Scientists urge world leaders to respond cooperatively to Pacific Ocean threats
<http://www.centerforoceansolutions.org/POIpressrelease13May09.html>

                More than 400 leading scientists from nearly two-dozen
countries havesigned a consensus statement on the major threats facing the
Pacific Ocean. The threats identified as the moPacific Ocean Synthesisst
serious and pervasive include overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction
and climate change.

                "This is first time the scientific community has come
together in a single voice to express urgency over the environmental crisis
facing the Pacific Ocean," said Meg Caldwell, executive director of the
Center for Ocean Solutions, who will present the statement on Wednesday, May
13 at 6:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time to government officials gathered at the
World OceanConference in Manado, Indonesia. "The scientific community urges
governments to respond now, cooperatively, to these threats before their
impacts accelerate beyond our ability to respond."

                The consensus statement, entitled "Ecosystems and People of
the Pacific Ocean: Threats and Opportunities for Action," emerged from a
scientific workshop in Honoluluhosted by the Center for Ocean Solutions in
collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
and Ocean Conservancy. The workshop was part of a broader effort by the
three organizations to challenge countries throughout the Pacific region to
improve the health of marine ecosystems by 2020.

                In the consensus statement, the scientists warn thatif left
unchecked, the cumulative impacts of overfishing, pollution and habitat
destruction-exacerbated by climate change-could have devastating
consequences for coastal economies, food supplies, public health and
political stability. These threats affect all members of the Pacific Ocean
community, said Stephen Palumbi, director of Stanford University's Hopkins
Marine Station and one of the principal organizers of the consensus
statement. "Remarkable similarity exists between the major problems
experienced in poor and rich countries alike, in populous nations and on
small islands," said Palumbi, a professor of biology and a senior fellow at
Stanford's Woods Institute for the Environment.

                In addition to listing the serious environmental challenges
facing the Pacific Ocean, the consensus statement also highlighted a set of
potential solutions now being applied and tested at various scales
throughout the region. Examples include the establishment of marine
protected areas and the creation of economic incentives for activities that
promote rather than degrade ecosystem health. "These efforts have shown
remarkable success at local scales in maintaining biological and human
economic diversity, particularly when applied with adequate levels of
regulation and enforcement in place," said Caldwell, a senior lecturer at
Stanford Law School and at the Woods Institute. "These solutions are
indicators of hope within an ocean of distress."

                The consensus statement was largely based on a synthesis of
more than 3,400 scientific papers on the threats and impacts to the Pacific
prepared by the Center for Ocean Solutions. The Pacific Ocean Synthesis
provides "a roadmap by which governments might chart a new course of policy
for the Pacific region," said Biliana Cicin-Sain, a professor of marine
policy at the University of Delaware and coordinator of the Global Forum on
Oceans, Coasts and Islands, a multi-stakeholder network committed to
advancing ocean issues within international agreements.

                "The impacts of misuse of our ocean resources on our
economy, our environment and our community can no longer be ignored," said
Gov. Sinyo Harry Sarundajang of the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi,
whose capital Manado is hosting the World Ocean Conference. The governor
will convene the event with Caldwell on Wednesday. "We must work together at
theregional and transboundary levels to find solutions for improved
management of our common ocean."
                Source: Center for Ocean Solutions
<http://www.centerforoceansolutions.org/POIpressrelease13May09.html>