2019 Pacific Environmental Security Forum

Overview

The 2019 Pacific Environmental Security Forum took place 21-24 May in Wellington, New Zealand. It was the ninth annual environmental security event, which was organized by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT). The event brought together partners from across the Indo-Pacific region to discuss climate security, resource protection, biosecurity, multilateral cooperation, and environmental security transformation. Event activities included presentations, panel sessions, work group activities, a site visit, and other exercises.

Forum Host

New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Agenda

Day 1 – Climate Security Challenges in the Pacific

Tuesday, 21 May 2019

0800 – 0845
REGISTRATION

0845 – 0910
Opening Ceremony

Comments from: Honourable Ron Mark, Minister of Defence, New Zealand and Honorable Scott P. Brown, U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and the Independent State of Samoa

0910 – 0920
GROUP PHOTO

0920 – 0950
BREAK

0950 – 1000
Administrative Reminders

Mr. John Anakotta, Senior Policy Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand

1000 – 1010
Climate Science Overview: Introduction to Climate Security Challenges in the Pacific Theme

Professor James Renwick, School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Victoria University, New Zealand

1010 – 1030
New Zealand Defence Assessment on Climate Change

Ms. Jane Neilson, Senior Policy Analyst (Climate Change and Security), Ministry of Defence, New Zealand

1030 – 1050
Tropical Cyclone Gita: A HMAF Experience

Maj Soane Aholelei, Component Commander – Training, His Majesty’s Armed Forces, Tonga

1050 – 1100
BREAK 2

1100 – 1120
Climate Change-Related Human Mobility in the Pacific

Dr. Nathan Ross, Development Manager, Climate Change and Environment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade, New Zealand

1140 – 1200
Climate Security Panel Session

Moderated by Ms. Alexandra Pierard, Director, Global and Oceania International Branch, New Zealand Ministry of Defence, New Zealand

1200 – 1315
WORKING LUNCH

1315 – 1335

Pacific Environmental Security Partnership (PESP) Introduction

Mr. Christopher Sholes, Environmental Security Program Manager, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

1335 – 1345

PESP Work Group Overview

Col Mike Matheis, Civil Engineer, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

1345 – 1405

(Education) Environmental Sensitivity Index

Surgeon Captain Duminda Indunil Samarawickrama, Senior Command Officer, Western Naval Command, Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka

1345 – 1405

(Mitigation) Grounding of MV Solomon Trader: Its Intricacies and Related Experiences

Mr. Joe Horokou, Director of Environment and Conservation Division, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Solomon Islands

1345 – 1405

(Networking) Information Sharing

Mr. Jared Batzel, Pacific Disaster Center, J9, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, USA

1345 – 1405

(Policy) Climate Resilience Practices in the U.S. Department of Defense

Lt Col Chad Gemeinhardt, Military Deputy, Office of the Secretary of Defense – Environment, USA

1405 – 1410

MOVE TO NEXT SESSION

1410 – 1430

(Education) Role of Maritime Domain Awareness in Governance

Dr. Christopher Merritt, Maritime Technical Advisor, U.S. Mission to Association of Southeast Asian Nations

1410 – 1430

(Mitigation) Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation through Sustainable Management of Wetlands in the Southern Most Two Atolls of the Maldives

Mr. Mohamed Hamdhaan Zuhair, Assistant Director, Environmental Protection Agency, Maldives

1410 – 1430

(Networking) Using Diverse Networks to Find New Opportunities and Avoid Entrenchment

Dr. George Woodman, Director, Teng Hoi Conservation Organization Ltd.

1410 – 1430

(Policy) Climate Change and Defense: A National and International Roadmap

Dr. Nicolas Regaud, Special Representative to the Indo-Pacific, France

1430 – 1500

BREAK 3

1500 – 1520

(Education) Environmental Intelligence: Products and Decision Support Services from NOAA

CAPT Barry Choy, Liaison Officer to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA

1500 – 1520

(Mitigation) Humanitarian Mine Action Program

Capt Julie Mages, Engineering Plans Officer, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

1500 – 1520

(Networking) Security Cooperation- A Case Study of Successful Tiger Conservation

Mr. Sanjeev Pandey, Program Management Specialist, Office of Defense Cooperation, U.S. Embassy, Kathmandu

1500 – 1520

(Policy) Compliance Monitoring of Sustainable Coastal Management of Offshore Islands with Support from NZDF and Other Maritime Agencies

Ms. Sarah Hucker, Senior National Resource Management Act Advisor, Department of Conservation, New Zealand

1520 – 1525

MOVE TO NEXT SESSION

1525 – 1545

(Education) Australia’s Experience in Supporting Water Security in the Indo-Pacific

Mr. Russell Rollason, Assistant Director – Water Resource Management, Governance Fragility and Water Branch, Development Policy Division, Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, Australia

1525 – 1545

(Mitigation) Conserving Natural Resources through Sustainable Design
MAJ Jim Servi, Engineering Plans Officer, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

1525 – 1545

(Networking) Combatting Environment and Forestry Crime through Multiple Instruments of Law Enforcement: Case of Forest Fire in Indonesia

Dr. Rasio Ridho Sani, Director General of Law Enforcement of Environment and Forestry, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia

1525 – 1545

(Policy) How to Reduce Open Burning in Southeast Asia

Dr. Qwanruedee Chotichanathawewon, Director of Research Center for Environmental Strategy, Division of Research Policy and Plan, The National Research Council of Thailand

