Integrating Environmental Considerations into the Economic Decision-Making Process
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Volume Ipacific IslandsTonga Index
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I. STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN TONGA

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The government has been aware for at least the past two decades of the importance of including environmental issues in its economic planning. But the low level of awareness of the true dimensions of the environmental problems, combined with a lack of physical and financial resources and the necessary skilled human resources, have prevented definitive and positive steps from being taken to formulate an appropriate environmental plan and management system.

In formulating the Fifth Development Plan, 1985-1990, the government decided to incorporate the environment into development planning. The Plan document stated that the overall national objective for the land natural resources and the environment sector was:

"...to ensure that the land and natural resources of the Kingdom (of Tonga) are managed and utilized in such a manner that the ecology and environment are not destroyed for future generations."

A Cabinet Directive was issued in 1985 requiring the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Natural Resources to prepare an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for any new physical developments prior to final approval by Cabinet Directive 217, dated 13 February 1985. In 1987, the government formed the Interdepartmental Environment Committee (IDEC), with the primary task of formally and effectively addressing growing environmental concern in Tonga, including:

  • The need for hazardous waste legislation;
  • Careful land-use planning;
  • Urban drift;
  • Protection of mangroves;
  • The creation of terrestrial and marine parks and reserves;
  • The problem of construction materials and associated beach loss resulting from sand mining;
  • The depletion of fisheries;
  • Public awareness to safeguard the ecosystem;
  • The preservation of water resources.

IDEC comprises high-level representatives of the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Natural Resources, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Fisheries, Ministry of Works, Ministry of Labour, Commerce and Industries, the Central Planning Department, and the Tonga Visitors Bureau. The Committee is chaired by the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Natural Resources.

Within the Ministry of Lands Survey and Natural Resources there is an Environmental Planning Section which is the central agency for administering and coordinating all national environmental policies, programmes and activities. The Environmental Planning Section is the official institutional mechanism but for various reasons, as detailed later in this paper, it has not been very effective.

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