The Cook Islands is a Polynesian country comprising 15 small islands with a total land area of 240 km2 (Table 1), located in the South Pacific Ocean, but its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers an ocean area of 1.8 million km2. The country of the Cook Islands consists of two main groups, one in the north and one in the south. The southern group is nine elevated islands mainly of volcanic origin although some are virtually atolls. The majority of the population lives in the southern group (Fig. 1). The northern islands are low-lying, sparsely populated coral atolls. Highest Point of the islands is Mount Te Manga with a height of 652 m located in the Rarotonga Island on where the capital is situated.
Generally, islands on the Earth are said …show more content…
The number of marine species known in the Cook Islands is small due to location of the islands that is remote from biodiversity hotspots known as the Coral Triangle located to the west, but there is some ecosystem diversity between the shallow lagoons and fringing reefs of high islands in the south group, and the deep lagoon encircled by coral reef at the atolls of the southern group. Surprisingly (to me at least), mangroves and sea-grass beds which are often recognises as important ecosystems do not exist in the Cook Islands although they did in prehistoric times (Morat, 1993 from …show more content…
Sewage treatment plant
There has to be some investment for higher education programme for the local people so that they can maintain and operate the sewage treatment plant which has been abundant. The important thing is to stop the raw sewage bypasses the plant to flow into the ocean. The constraint would be the time duration until the trainees equip ability to manage the plant but this capacity must to be a collective will of those who receive benefits from.
Subsidize organic fertilizers and pesticides to the farmers
Farmers should raise awareness about the importance of shifting to more sustainable agricultural practices. There will be required substantial communication between the government and the farmers through activities such as workshops and seminars. Those who successfully recognise the relationship between farming practices and the ecosystem services that they receive, will be potential citizen scientists who contribute to the collection and monitoring to improve biodiversity database of the islands in the
Generally, islands on the Earth are said …show more content…
The number of marine species known in the Cook Islands is small due to location of the islands that is remote from biodiversity hotspots known as the Coral Triangle located to the west, but there is some ecosystem diversity between the shallow lagoons and fringing reefs of high islands in the south group, and the deep lagoon encircled by coral reef at the atolls of the southern group. Surprisingly (to me at least), mangroves and sea-grass beds which are often recognises as important ecosystems do not exist in the Cook Islands although they did in prehistoric times (Morat, 1993 from …show more content…
Sewage treatment plant
There has to be some investment for higher education programme for the local people so that they can maintain and operate the sewage treatment plant which has been abundant. The important thing is to stop the raw sewage bypasses the plant to flow into the ocean. The constraint would be the time duration until the trainees equip ability to manage the plant but this capacity must to be a collective will of those who receive benefits from.
Subsidize organic fertilizers and pesticides to the farmers
Farmers should raise awareness about the importance of shifting to more sustainable agricultural practices. There will be required substantial communication between the government and the farmers through activities such as workshops and seminars. Those who successfully recognise the relationship between farming practices and the ecosystem services that they receive, will be potential citizen scientists who contribute to the collection and monitoring to improve biodiversity database of the islands in the