1545 – 1550

MOVE TO PLENARY

1550 – 1600

Administrative Summary and Waiata (Traditional Māori Song Practice for Evening Reception)

Mr. John Anakotta, Senior Policy Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand

1730 – 1900

EVENING RECEPTION

The Grand Hall at Parliament, Whakatau
Comments by the Honourable Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, New Zealand

Day 2 – Environmental Security and Resource Sustainability

Wednesday, 22 May 2019

0900 – 0905

Administrative Remarks

Mr. John Anakotta, Senior Policy Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand

0905 – 0915

Introduction to Environmental Security and Resource Sustainability Theme

Mr. Justin Allan, Principal Maritime Policy Advisor, National Maritime Coordination Centre, New Zealand

0915 – 0935

Climate Change, Maritime Security and Resource Protection

Rear Admiral David Proctor, Chief of the Royal Navy of New Zealand

0935 – 1000

Maritime Domain Awareness and Resource Protection

Ms. Sylvie Goyet, Director of Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Programme, Pacific Community

1000 – 1030

BREAK 1

1030 – 1055

Biosecurity Intelligence – Assessing Future Biosecurity Threats

Dr. Eve Pleydell, Team Manager – Biosecurity Intelligence, Ministry for Primary Industries, New Zealand

1055 – 1120

Eradication of Island Invasives in the New Zealand Subantarctic

Mr. Stephen Horn, Maukahuka Pest-Free Auckland Island Project Manager, Department of Conservation, New Zealand

1120 – 1200

Environmental Security and Resource Sustainability Panel Session

Moderated by Mr. Justin Allan, Principal Maritime Policy Advisor, National Maritime Coordination Centre, New Zealand

1200 – 1300

WORKING LUNCH

1300 – 1345

Lessons from the Past: What Can Traditional Environmental Knowledge Teach Us?

Ms. Melanie Mark-Shadbolt, Kaihautu Chief Māori Advisor, Ministry for the Environment, New Zealand

1345 – 1415

BREAK 2

1415 – 1420

Administrative Summary

Mr. John Anakotta, Senior Policy Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand

1420 – 1430

WALK to TE PAPA MUSEUM

1430 – 1600

Traditional Māori and Environmental Exhibits Tour
Te Papa Museum

Day 3 – Multilateral Approaches to Environmental Security

Thursday, 23 May 2019

0900 – 0905

Administrative Remarks

Mr. John Anakotta, Senior Policy Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand

0905 – 0915

Introduction to Multilateral Approaches to Environmental Security Theme

Air Commodore Kirrily Dearing, Director General Support J1/4, Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC), Australia

0915 – 0935

Multilateral Approach to Environment Security – A PIFS Perspective

Mr. Terio Koronawa, Regional Security Officer, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

0935 – 1000

Bangladesh-India Sundarban Region Cooperation Initiative: A Vision for Joint Platform

Dr. Uttam Kumar Sinha, Fellow and Managing Editor, Strategic Analysis, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, India

1000 – 1030

BREAK 1

1030 – 1050

Importance of Multilateral Cooperation for Mitigating Potential Environmental Security Threats in the SPREP Region

Mr. Roger Cornforth, Deputy Director General, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme

1050 – 1120

What, Who and How: Synergies for Environmental Security from a United Nations Perspective

Dr. Lisa Guppy, Disaster and Conflict Regional Coordinator (Asia/Pacific), United Nations Environment Programme

1120 – 1200

Multilateral Approaches to Environmental Security Panel Session

Moderated by Air Commodore Kirrily Dearing, Director General Support J1/4, Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC), Australia

1200 – 1300

WORKING LUNCH

1300 – 1315

Environmental Security Exercise Introduction

Mr. Justin Pummell, Geographer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USA

1315 – 1320

Environmental Security Threat Identification

1320 – 1350

Regional Threat Prioritization Exercise

1350 – 1415

Regional Threat Prioritization Presentations

1415 – 1445

BREAK 2

1445 – 1545

Environmental Sensitivity Index Exercise

1545 – 1600

Environmental Security Exercise Summary

Mr. Justin Pummell, Geographer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USA

1600 – 1610

Administrative Summary

Mr. John Anakotta, Senior Policy Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand

Day 4 – Environmental Security Transformation

Friday, 24 May 2019

0900 – 0905

Administrative Remarks

Mr. John Anakotta, Senior Policy Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand

0905 – 0915

Introduction to Environmental Security Transformation Theme

Dr. John Wood, Director, Pacific Outreach (J9), U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

0915 – 0945

PESP Terms of Reference

Mr. Christopher Sholes, Environmental Security Program Manager, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

0945 – 1000

PESP Structure

COL Mike Goodyer, Senior Environmental Planner, SPT Branch, Headquarters Joint Operations Command, Australia

1000 – 1030

BREAK 1

1030 – 1115

PESP Terms of Reference Group Review

1115 – 1215

Project Collaboration Development Session

Mr. Christopher Sholes, Environmental Security Program Manager, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

1215 – 1315

WORKING LUNCH

1315 – 1400

Project Collaboration Outbriefs by Countries

1400 – 1430

Environmental Security Forum After-Action Review Elaboration Session

Moderated by Col Mike Matheis, Civil Engineer, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, USA

1430 – 1445

2020 Pacific Environmental Security Forum Proposal

CG/CDR Lazaro Ernesto C. