By Linny Folau.

As the Climate and Oceans Support Program in the Pacific (COSPPac) draws to an end in 2018, two regional organizations will continue the work of this Australian Government-funded initiative.

Most of COSPPac activities have been picked up by its partners, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) and Pacific Community (SPC), who will continue to maintain and coordinate the projects.

Agata Imielska, a Senior Climatologist at the Australian International Development National Forecast Service told the Fourth Pacific Meteorological Council Meeting last week that the project focuses on climate and ocean services, working with Pacific Islands and stakeholders. They analyse and interpret ocean and climate related data.

“We are focusing on developing the services and products to strengthen the resilience capacity in the Pacific.”

Originally a four-year program, it was extended for two-years. She said the latest transition comes from an independent progress review by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs in 2014. “This direction has been very successful building on a partnership with SPREP and SPC....COSPPac has done a lot of work in not just the funding but the activities being implemented through these two regional organizations.”

Tonga gauge installations

Staffing has decreased in the program in Australia and new positions created in SPREP and SPC. Additional funding was granted for new programs like the upcoming gauge installations in Tonga and Tuvalu, she said.

Molly Powers-Tora, the Coordinator for Ocean Intelligence at SPC, said the products and services transitioned to SPC over the past few years included the Ocean and Coastal Geo Science work, for the maintenance of sea level monitoring stations in 14 Pacific island countries.

“We have really built up the capacity of our levelling and survey team that used to be one person. This is a big transition of capacity from Geo Science in Australia to SPC. The survey team has also been engaged in capacity mapping in lands and survey, and geo-spatial services in the Pacific.”

Tide predictions

Tora said a long-standing product under their oversight is the tide prediction calendars.

“Through COSPPac we have upgraded our tide information in extreme events, working with partners to make it more accessible.”

She said they have also taken on the responsibility to organize ocean and tides capacity building workshops carried out in few countries, with a few more countries to go.

“We have national met service attachment opportunities to build oceanography capacity at the local met services and regional levels. There have been successes in the transition progress with the majority of activities on track or completed,” said the SPC oceans expert.

“We commend the Australian Government for this new approach to do this transition. It’s the first time this has been done taking jobs and work previously offered from Geo Science Australia and sent it to region.”

There have been a lot of benefits and SPC looks forward to ongoing partnership in the future, added Tora.

Traditional knowledge

The Climate Traditional Knowledge Officer with SPREP, Siosinamele Lui, said they now look after climate and ocean support services. This includes climate and prediction services, providing monthly climate seasonal outlook bulletin to SPREP member countries and territories.

“Communication is crucial to reaching out to our communities,” she said.

Lui said some of the initiatives taken up in SPREP included assisting National Met Services to develop their communication strategy.

“The Pacific media’s participation at PMC4 is supported by the COSPPac project and this is part of our efforts to enable the media to understand met issues and a chance to strengthen relationship at the regional and national level.”

COSPPac activities are present in 14 Pacific Island countries.