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The Ua Pou islets Pacific rat eradication operation was undertaken in August-September 2023. It attempted a global first of aerially broadcasting rodent bait by drone from a small ship in open sea across the islets of Motu Tākaè, Motu Oa, and Motu Mokohe, at Ua Pou in the Marquesas Islands. The aerial bait application resulted in only two of the three islands having bait successfully applied across their entirety, nonetheless, monitoring 12 months later has confirmed Motu Oa and Motu Tākaè are rat free as is the partially isolated section of Motu Mokohe that was also baited. The eradication success is supported by the establishment of biosecurity knowledge and practices throughout the Ua Pou communities. The results of the seabird and other environmental monitoring will help sustain a commitment over time, as well as benefiting the wider conservation community. The operation demonstrated that drones could be operated off a boat for rodent eradication purposes but was constrained by the consistently strong winds and swell conditions. A larger vessel with a deeper draught is recommended for similar operations in the future and would likely increase the number of flyable days and improve the ease with which take-offs and landings are undertaken by the drone pilots.

The tropical Marquesas islands are characterised by their isolation and high levels of endemicity among native fauna and flora. This includes forty-two percent of the 320 native vascular plants and a diverse terrestrial snail community, with at least 78 species represented. Of the 12 native land birds 11 occur only within the archipelago, several restricted to a single island. Nineteen species of seabird breed there including the most eastern population of the Endangered Phoenix Petrel. Monitoring of seabirds and other species before, during and after the project will inform the impact of removing rats from these islets including how endangered species respond and community interest.

The Cook Islands comprises 15 islands with a total land area of 237 sq km and a maximum height above sea-level of 652 m. The islands are scattered over an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.8 million sq km; one of the largest EEZ’s in the South Pacific.

This proposal has been prepared by the Ocean and Islands Programme (OIP) within the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) in collaboration with the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). It has been prepared in response to an invitation1 from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to assist the Cook Islands in deriving coastal related information to underpin and inform climate change adaptation decisions for coastal areas of Mangaia Island.

Flooding imposes significant costs on households and businesses located in the lower Vaisigano catchment area. SOPAC, under the European Development Fund (EDF) project Reducing Vulnerability of Pacific ACP States, has worked with the Government of Samoa to develop the Samoa Flood Management and Action Plan, which identifies actions for government agencies, the private sector, NGOs and communities responsible for flood and floodplain management that can assist in reducing flood risks in Samoa, particularly in the lower Vaisigano catchment area located in Apia, which is subject to frequent flooding.

The Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) is currently executing the project Reducing Vulnerability in Pacific ACP States with funding from the European Development Fund (EDF). The project has the objective to reduce Pacific ACP States' vulnerability to natural disasters affecting their coasts through the development of an integrated planning and management system which targets: hazard mitigation and risk assessment; alternative sources of aggregates for construction; and water resources and sanitation. Major activities undertaken through this project with participating countries are: -assessment of aggregate resource supplies to mitigate the impact of unsustainable aggregate mining from the coastline; -development of bathymetric maps, 3D bathymetric and hydrodynamic models spatial databases relating to resource use, exploration and survey, and vulnerability to disasters; and -investigating and raising awareness about coastal processes.

The Government of Niue (GoN) is restructuring its Public Service which is a timely opportunity to integrate water management functions adopting the IWRM approach and principles in lieu of the current sectoral approach adopted over the last 3-4 decades. This will be an opportunity to integrate NGOs, civil society and all stakeholders in the process of water and wastewater management. The strengthening of the national capacity will enhance efficiency to deliver the required services by the public institutions, but also the awareness of the community on the sustainable use of water as a finite natural resource.

These goals are a big challenge to small Pacific Islands Countries with their small land masses, remote locations and small but rapidly growing populations making them vulnerable. Vanuatu shares these and other challenges to sustainable development. In Vanuatu real GDP per capita is still lower than in the 1980s, infrastructure is poorly developed, the population is rapidly growing at 2.6% per year, water resources are declining and in many places contaminated, and household water supplies are inadequate or absent. The country's capital and human resources are stretched and a better forward is needed.

The economic and social wellbeing of Pacific Island Countries are dependent upon the quality and quantity of their freshwater. Constrained by their relative small size, natural vulnerability, and limited human and financial resource base, Pacific Small Island Developing States face specific challenges to effectively manage their water resources.