Oiled wildlife response planning for South Pacific islands

The marine environment and its wildlife are fundamental to every aspect of Pacific Island life. Pollution is recognised as one of the main threats to the world’s marine environment, and small island nations are extremely vulnerable to pollution events due to their limited ability to respond. This paper outlines the considerations for planning and undertaking an oiled wildlife response on a South Pacific Island compared with larger, more populated countries such as New Zealand. The main factors to consider are that it is likely that resources (people, equipment & facilities) will need to be transported/imported to the islands; freshwater would be an extremely limiting resource for some islands; there would be additional Health and Safety considerations; oily waste disposal (including oiled dead wildlife) could be problematic for small nations; and there is currently limited local governmental planning or regulations for oiled wildlife response and the capturing or rehabilitation of wildlife.