Results for Environment

The Environment Management Regulation 2016 passed in May, will not be enforced until 2017, the Acting Director of Environment, Mafile’o Masi confirmed yesterday, 7 September. The Act aims to punish Tongans' habit of dumping and burning rubbish in private homes and public places, including beaches and roadsides.

Tonga today marked World Environment Day, which falls on Sunday, 5 June, with programs that included a Go Green initiative that saw new rubbish bins on the Nuku’alofa waterfront and the start of a National Environment Awareness Week by government.

Raising awareness to protect Pacific whales in the face of emerging threats is part of a regional campaign ‘Protect Pacific Whales’ recently launched by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).

An announcement by government yesterday, 25 January, that it would create a 10 acres Va’epopua National Park in a former Nuku’alofa rubbish dump is yet another controversial decision that government has made during the past weeks - the park excludes the 500-600 year old Va’epopua Sia Heulupe archaeological site, the objective of a conservationist petition last year.

During the final round of talks on climate change in Paris, France, Tonga is the latest country to submit its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), joining over 150 Parties who have submitted their INDCs.

A 'Clean & Green' Tonga campaign by the Rotary Club of Nuku'alofa successfully distributed over 1000 'Clean & Green' bags at the Tongatapu Royal Agriculture, Fisheries Show on August 21-22. Photos by Sonia Chirgwin.

Understanding the role of the Meteorological Service and communicating weather, climate and disaster response information in a manner communities understand, is the focus of a three day workshop that opened at the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) in Vaololoa this morning.

Four shipwrecks have been cleared from the Nuku’alofa waterfront reefs as part of an ongoing clean-up operation starting last month.

The completion of a second phase of development of the Tapuhia Landfill, costing $2.7 million pa'anga, was marked with a handing-over ceremony at Tapuhia rubbish dump on January 13.