Oil spill from the Solomon Trader after
running aground in Rennell, Solomon Islands © Australian High Commission
Solomon Islands
An oil spill has occurred near East
Rennell, the only natural World Heritage site in the Pacific that is on the
Danger List. Experts from Australia are currently working with the national
authorities to ascertain the status of the situation and advice on possible
mitigation measures to be taken.
On 4 February 2019, the bulk carrier MV
Solomon Trader ran aground in Kangava Bay, Rennell Island, while loading
bauxite ore. While the grounding and consecutive oil spill occurred just outside
the World Heritage property, there is concern for a possible impact on the
World Heritage site and the livelihoods of the local communities.
The World Heritage Centre is thankful for
the ongoing support from Australia, a current member of the World Heritage
Committee, and is pleased to see States Parties to the World Heritage
Convention in the Pacific work together on the conservation of our common World
Heritage.
The World Heritage Centre is determined to
support Solomon Islands and Australia in exploring all options to hold the
responsible company, owners and insurers to account. It concerns in particular
the mining company Bintan Mining Solomon Islands Ltd and Asia Pacific
Investment Development Ltd (APID), the shipping and charter firm South Express
Ltd, and the insurance firm Korea Protection and Indemnity Club (Korea P&I
Club).
"It is of the utmost importance that
any damage to the World Heritage property and the livelihoods of the local
communities is fully covered by the responsible company, owners and
insurers", said Dr. Mechtild Rössler, Director of the UNESCO World
Heritage Centre.
An ever increasing number of companies,
banks and insurance companies such as Swiss Re, Allianz and Goldman Sachs, to
mention but a few, have committed to implement policies to ensure that none of
their investments could damage World Heritage properties. The International
Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and its members in 2004 also subscribed to
the no-go commitment. As part of this commitment, mining companies agreed not
to mine or explore for mining inside World Heritage sites but also to ensure
that mining operations adjacent to World Heritage properties will not impact
the Outstanding Universal Value for which these properties are listed and do
not put the integrity of these properties at risk.
While priority lies now in assessing and
mitigating the impacts of the oil spill, in the long run the development of
sustainable livelihoods for and by the local communities is key. Logging and
bauxite mining are currently one of the few sources of revenue for local
communities. Development of ecotourism and small businesses that derive
benefits from the conservation of the World Heritage site, the traditional
knowledge of the Polynesian community and their cultural values is key for the
future. In 2018, the World Heritage Committee called upon the international
community to support Solomon Islands with the development of sustainable
livelihoods for the local communities.
East Rennell was inscribed on the World
Heritage List in 1998 and is the largest raised coral atoll in the world. The
site includes Lake Tegano, a brackish lake containing many rugged limestone
islets which was the former lagoon on the atoll, a diverse and unmodified
forest vegetation, and a marine area extending 3 nautical miles to sea. The
property was the first natural property inscribed on the World Heritage List
with customary ownership and management, and approximately 1,200 people of
Polynesian origin occupy four villages within the boundaries of the property,
living mainly by subsistence gardening, hunting and fishing.
East Rennell was inscribed on the List of
World Heritage in Danger in 2013 for threats to its Outstanding Universal Value
posed by commercial logging of its forests and the introduction of invasive
rats. The site also suffers from over-exploitation of its marine resources of
which little is known to date.
UNESCO is working with the national
authorities to ascertain the status of the situation and the best mitigation
measures to be taken.
A joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive
Monitoring mission was already expected to visit the property in the next
months, as requested by the World Heritage Committee in July 2018.
Map of the East Rennell World Heritage site
and the adjacent Kangava / Kagava Bay where the grounding occurred. © UNESCO
