ON OCEANS AND REEFS

Websites

FishBase (A global information system on fishes)

SeaLifeBase

ReefBase

Google Earth

• Google Earth Outreach gives public benefit organizations the knowledge and resources they need to visualize their cause and inspire action using Google Earth and Google Maps.

WorldFish Center

Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network

Census of Marine Life (Census of Coral Reef Ecosystems)

• An international cooperative effort to increase tropical taxonomic expertise, conduct a taxonomically diversified global census of coral reef ecosystems, and improve access to and unify coral reef ecosystem information scattered throughout the globe.

ON PAYMENT FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES (PES)

Websites

World Wildlife Fund and International Union for the Conservation of Nature

• Well-stocked library that covers theory on environmental values, applications, methodologies, macro variables, and case studies

World Resources Institute

• Features economic valuation of coral reefs applied to Caribbean countries; shows valuation methodologies for tourism and recreation, fisheries,  and MPA Economic Impact Tool

Forest Trends Initiatives (a consortium of organizations, plus a host of donor agencies contribute to the site)

• PES applications to water quality, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity

Publications

UNEP's Payments for Ecosystem Services Getting Started: A Primer

• Read more examples of PES in Section 2 “Lessons and Best Practices on Pro-Poor Payment for Ecosystems”

USAID PES Sourcebook (2007) - Lessons and Best Practices for Pro-Poor Payment for Ecosystem Services

• This sourcebook was designed to provide potential managers of PES projects with the background on what is required to effectively design, implement, and manage PES programs.

ON SUSTAINABLE FINANCE

Guide to Conservation Finance (World Wildlife Fund)

• The guide discusses various financial mechanisms through short case studies that show both successes and challenges.

The Little Biodiversity Finance Book - A guide to proactive investment in natural capital (Global Canopy Program)

• This book analyzes new sources of finance that could raise up to USD141 billion by 2020 to help meet the target of halting global biodiversity loss.

Financing Protected Areas (World Commission on Protected Areas and the IUCN Economics Service Unit with Adrian Phillips, Series Editor

• This book is a practical guide to assist protected area managers in identifying and securing appropriate and sustainable finance.

DATABASES ABOUT THE PACIFIC REGION'S MARINE RESOURCES

Secretariat of the Pacific Environmental Programme (SPREP)

• Their focus is to sustain the integrity of the ecosystems of the 21 Pacific island member countries and four countries with direct interest in the region. Their site features the Pacific Environment Information Network [PEIN] Virtual Environment Libraries, library documents and journal collections, and a publications list for download or ordering. Check out the Outlook Report on the State of the Marine Biodiversity in the Pacific Region (August 2010).

Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC)

• The Ocean and Islands Program of SOPAC aims to improve technical knowledge of ocean and island ecosystems for the sustainable management of natural resources. Besides a virtual library, their website has a Map and Spatial Data Repository. These are mostly combinations of digital maps and geo-referenced datasets.

Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)

• SPC's Division of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Marine Ecosystems aims to secure a Pacific Community whose people are educated and healthy and manage their resources in an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable way. They have just launched the ‘e-Pacific Island Countries’ (e-PIC), which addresses the ICT data gaps in the region. It has extended its scope to include resources for other projects such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Project on ICTs for Inclusive Growth and Poverty Reduction.