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PICs: Recognition of environmental considerations in constitutions, development plans and budget statements.

A perusal of the constitutions and development plans of a number of PICs would suggest that environmental considerations and sustainable development are given the highest priority and are at the forefront of the decision making process.

The constitutions of PNG and Vanuatu are internationally unique in that they make prominent reference to the environment. They also make reference to ideal community participation in the decision making process. Traditional land tenure systems and the customary right to use land and sea resources are now part of these constitutions.

PNG:

PNG became independent in 1975. In the lead up to the development of the constitution for this new nation there was extensive public consultation and debate. Concerns about the environment and the management of the nation's natural resources featured prominently in these discussions. The National Goals expressed in the PNG Constitution reflect these concerns. The Five Goals are:

Goal 1:	Integral Human Development;
Goal 2:	Equality and Participation;
Goal 3:	National Sovereignty and Self-reliance;
Goal 4:	Preservation of Natural Resources and the Environment;
Goal 5:	Preservation of Papua New Guinean Ways.

The forth goal explicitly states:

'We declare our fourth goal to be for Papua New Guinea's natural resources and environment to be conserved and used for the collective benefit for us all, and to be replenished for the benefit of future generations.'

The Directive Principles supporting the Fourth Constitutional Goal go on to state:

'We accordingly call for:

1. Wise use to be made of our natural resources and the environment in and on the land or seabed, in the sea, under the land, and in the air, in the interests of our development and in trust for future generations; and
2. The conservation and replenishment, for the benefit of ourselves and posterity, of the environment and its sacred, scenic and historical qualities; and
3. All necessary steps to be taken to give adequate protection to all our valued birds, animals, fish, insects, plants and tree'

The Directive Principles accompanying the First and Fifth National Goals emphasise the use of 'Papua New Guinean forms' and the need for public participation in decision-making processes.

In PNG it the annual budget documents provide the best guide to the government's economic policy. The rebellion in Bougainville has prompted a renewed interest in the social and environmental impacts of the mining industry. As a result the 1991 and 1992 budget documents devoted some attention to environmental policy in general, and in particular, to non-renewable resource projects and social impact assessment (including social impact monitoring).

Vanuatu:

Vanuatu's 1980 Constitution embodies similar guiding principals with respect to the protection of the environment and natural resources, to quote Article 7(d):

Every person has the following fundamental duties to themselves, their descendants and to others to protect Vanuatu and to safeguard the national wealth [resources and environment in the interests of the present and future generation

Tonga:

The current Tongan Constitution dates back to 1875, and is probably the oldest constitution in the Asian Pacific region. Thus not surprisingly it makes no explicit reference to environmental considerations. Similarly Fiji's current constitution (the 1990 Constitution) makes no reference to the environment or sustainable development.

The Tongan Government first gave formal recognition to environmental issues in its Fifth Development Plan (1985-90). The Tongan case study saw this as the first step in incorporating environmental considerations into Tonga's development planning. DP5 states 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 are managed and utilized in such manner that the ecology and environment are not destroyed for future generations.'

Tonga's current development plan (Development Plan Six 1991 - 1995) gives much greater attention to the environment. DP6 lists seven national development objectives as the underlying principles within which sectors were to formulate their planning decisions, one of these deals with the environment. These seven national development objectives, notably with the one concerning the environment listed last, are:

1. Achieve sustainable economic growth conducive to a higher per capita income;
2. Achieve a more equitable distribution of incomes and a more equitable access to goods and services between regional community groups and between income groups;
3. Generate more employment opportunities;
4. Restore and control external financial balances;
5. Enhance the quality of life by raising health standards, maintaining national security and continuing to promote the cultural heritage of the Kingdom;
6. Develop beneficial relations with other nations; and
7. Ensure the continued protection and management of natural resources for sustainable development.

DP6's chapter dealing with Land, Natural Resources and the Environment, sets out the following three specific environmental and resource use objectives to be pursued during the plan period:

• to improve the pattern of land allocation among competing uses or activities such as settlement, agriculture, mineral resources exploitation, industry and tourism;
• to safeguard the natural resources and heritage of the Kingdom, preserve the social and cultural functions that relate to the environment, and enhance the contribution of natural resources to economic ands social progress;
• to improve the management of natural resources in order to attain optimum levels of exploitation, and allow sustainable development.

Seven environmental programmes and projected were presented in support of these objectives:

• Biological diversity study for the outer islands.
• Survey and monitoring of climate-sensitive terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
• Coral reef database studies.
• Preparation of the Land Use and Environmental Planning Act.
• Environmental awareness and education material development.
• National environmental awareness and education.
• Tropical Marine Workshop

Tonga's new Development Plan Seven is yet to be released to the public. Informed sources indicate that its environmental policy and emphasis will remain much the same as in DP6. The priority national issues will, again, focus on greater economic growth, employment generation, health and education.

Fiji:

A review of Fiji's 5-year development plans provides a barometer of government's awareness of environmental issues through time. These plans were initially little more than capital budget statements and made no mention of environmental considerations. With independence in 1970 came the preparation of comprehensive development plans. In the first of these plans Development Plan 6 (DP6 1970-75), the environment hardly warrants a mention, let alone being an integral part of the Plan. Development Plan 7 (DP7, 1976-80) saw a major departure with a whole chapter 'Development and the Environment' being devoted to environmental considerations. The emphasis given to the environment planning in part reflects the concerns of the Director of Economic Planning at that time. This was the first, and last time, a broad overall strategy for the integration of environment considerations into national development was presented. In following plans, DP8 and DP9, any discussion of the environment was relegated to invidual sector plans.

The use of 5-year development plans to present long-term development strategies and programmes was abandoned after political events of 1987 in order to concentrate on addressing the acute economic difficulty which following these events. Furthermore there had been growing disillusionment with the appropriateness of 5-year development plans, with associated output and expenditure targets, for a small open economy where development was led by the private sector.

In place of 5-year plans, policy statements and strategies for the short and medium term were established that would be presented at National Economic Summits for endorsement. The first of these was held in 1989 and gave recognition of the need for a multi-sectoral approach in implementing environmental planning and management strategies. Despite this call for an integrated approach, Fiji's environmental policies, and their implementation, have remained focused on the needs of particular sectors.

Fiji's new Department of National Economic Planning has began the process of preparing a Strategic Development Plan to take the country to the new millennium. The draft format for this Plan has no section dealing with environmental considerations or sustainable development. This is seen to be indicative of the extent to which the environment has become marginalised in the government's decision making process.