Pacific leaders push to put environment at center of regional health strategy

By Ron Rocky Coloma

Pacific island nations are taking steps to strengthen the role of environmental agencies in regional health planning as governments confront the growing impacts of climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss and emerging disease threats.

The effort is being advanced through the One Health approach, a framework that recognizes the connections among environmental, human and animal health and encourages collaboration across sectors that have traditionally worked independently.

Regional officials say environmental issues increasingly influence public health outcomes across the Pacific, where communities are often on the front lines of climate change and environmental degradation.

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"The good news is that the Secretariat Nature for Health endorsed or nominated SPREP as one of the hubs to be engaged in the Nature for Health full project delivery in the coming years," said Jope Davetanivalu, director of the Environment Governance Program at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program, or SPREP.

The Nature for Health initiative is being developed through a partnership involving SPREP, the Pacific Community and the United Nations Environment Program. Officials said the initiative will include a regional scoping exercise to identify priorities and determine how environmental agencies can contribute to broader health goals across Oceania.

Davetanivalu said many environmental challenges facing Pacific islands also affect community health and well-being.

Among the concerns he cited were pollution, sea level rise, mining, logging, unsustainable fishing, invasive species, deep-sea mining and large-scale agricultural and livestock developments.

The push comes as Pacific governments increasingly examine how environmental conditions can influence disease risks and public health outcomes.

Officials said environmental degradation can affect food security, water quality, ecosystem health and the spread of diseases, making coordination between sectors more important.

Martin Hitziger, an ecosystems specialist officer at SPREP, said effective One Health efforts require looking beyond individual disciplines and understanding how environmental, social and health systems interact.

He said governments often focus on technical solutions within their own sectors, while broader challenges require coordinated responses that account for multiple factors at once.

Hitziger said one of the goals of the One Health approach is to help institutions identify common priorities and reduce barriers that prevent collaboration among agencies and experts.

"One Health is the art and the skill of bringing all this together to a more systemic thinking," he said.

He said Pacific countries face unique circumstances because of their geography, limited resources and reliance on natural systems. At the same time, those factors can create opportunities for collaboration because governments, organizations and communities often work closely together.

Hitziger said professionals in many Pacific island nations frequently move between government agencies, nongovernmental organizations and regional institutions throughout their careers, creating networks that can help support cross-sector cooperation.

Officials involved in the initiative said the Pacific's experience with climate adaptation, disaster preparedness and natural resource management provides a foundation for integrating environmental considerations into broader health planning and policy development.

SPREP serves 21 Pacific island countries and territories and five metropolitan members.

Officials say the organization is now seeking to ensure environmental perspectives are more fully represented in regional health discussions.

Part of that effort includes encouraging member governments to identify environmental focal points who can participate in One Health activities and coordinate with health and agricultural agencies. Existing regional forums on climate change, biodiversity and environmental governance may also be used to support the initiative.

Davetanivalu said environmental agencies have long focused on prevention by identifying risks before they become larger problems, an approach that aligns with broader One Health objectives.

"One of our roles now is to raise awareness on the importance of mainstreaming One Health within their activities," he said.

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While the Pacific has made progress in cross-sector collaboration, officials acknowledge challenges remain.

Hitziger said barriers can include competition for resources, limited technical capacity, institutional divisions and difficulties sharing information.

At the same time, Pacific island countries possess strengths that can support regional cooperation, including close professional networks, relatively small government systems and strong community connections.

Hitziger said one challenge facing many Pacific institutions is maintaining institutional knowledge as experienced personnel either move between organizations or leave public service.

"If two or three staff go, they take the knowledge with them," Hitziger said. "Sometimes they take the passwords to databases or laptops with them, and no one has access to it anymore."

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