil fuel resources. None of the remaining 13 PICs has any energy sources. Consequently, all the 13 PICs are totally dependent on oil imports for their economic activities. Recent surges and volatility in oil prices have had serious economic re-percussions on economic growth. Since PICs have limited foreign exchange earning capacities, as they have very narrow range of exports and are highly dependent on foreign aid, high oil prices in recent months have seriously tested their economic resilience. This paper applies the recently developed panel analysis procedures to five major PICs, namely Fiji, Samoa, Solomon islands, Tonga and Vanuatu with a view to assess the impact of oil price on economic growth. The findings are that oil price, economic growth and international reserve are cointegrated. The study findings are that although in the long run there is no long run causality relationship between these variables, in the short run the causality linkage runs from oil prices and interna-tional reserve to economic growth. The paper concludes with a brief discussion on policy options.

The Western Pacific Regional Child Survival Strategy: Progress and challenges in implementation

The Regional Child Survival Strategy (RCSS) was launched by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund in 2006. This initially involved the six highest mortality burden countries in the region (Cambodia, China, Laos PDR, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Vietnam). This paper aimed to describe the experiences of countries in the region in adopting and implementing the RCSS, and to identify factors that promote and impede progress. Child mortality has fallen substantially since 1990, and the region as a whole is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG-4) targets. Some countries have made slower progress and are struggling. There is an urgent need to support countries that have, until now, not been included in the RCSS, particularly smaller Pacific Island nations, and to provide greater support to the poorest countries if MDG-4 targets for the region are to be achieved.

Byways and Highways of Direct Investment: China and the Offshore World

This paper examines a lacuna in the literature on foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to China: the absence of analysis for the prominent location of small Caribbean and Pacific islands as leading sources of FDI. An indeterminate amount of domestic capital is embedded in these FDI flows, which distorts comparative studies on FDI in developing economies between China and other states. Direct investment from China has also increased in recent years and offshore financial centres (OFCs) often serve as the initial destinations. This paper excavates the rationales behind the presence of OFCs and suggests that Chinese actors will emulate the practices of developed state multinational corporations and high-net-worth individuals. The implications of these investment practices are outlined along with possible trajectories for their impact on the process of financial liberalisation in China. Consequently, it encourages increased Chinese participation in the development of global financial governance.

Decision-makers, donors and data: factors influencing the development of mental health and psychosocial policy in the Solomon Islands

Mental disorders and psychosocial problems are common, and present a significant public health burden globally. Increasingly, attention has been devoted to these issues in the aftermath of violent conflict. The Solomon Islands, a small Pacific island nation, has in recent years experienced periods of internal conflict. This article examines how policy decisions regarding mental health and wellbeing were incorporated into the national agenda in the years which followed. The study reveals the policy shifts, contextual influences and players responsible. The Solomon Islands' experience reflects incremental change, built upon longstanding but modest concern with mental health and social welfare issues, reinforced by advocacy from the small mental health team. Armed conflict and ethnic tensions from 1998 to 2003 promoted wider recognition of unmet mental health needs and psychosocial problems. Additional impetus was garnered through the positioning of key health leaders, some of whom were trained in public health. Working together, with an understanding of culture and politics, and drawing on external support, they drove the agenda. Contextual factors, notably further violence and the ongoing risk of instability, a growing youth population, and emerging international and local evidence, also played a part.

Researching in cross cultural contexts: A socially just process

In this paper, we explore culture and its relationship to cross cultural research. The context for this research is Vanuatu, a small South Pacific Island nation. The action research process used was a collaboration between two New Zealand academics, two Ni Vanuatu women researchers and 13 participants over a two year period. The focus of the action research was the design and delivery of a culturally appropriate educational leadership development programme for women. The collaborative research process raised a number of ethical and methodological considerations, for example, the importance of mutually respectful relationships, working in partnership, collaboration, capacity building, transparent communication and consideration of the local context. Using stories from the Vanuatu context, we illustrate how we navigated culture to be able to research in socially just ways. Being involved in socially just, cross cultural research calls for a thoughtful, well-designed and culturally informed approach throughout all stages of the research process, from initial planning through to follow up and capacity building and finally, the sharing of research findings.

