Notes on Biodiversity Stakeholders Meeting 28 Jan 11

Here are some notes by Ana Tiraa who attending this meeting at the National Environment Service on our behalf.

GEF 4 Projects

1. Invasive Species GEF-PAS regional project.

· Involves 10 Pacific Island Countries including the Cooks.

· SPREP is coordinating regionally.

· Inception workshop for the Cooks tentatively planned for April. The workshop will develop specific activities for the Cook Islands.

· Before the inception workshop, another Biodiversity Stakeholders committee meeting will be held.

· Arrangements to implement the project at the national level briefly discussed. Should a specific person be employed to coordinate or should the biodiversity unit coordinate as part of govt’s contribution to the project? This will be confirmed at the next stakeholders meeting.

2. Integrated Island Biodiversity Project.

· Funded by the GEF-PAS

· Regional project involving 4 pacific island countries, the Cooks being one of them.

· SPREP regional coordinating body

· NES has asked SPREP that the Inception Workshop for the Invasive Species project include planning for the Integrated Island Biodiversity project

· E copies of these project’s Logframes to be circulated.

MoU – Government and Civil Society.

· The purpose is to improve coordination and collaboration between organisations working biodiversity related activities.

· Developed by Gerald McCormack in 2006.

· Feedback and comments on document sought. Doc to be circulated.

Global Eenvt Facility (GEF) 5 – STAR. (System for Transparent Allocation of Resources)

· This is the 5th replenishment round of the GEF, which is currently underway.

· Need to start planning for projects related to Climate Change, Biodiversity and Land degradation that can be supported by STAR

· Approach on a national level rather than regional (as compared to GEF-PAS, which is in the GEF 4 replenishment)

2011 is the “Year of forest”.

· NES has funds to carry out activities under this initiative. It will be used to support activities for wetland

· Plan to highlight the value of wetlands.

Results of Muri-EU Risk Assessment Survey

Results of the Muri-EU Risk Assessment Survey were presented at a meeting of the community group Muri Environment Care and representatives of the Aid Management Division. Some of the results of the survey are:

• of the 242 properties surveyed, 64% had septic systems that predated 2000 and consisted of a single chamber septic tank leading to a soak pit
• Only 28% of property owners knew when their tank was last pumped out
• Most land application systems (the system that disperses treated effluent back into the ground) were soak pits and only a small number were trenches
• Of tourist accommodation properties surveyed, only 17% use sub-surface irrigation as a land application system
• 80% of households have insufficient land available for upgrading their soak pits to a trench or sub-surface irrigation system.
• 66% of people surveyed have the perception that their sanitation system is working satisfactorily.
• Only ¼ of the community knew that soak pits are no longer permitted.
• 48% showed a willingness to share a septic system with their neighbor to reduce the cost of an upgrade
• 60% showed a willingness to pay for sanitation services
• The number of pigs in the Muri area is equivalent to having another 801 people in the village

Steps that can be taken next include, fixing septic systems in the Lagoon Protection Zone (all properties on the beachfront and most properties alongside the main road), education and awareness, enforcement of current standards and detailed analysis of a sewage system design.

Solid Waste Audit

To begin implementation of recommendations from the Panel Discussion, a Waste Audit planning meeting was organized by TIS. The meeting between TIS, MOIP and NES was to examine methods and results of the last waste audit and equipment needed as recommended by the NZ Solid Waste Protocol. John Wichman who was at the meeting venue joined in the discussion. John explained that there is already a proposal at MOIP to implement a waste audit and the proposal just needs to be submitted. He offered TIS an opportunity to comment on the proposal. The proposal is to engage a consultant to assist MOIP to:

• Identify adequate operation and maintenance funding via cost recovery through taxes and fees from management services.
• Review the refuse and recycling collection system
• Privatize certain parts of the Rarotonga Waste Management Facility (landfill and recycling station).
• Create and implement a plan to move to the next stage of completing Solid Waste integration - waste reduction and separation.
• Increase capacity to coordinate a joint agency approach to Solid Waste Management.

Bring Your Own Cup Panel Discussion: Challenges of Dealing with our Rubbish

Over 50 members and friends attended our Panel Discussion on November 3rd. The audience learnt that despite kerbside collection of recycling being unsuccessful, there are a number of other places where recyclables can be delivered. “I was so pleased to see so many people supportive of recycling,” says Secretary of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning Otheniel Tangianau after the discussion. “It encourages me to really focus on this now,” he says.

Key points learnt at the discussion were:

• the departure tax no longer contributes to the Environment Protection Fund $14 million/year is collected by government in import levies on cars, alcohol, tobacco, vegetables, pork and fuel.
• Less than a million is allocated to kerbside collection, recycling and landfill management
• Each year, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning have not succeeded in convincing the Budget Committee to increase their budget allocation to ensure recycling occurs
• A waste audit is needed to determine volumes of each type of recyclable (plastic, glass, aluminium, steel etc). This data can then be used to advertise the tender for the next kerbside collection contract

Recommendations that came out of the discussion include:

• making more noise about the issue to grab and maintain government’s attention including recycling as a priority in next year’s budget (NES to send draft policy statement for 2011/2012 budget to TIS for comment)
• changing policy to ensure commercial properties pay for the collection of their rubbish
• requesting government to reinstate the Environment Protection Fund
• doing a waste audit and then using the data to advertise the tender for the next kerbside collection contract (tender sooner than later)
• re-exporting really hazardous stuff
• allocating import levies to infrastructure development

The Panel included Vaitoti Tupa (Director, National Environment Service), Tamarii Tutangata (2010 Budget Committee), Otheniel Tangianau (Secretary, Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning) and John Wichman (Recycle Cook Islands).

