Coral Reef seminar with the media of Samoa

APIA, Samoa: The importance of the media, the coral reef and climate change were issues raised during a media seminar held by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Journalists Association of Samoa (JAWS) at SPREP headquarters two weeks ago.
In his opening remarks, Asterio Takesy, Director of SPREP, welcomed participants to the seminar and stressed the importance of the media in raising awareness of issues such as those addressed by the Pacific Year of the Reef.
SPREP’s Coral Reef Management Officer, Caroline Vieux, identified the various threats to coral, including those resulting from global climate change.
“Of all the problems associated with climate change, accelerated sea level rise may actually be of lesser concern to coral as it has the ability to adapt to grow to rising seas.”
However, Vieux did stress that coral cannot adapt to other climate-related alterations such as rising water temperatures or increased water acidity.
“It’s easy for us to blame sea level rise for all our coastal problems, but in addition to climate change we must also address other causes of damage to reefs, such as dredging and waste. Action is needed now, and that is what we hope to convey through the Year of the Reef,” Vieux stated.
SPREP and JAWS are working together to help build the capacity of local media to report on environmental issues. The 2008 Pacific Year of the Reef was the topic of their first joint seminar this year.
It is hoped that in future SPREP will be able to strengthen the partnership with JAWS through future media seminars on other topics, including climate change, which has been a request from JAWS to SPREP.

For more information please contact SPREP’s Pacific Year of the Reef Campaign Coordinator Sereima Savu E: sereimas@sprep.org