When seasnake meets seabird: Ecosystem engineering, facilitation and competition

Ecosystem engineers such as burrowing seabirds can increase habitat availability for sympatric taxa – but only if the burrow's owner allows other species to use the newly created shelter site. Our studies on a small Pacific island suggest that an avian burrower (the wedge-tailed shearwater Puffinus pacificus) is both a facilitator and a competitor for amphibious seasnakes. Video camera inspection of 102 burrows revealed frequent usage of these burrows as retreat sites by the snakes, with Laticauda laticaudata restricted to burrows <4 m from the water's edge, whereas Laticauda saintgironsi often used burrows further inland. Snakes never occupied burrows that contained adult shearwaters, suggesting active burrow defence by the birds. Model snakes that we inserted into burrows were attacked, especially on the head and upper body, and we found one snake pecked to death outside a burrow. Wedge-tailed shearwaters act as facilitators, creating a thermally favourable microhabitat and substantially enhancing habitat suitability for snakes; but they are also competitors, aggressively competing with snakes for occupancy of the resource that has been created.

Results of the first adapted design for sustainability project in a South Pacific small island developing state: Fiji

With high population densities concentrated in predominately coastal zones, the South Pacific will, in this century, be heavily impacted by global temperature and sea level rises. Small island developing states do have a number of unique problems, namely, small scale economic development together with environmental sustainability. This paper presents the lessons learnt from the implementation of the first cleaner production and design initiative project conducted in a Pacific small island developing state(s) (SIDS) using the design for sustainability (D4S) methodology. The final product was analysed using the life cycle assessment (LCA) method. Implemented within a medium-sized enterprise operating in Fiji, the Cook Islands, and Samoa, the project focused on improving an existing product and its associated life cycle to make it more environmentally friendly to manufacture, retail, and dispose of. The project outcomes revealed that D4S provides a suitable tool for a country like Fiji to pursue more intensively an eco-friendly manufacturing agenda. However, when combined with LCA, the qualitative nature of D4S shows that not all solutions produce the best overall result. Specifically, the “improved” design, whilst being less impactful on Fiji in terms of disposal, has a higher impact globally due to the production and manufacture of the new materials used. For this reason designers need to address the impact criteria and decide whether a domestic or international agenda is of greater concern within the SIDS context.

Aligning tourist, industry and government expectations: A case study from the swim with whales industry in Tonga

Swimming with humpback whales in the Kingdom of Tonga is a growing industry that provides important revenue for a small Pacific Island economy. However the sustainability of this industry has been questioned due to its potential impact on the animals involved. The activity focuses on an ‘endangered’ subpopulation of humpback whales, with swimming occurring in the breeding area primarily with groups of animals containing young calves. This paper examines the relationship between the existing Tongan Government draft regulations and Tonga Whale Watching Operator Association guidelines that control the industry and visitor expectations about the management of the activity. There is significant support from visitors for strong, easy to understand and enforceable regulations governing the swim with whales industry. There is a clear correlation between current moves to strengthen Government regulations and the expectation from visitors that their activity is, and will be, conducted in a sustainable manner. The study recommends that to ensure compliance with regulations, appropriate management fees should be charged, visitors should be engaged in environmental education activities and further research should be conducted on the impacts of swimming with humpback whales.

Determinants of Small Pacific Island Tourism: A Vanuatu Study

The research reported in this paper sought to identify the key determinants of small island tourism in the Pacific region. In order to investigate this research problem, 185 Australian tourists were surveyed as they returned from holidaying in Vanuatu. The sample included those who had visited outer islands such as Espiritu Santo as well as those who had not ventured beyond the main island. Findings indicated that the most important influences on the decision to visit the outer islands were the climate and the reputation as a holiday destination. When rating Vanuatu as a holiday, both those who went to an outer island and those who did not rated the three main reasons as friendliness, range of restaurants and quality of accommodation, whereas the principal reasons given for not visiting an outer island were: that the outer islands were too expensive to access; most tourists wanted a “stay put” holiday; and they did not have enough time on their holiday. From the findings of this research on the determinants of small Pacific island tourism, it is suggested that further research into the applicability of these determinants be conducted in other small island environments in other regions of the world.