Cross-cutting issues

The main activities involved are farming and coastal fishing. Coastal marine resources are currently subject to little pressure given the low number of fishers. However, Pitcairn's geographic isolation makes its resources fragile since as it has few connections with neighbouring islands, there is little natural "reseeding". Pitcairn is already working on a coastal fisheries management plan together with King's College in London.

At the same time through its technical support, INTEGRE should make it possible to better integrate fishers' concerns into the proposed management plan and put them at the centre of governance, implementation and monitoring arrangements. 

In terms of farming, INTEGRE provides technical support to inhabitants to make farming practices more sustainable, through :

• Providing tailored advice - all the gardens are visited and recommendations made on a case-by-case basis
• Holding group training session on soil analysis and how to make permanent mounds.

This support has allowed Pitcairn to become part of the regional "pilot-farm network". Even if farmers from Pitcairn cannot attend regional workshops, a specialist’s visit to Pitcairn allowed the lessons-learnt at the workshops to be shared and established contacts to pass on the project's future outcomes, particularly the factsheets.

Provisional Amount : XPF 9,7 million/ € 81 405

Operators : Manager of Natural Resources

Synthesis of planned activities :

Target Groups :

Communication efforts should be aimed at a specific audience, such as partners, experts and decision-makers, but also at the general public who are increasingly concerned about environmental issues. On Pitcairn, given its small size, target groups are mainly the local community and public officials based on Pitcairn or in New Zealand. As a result, the target groups are varied :

• Pitcairn Island Council and inhabitants
• The Governor, Deputy Governor and British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
• General public and schools
• Regional project partners and groups formed for project purposes so as to learn lessons from everyone’s experience and develop regional cooperation: New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna
• Local, regional, French overseas and international media, whether web-based, paper press or television
• Regional and European organisations that are directly involved in the project, along with regional cooperation departments, the French departments of overseas territories and Europe-Pacific cooperation, SPC (New Caledonia and Fiji), European Union, SPREP (Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme), POET-Com, etc.

Messages :

Depending on the target groups, the messages will cover the following concepts :

• These islands have remarkable natural heritage that must be protected and preserved for current and future generations
• Integrated coastal management is an appropriate, tried and tested solution for sustainable development in South Pacific islands that is environmentally sound and benefits local communities
• The Pitcairn community is closely involved and plays an active part in decisions and initiatives for preserving and using their environment so as to introduce sustainable solutions
• Solutions and initiatives that have been successfully tried on Pitcairn can be used as examples and replicated elsewhere, particularly in the Pacific region
• INTEGRE provides assistance for local integrated management policies so as to strengthen and improve the process behind shared management of the environment. Environmental departments are also special project partners.
• Natural environment conservation helps society become more resilient to global change and natural disasters.It also helps maintain traditional culture and fosters greater harmony
• It is beneficial to OCTs to cooperate with each other and other Pacific territories when introducing regional solutions to environmental and sustainable-development issues. The European Union and SPC provide them with support for developing their projects

These objectives are in line with the priorities set out in the Strategic Development Plan, i.e : 

• Immigration and re-population
• Infrastructure development
• Tourism development

The balance of the activities is the following one :

- PN-C2PPLN: other transversal activities and regional expertise

None of the activities were achieved. Of the €81,405 allocated to these activities only €37,615 was used to fund the shipping to Pitcairn of the materials needed for other INTEGRE initiatives.

Field visits are extremely important as it provides valuable training, information and interaction to the local community.  Since the 2016 visit locals are more conscious about recycling, gardening has taken a new leap with locals implementing their own garden beds for vegetables, the use of mulch and soil nutrients etc.

Regarding the problems encountered and the impact on planned actions, there was a focus by the community to complete the Alternative Harbour which still required some construction work. This became the priority so that EDF 9 could be completed and thus absorbed the main work force on Pitcairn for around nine months. The result was that all other project work was delayed.

In terms of lessons learned, it is clear that Pitcairn tried to take on too much under this Project.It has been clear that the Island only has the resources to manage one or two larger projects rather than a large number of smaller ones. Each project needs a dedicated manager and there is not enough people with that skill set available.

Some costs incurred on the Island could have been applied to the INTEGRE project but the internal processes and controls were not sufficiently in place to meet EU criteria and compliance.

This was also a consistent issue with the other Activities undertaken in INTEGRE.

In terms of follow up, there is still interest in organic farming on Pitcairn and this will be pursued as time and funding allows maybe in the regional EDF 11 but this will now need to be financed through UK budgetary aid which has restrictions.

For more details, consulte Activity statement : PN - C2PPLN - Other transversal activities and regional expertise

Documents / Thematic reports of Pitcairn

PN - Activity statement

PN - C2PPLN - Other transversal activities and regional expertise

PN - Fisheries Management

Drafting a coastal fisheries management plan or framework for Pitcairn

Annexe - Draft coastal fisheries plan

Introduction to participatory processes and facilitation for Pitcairn

Annexe - Flipcharts for participation training introduction