MORE than 30 Pacific environmentalists and government officials from 14 island countries received postgraduate Ridge to Reef Sustainable Development certificates from James Cook University in a ceremony held in Nadi last week.
According to a press statement by the Pacific Community (SPC) the Global Environment Facility-funded postgraduate Ridge to Reef (R2R) program in integrated water and coastal management was designed to establish a cadre of island-based project managers and technicians.
Resident representative of the United Nations Development Program — the implementing agency for the project — Levan Bouadze said the UNDP was privileged to be a part of the project.
“Our enduring commitment is to improve resilience of the Pacific Island nations, help them protect their rich biodiversity and secure their ecosystems,” he said.
SPC Geoscience, Energy and Maritime deputy director Rhonda Robinson said the achievement of best practices in integrated management in Pacific Island countries would boost local capacity.
“This is constrained by the scarcity and limited sharing of specialist expertise and technical resources for integrated resource management in the region, which is why this is a significant milestone achievement not just for the program but for sustainable development of participating countries, the region and globally,” she said.
James Cook University deputy vice-chancellor tropical environments and societies Professor Marcus Lane said the custom designed course was developed specifically for the R2R program.
He said it would allow practitioners to improve governance and enable positive contribution to some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
