Articles Search

DLNR says proposal too broad, includes too many species

By Dennis B. Chan

SAIPAN, CNMI (Saipan Tribune, Feb. 5, 2015) – The Department of Lands and Natural Resources is drafting a "position letter" for the governor’s signature on the proposed listing of 23 Marianas species under the Endangered Species Act. This letter, according to acting secretary Richard Seman, will represent a "unified front" against the proposed listing as it is now but would recommend that a majority of the species be taken off and separated from the original five candidate species for the ESA.

Seman said they have briefed the governor, the Legislature, and the island’s different mayors on the issue.

Rota holds 11 of the 23 proposed species, and according to Seman, would be the island that is "impacted the most should [the listing] go through."

"The 17 [species] were add-ons that we felt did not provide us sufficient time to fully review and assess those individual species,...

Chewing, selling of buai to be restricted to declared areas

By Isaac Nicholas

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Feb. 5, 2015) – Major markets throughout Port Moresby and the country will have a strict buai selling and chewing sections to help control littering and spread of diseases like TB, says Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.

Mr O’Neill, who was at the opening of the reconstructed Koki Market facilities this week, received a big round of applause from the public as he announced a K2.5 million [US$0.9 million] funding for the extension of the market facilities to cater for betelnut trading.

He said the Government has supported the new Koki development with a contribution of K5 million [US$1.8 million].

"We are going to assist the Member with further assistance for K2.5 million for the extension of the project to cater for the buai market," he said of Moresby South MP Justin Tkatchenko.

"Many of you know what is going on with...

Start of classes would be disrupted without funds

By Elizabeth Vuvu and Eheyuc Seseru

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (The National, Feb. 4, 2015) – Some schools in the country are defying the Government’s directive not to charge students project fees, arguing that they need money to start classes while awaiting their subsidy allocations.

In support of them, a Cabinet Minister says the circular issued by the Education Department came too close to the start of the school year, disrupting schools’ plans.

East New Britain provincial education adviser Pius Gawi said they were yet to receive the circular from Education Secretary Dr Michael Tapo on the matter.

The provincial education division had already advised schools to collect project fees from parents. Education officers used the local radio station on Monday night to advise the people that project fees for this year remained at K200 as per the Government...

Pacific Islands Development Program, East-West Center With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies, University of Hawai‘i

News Release

Yap State Government Colonia, Yap, FSM

Feb. 5, 2015

A five-day workshop on the development of the Yap State Joint Plan in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change will start on Thursday, Feb. 5, at the Yap Marina.

The consultation workshop will be facilitated by Noa Tokavou of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, James Lukan, Cindy Ehmes, and consultant Anna Gero of the FSM Office of Environment & Emergency Management.

Each of the five days of the workshop is scheduled for targeted groups: Thursday, Feb. 5, is for government stakeholders; Friday, Feb. 6, is for community leaders; Saturday, Feb. 7, is for persons with disabilities, youth and women groups, church leaders, NGOs and civil societies; Monday, Feb. 9, is for the multi-stakeholder workshop; and Tuesday, Feb. 10, the last day,...