Every tourist in Palau has to sign a pledge to protect its environment
Meet Jennifer Koskelin. Together with her team, she originated the implementation of a National Marine Sanctuary that covers over 80% of the maritime territory of the small Micronesian country of Palau. She also created the Palau Pledge, a global reference for sustainable tourism. Palau is an independent Micronesian country located in the North Pacific Ocean, very close to Indonesia. With approximately 500 islands (six populated) … Continue reading Every tourist in Palau has to sign a pledge to protect its environment
Papahānaumokuākea : a marine sanctuary to protect Hawaii’s natural and cultural heritage
Meets Solomon Kaho’ohalahala, one of the guests of Island Voices that has travelled from Hawaii to Tahiti for this gathering. For many years, Solomon has campaigned in Hawaii to promote the creation of Papahānaumokuākea marine sanctuary, today one of the largest marine reserve in the world. In Hawaiian, Papahānaumokuākea translates to “where life originates from”. This is the name that was given to Hawaii’s North-West … Continue reading Papahānaumokuākea : a marine sanctuary to protect Hawaii’s natural and cultural heritage
Is it time for the Cook Islands to change its name?
What is in a name… Take the case of the Cook Islands. This Polynesian nation is an archipelago of 15 islands stuck between French Polynesia, Niue and American Samoa. It is inhabited by only 12 000 people. Its name comes from the British explorer James Cook. The official Cook Islands website says it was Russian sailors who popularized the usage of the Cook Islands name in … Continue reading Is it time for the Cook Islands to change its name?
Plasticity Fiji: Entrepreneurs looking for solutions to the plastic crisis
Plastic pollution is a bane to the Pacific nations. Some businesswomen and businessmen are mobilizing to try and end it through a conference named Pacific Plasticity. The plastic products we consume in our islands are hardly recycled and end up abandoned on our beaches or buried in our valleys. And our islands are some of the most impacted by the massive global plastic pollution dropped … Continue reading Plasticity Fiji: Entrepreneurs looking for solutions to the plastic crisis
New Zealand: Vote for your bird of the year!
It is time for Bird of the Year 2018! Voting opens at 9 am on Monday 1 October and closes at 5 pm on Sunday 14 October. New Zealand’s unique native birds are in crisis. A third are at risk of becoming extinct if nothing is done to protect them. Their habitats have been destroyed and introduced mammalian predators kill their eggs, young birds, and even adults. … Continue reading New Zealand: Vote for your bird of the year!
Tahiti Women’s Forum is back!
The Tahiti Women’s Forum will celebrate its come back next month. Extended to two days, the 16th and 17th of October, it will address responsible business. As everyone knows, the Pacific islands are one of the most venerable area in the world in terms on climate change. And women are the first population facing this issue. « It’s too late to be pessimistic », the famous French … Continue reading Tahiti Women’s Forum is back!
New Techs are revolutionizing life in the Pacific- part 3
The decentralization revolution, like a domino effect, began at the informational stage (see part 1), spread to the energy sector (see part 2), and is now triggering a new emerging trend: the decentralized transportation revolution. In recorded history, we have never been so creative in terms of human transportation means and this trend has no reason to stop now, on the contrary. Here, we’ll focus … Continue reading New Techs are revolutionizing life in the Pacific- part 3
Dely wants to save the traditions of Vanuatu
Thirty-four-year-old Dely Roy Nalo is a Ni-Vanuatu visual artist and cultural field worker who is passionate about promoting and safeguarding the cultural heritage of Northern Vanuatu. Dely lives in Luganville on Espiritu Santo Island with her family and speaks fluent French, English and Bislama, in addition to her father’s vernacular language, Mwerlap. “My idea is that if each culture can understand or at the very least acknowledge each other, a platform can be set for mutual respect” she told … Continue reading Dely wants to save the traditions of Vanuatu
Meet the uncontested woman champion of Samoan longboat racing
Zita Martel is a Pacific renaissance woman whose colourful, bold and courageous life serves as an inspiration to women and men in her native Samoa and beyond. In 2001, she became the first and only woman skipper to take up longboat racing, a traditional Polynesian sport reserved for men and where she still wins many of the races to this day. Her mastery of this … Continue reading Meet the uncontested woman champion of Samoan longboat racing
How Mama Keneseli has changed Tuvalu
Sixty-three year old Mamao Keneseli has made significant contributions to community development on Nui atoll, one of nine districts in Tuvalu, for close to four decades. Her story is representative of a number of women community leaders in Tuvalu, now in their 60s, 70s and 80s, who have worked to improve the status of women and girls in Tuvalu despite facing numerous challenges. Ms Keneseli … Continue reading How Mama Keneseli has changed Tuvalu