Southeast Asia

South Asia

Temperate East Asia

Oceania

Africa

Mediterranean

Oceania

Small island states, such as those found in the region of Oceania, have a number of features that serve to increase their vulnerability to impacts of climate change. The Third Assessment Report of the IPCC (2001) enumerates these characteristics, such as small physical size while being surrounded by large expanses of ocean; limited natural resources; proneness to natural disasters and extreme events; relative isolation; poorly developed infrastructure; and limited funds, human resources, and skills. Within Oceania, priority issues include food security, extreme climate events, sea-level change, vulnerability to impacts of climate change, and sustainable development. START’s research and capacity building activities in Oceania reflect these priorities. START activities in the region are coordinated by the START-Oceania Secretariat at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, with oversight from the START-Oceania Regional Committee. In addition, a member of the START-Oceania Secretariat staff also serves as Liaison Officer of the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) for the Oceania Region.

START-Oceania Secretariat (Oceania)
Pa'olelei Luteru
Interim Director, START Oceania Secretariat
Pacific Centre for Environment & Sustainable Development (PACE-SD)
Dean of the Faculty of Islands & Oceans
The University of the South Pacific
Private Mail Bag, Laucala Campus,
Suva, FIJI
Tel: +679 323 2944
Fax: +676 323 2891
E-mail: paolelei.luteru@usp.ac.fj

Oceania Regional Committee
Nick Harvey, Chair (Adelaide University, Australia)
John Campbell (University of Waikato, New Zealand)
Mike Hamnett (University of Hawaii, USA)
Taito Nakatevu (SPREP, Samoa)
Alexandre Ganachaud (Institut de Recherche pour le Development, Noumea)
Kanayathu Koshy- Director (START Oceania Secretariat, Fiji)

For more information, please visit http://www.usp.ac.fj/start or contact START, start@agu.org.