NZAID-Funded Waste Management Initiative

NZAID has agreed to provide $3million to kick-start a Waste Management Initiative project.

The money is to address urgent waste management issues and fund a coordinator to drive the project.

Government agencies and representatives of the private sector were asked to meet on 21 October to decide on next steps.

“We need plumbers and drain-layers to inspect septic installations and we need that now,” says meeting participant Rob Coote.

“We need to set up a waste and sanitation unit now,” he stressed.

The meeting concluded that a coordinator is needed to assist the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning set up a sanitation unit and address other areas that need urgent attention.

The meeting established a sub-committee to refine details of the recruitment process for the coordinator.

Some have said that the coordinator is being asked to do a whole lot and a project team is needed rather than one person.

The sub-committee met the next day and agreed on the skills needed and the recruitment process.

The Search for the elusive Rarotonga Cyrtandra

Rarotonga has some very beautiful forest.

Hikers from the Natural Heritage Trust, National Environment Service and Te Ipukarea Society (TIS) got to enjoy that beauty in the upper Avana valley whilst surveying the Rarotonga Cyrtandra.

“This plant is only found on Rarotonga and nowhere else in the world,” says Gerald McCormack of the Natural Heritage Trust during the survey team briefing.

“It is also very rare,” he adds.

“So the objective of this hike is to find this plant and note down on a map where it is growing,” he says.

McCormack says it’s good to know where and when the plant was seen so we can keep track of its status.

The survey team began the 11 hour walk from the Avana water intake at 7am.

“The most challenging part for me was climbing the cliff face next to the water fall and walking along the narrow ridge,” says TIS Programme Manager, Jacqui Evans.

“I was a bundle of nerves after walking along that ridge for a good hour - but there was really no danger. There were plenty of tree trunks to hold on to,” says Evans.

The search team split up, heading down the valley and keeping in touch via walky talky.

The survey found only three specimens of the Rarotonga Cyrtandra known by its botanical name as Cyrtandra rarotongensis.

The team gives special thanks to Timberland for the supply of their 4wd truck for the drive between the intake and the main rd.

Water Quality Monitoring Reviewed

The Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) is currently reviewing its water quality monitoring programme, including lagoon and stream water quality.

Dorothy Solomona, MMR’s Assistant Director of the Pearl Division, is currently working with Drs Els Maas and Dave Bowden, funded by the harmonised New Zealand / Australia aid programme, to statistically analyse three years of water quality data (2007-2009). This data is important to assess the impact of developments on the health of local lagoons and streams, which are vital for the welfare of local communities and the environment.

After three years, the focus of the programme is now on local staff training in order to create a sampling programme that is not only financially sustainable but robust and able to provide the information needed for the improved management of water quality in the lagoon and streams.

In addition, Dr Mandy Meriano of the University of Toronto, is doing a scoping study for a proposed groundwater sampling programme in the Muri/Avana area on Rarotonga as part of the Muri-EU Water and Sanitation Project.

“What MMR hope to get out of this is a groundwater monitoring progam that will not only monitor the quality but also progress or impacts of the EU Water & Sanitation Project on the groundwater, if any,” says Solomona.

The sampling programme will determine the quality of groundwater particularly in terms of nutrients and bacteria.

Solomona says the Ministry of Marine Resources has a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning with respect to water quality monitoring.

“Dr Meriano is working closely with Paul Maoate of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning,” says Solomona.

Lagoon water quality can be affected by groundwater quality.

“The scoping study will ask what is already known about our groundwater and how quickly the groundwater flows to the lagoon, information about how long it stays in the ground and what the quality is.” says Dr Maas.

The scoping study report will be presented to MMR who will disseminate the report to the Muri-European Union water and sanitation project and other stakeholder groups.

MMR are also doing intensive sampling in the Muri area to complement the Muri-EU water and sanitation project.

“Since August this year we’ve been doing fortnightly sampling and have included two extra marine sites and eight extra freshwater streams. We’ll be doing this for six months,” says Solomona.

Dr Maas says there will also be a training course primarily for government agencies on how to sample water, how to test water quality and how to interpret data

“We want to show the techniques used in testing water quality and demonstrate the limitations of those techniques,” says Dr Maas.

The training course is planned for the end of November.

“A select few places may be offered to stakeholder and community groups who have an interest in water quality,” says Dr Maas.

She says to contact Ms Solomona at MMR for more information and registration details.

Dr Maas says she will be returning in February 2011 to wrap up on the harmonised New Zealand / Australia-funded water quality program that was established in 2006.