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Technical report

The Government of Vanuatu approached SPREP in 2001 to consider providing technical and advisory assistance in assessing the aggregated issues of land use change, rural development, catchment management and cumulative infrastructure and coastal degradation in the Mele catchment, immediately northwest of the municipality of Port Vila, Efate, Vanuatu.

In 1997-98 the SPREP Secretariat undertook a review of its EIA programme to develop a new framework for building capacity in environmental assessment as a tool for pursuing sustainable development in the region. Since 1991, SPREP's EIA programme has focussed on awareness raising, training and technical assistance to undertake project based EIAs at the request of member governments. Evaluation of progress was made using the above reports, the Training Needs Analysis, and anecdotal information gathered at national level from country visits for the new Sustainable Economic Development Key Result Area of SPREP. Below is a compendium of key findings as regards the progress of implementing EIA in Pacific Island countries.