Pacific Island Countries to develop Advanced Warning System for tuna migration

19/04/2023 0 Comments read Climate Change, Environment & Development, Health & Science

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 19.04.2023 (IPS): Climate change and warming ocean waters are causing tuna fisheries to migrate to international waters, away from a country’s jurisdiction, thereby putting the food and economic security of many Pacific Island countries and territories at risk. Now a Pacific Community (SPC) led regional initiative will help ensure that these countries are equipped to cope with climate change-induced tuna migration.

“All the climate change projections indicate that there will be a redistribution of tuna from the western and central Pacific to the more eastern and towards the polar regions, that is not Antarctica or the Arctic, but to regions outside of the equatorial zones where they primarily occur at the moment,” says SPC’s Principal Fisheries Scientist, Dr Simon Nicol.

“This has really important implications for the Pacific Island countries. Our projections suggest that about one-fifth or about USD 100 million of the income derived from the tuna industry directly is likely to be lost by 2050 by these countries,” Nicol tells IPS.

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Investing in global agri-R&D also ‘benefits donor countries’

09/12/2022 0 Comments read Environment & Development, Health & Science

Elizabeth Pisiai at her cocoa farm in Kikimogu village in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. Photo Credit ©Elizabeth Pisiai

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 09.12.2022 (SciDev.Net): Investment in international agricultural research and development (R&D) not only increases the capacity of lower-income countries to tackle food insecurity and manage natural resources but also brings significant returns to donor countries like Australia, says a study commissioned by the Crawford Fund.

The study makes a case for increasing the proportion of the development assistance budget allocated to international agricultural R&D. “Collaborative research is a two-way learning. Both the recipient and donor countries benefit from the exchange of knowledge, insights, science and technical ideas,” says Neil Byron, lead author of the study launched on 1 December in Canberra.

Currently, only 2.5 per cent of Australia’s aid budget goes to agriculture R&D. “All the evidence suggests that we are seriously underinvesting. We can easily double or triple the [agriculture R&D] aid because the benefits — social, economic and environmental payoffs — are so much greater than the costs,” says Byron, director of Alluvium Consulting Pty Ltd. which prepared the report for the Crawford Fund.

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How Accessible Are Apartments and Do They Stack Up?

30/06/2022 0 Comments read Disability, Environment & Development, Features

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 27.06.2022 (The Urban Developer): Accessibility in multi-residential apartment buildings has been wanting, but now developers and architects are incorporating features to make units more liveable for everyone. However, requirements of additional space and automation come at a cost.

“An additional 15 per cent floor area internally is required to fit all of the additional spatial requirements in a high physical support unit,” says Thirdi group’s general manager Ashleigh Button. “In a market where construction costs are rising, every square metre counts. So, spatial constraint is the biggest challenge to incorporate accessibility.”

Access needs in the residential market encompass a larger cohort—people with disabilities, older Australians and families. “We are seeing an overlap between general liveability and disability design in apartment buildings,” says Allen Jack Cottier Architects’ director Brian Mariotti.

How accessible are apartments and do they stack up?

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