Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)

 

Committee History, Mandate, and Premise

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) was founded in the late 1960s, when Pacific island nations first began talking seriously about environmental protection as a shared regional responsibility. After a 1969 conference on nature conservation, governments across the South Pacific realized that many of their challenges were interconnected. Pollution, habitat loss, declining species, and the growing vulnerability of coastal communities were problems far greater and more widespread than any one country could address alone. Throughout the 1970s, the South Pacific Commission (SPC) worked with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) to build a strong approach that could meet these regional needs. This early cooperation helped develop what would eventually develop into SPREP.

Even though SPREP is not formally part of the United Nations, it collaborates closely with UN agencies, especially UNEP, UNDP, and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. These partnerships give Pacific states access to various UN resources, such as global frameworks, funding mechanisms, and technical expertise, while still allowing the region to maintain its individual priorities and leadership. Over time, SPREP has become the primary institution guiding environmental action in the Pacific. It pioneers work on biodiversity protection, climate adaptation, waste management, and sustainable development, reflecting decades of cooperation and shared values between Pacific governments and the broader international community.

committee topic: Unsustainable Tourism in the Coral Triangle

Introduction

The Coral Triangle is one of the most biologically diverse marine regions in the world, covering the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste. Often described as the “Amazon of the Seas,” the region contains over 75% of the world’s known coral species and supports thousands of reef-dependent fish species. These ecosystems are the foundation of regional food security, coastal protection, and economic livelihoods for more than 120 million people. Tourism has emerged as a major economic driver across the Coral Triangle, capitalizing on the region’s biodiversity and scenic coastlines, but its rapid expansion has increasingly placed strain on the very ecosystems it depends upon.

Addressing unsustainable tourism in the Coral Triangle requires coordinated regional collaboration. Environmental impacts frequently transcend national boundaries, while tourism markets are shaped by global demand. SPREP therefore plays a critical role in facilitating shared standards and policy coordination. The challenge for member states is to reconcile the short-term economic benefits of tourism with long-term environmental sustainability, making sure that tourism development does not undermine reef resilience, social equity, or climate adaptation goals.

Tourism in the Pacific is both an essential contributor to the economy and a threat to environmental sustainability. Poorly managed tourism results in more waste and increases energy consumption, causing direct harm to reefs. The future of the Coral Triangle depends on whether its member states can make tourism work for the reefs instead of against them. Cutting emissions, shifting toward lower-impact and higher-quality tourist experiences, and enforcing strong coastal planning rules each can help fight the problem, and together they give reefs the best chance to recover and adapt. With coordinated action through SPREP and its regional partners, the Coral Triangle can keep its biodiversity, its coastal protection, and the livelihoods of the more than 120 million people who rely on it.

Potential Topics for Discussion

While the full backgrounder is being created, suggested topics for further research include:

  • Promotion of sustainable tourism

  • Restoration of coral ecosystems and sustainable development

  • Impacts on Indigenous populations

Potential Sources to Consider

Cimatu, Roy, and Selva Ramachandran. “Healing Nature Through Ecosystem Restoration.” United Nations Development Programme. June 3, 2021. https://www.undp.org/philippines/news/oped-healing-nature-through-ecosystem-restoration.

Coelho, Vânia R., and Yuti Huang. “Sustainability performance assessment focusing on coral reef protection by the tourism industry in the Coral Triangle region.” ScienceDirect, RELX. April 2017. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261517716301686.

De Clippele, Laurence H. “Evaluating annual severe coral bleaching risk for marine protected areas across Indonesia.” ScienceDirect, RELX. February 2023. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X22004754.

Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020. https://gcrmn.net/2020-report/.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate. Accessed December 18, 2025. https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/.

International Coral Reef Society. “Rebuilding Coral Reefs: A Decadal Grand Challenge.” 2021. https://coralreefs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ICRS_2021_Policy_Brief_Exec_Summ_ENGLISH.pdf.

Patel, Monica. “Bridging the gap between tourism and environmental conservation in the Coral Triangle.” World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). December 10, 2013. https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?213136/Bridging-the-gap.

Sandhu, Sonia Chand, Vedanti Kelkar, and Vaideeswaran Sankaran. “Resilient Coastal Cities for Enhancing Tourism Economy: Integrated Planning Approaches.” Asian Development Bank Institute. November 2019. https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/541031/adbi-wp1043.pdf.

United Nations Human Rights. “Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.” Accessed December 18, 2025. https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-indigenous-peoples.

Vierros, Marjo, et al. Traditional Marine Management Areas of the Pacific in the Context of National and International Law and Policy. United Nations University, 2010. https://www.sprep.org/attachments/VirLib/Regional/9.pdf.

Walton, Anne, et al. “Establishing a Functional Region-Wide Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System.” Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security. February 12, 2014. https://coraltriangleinitiative.org/library/establishing-functional-region-wide-coral-triangle-marine-protected-area-system/.

World Bank Group. “The World Bank’s Articulation of the Blue Economy.” Accessed December 18, 2025. https://ieg.worldbankgroup.org/evaluations/making-waves/chapter-2-world-banks-articulation-blue-economy.

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Australia). “Impacts of climate change in the Coral Triangle.” May 2009. https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/coraltriangle/problems/climatechangecoraltriangle/.

World Wildlife Fund. “Problems.” Accessed December 18, 2025. https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/where_we_work/coraltriangle/problems/.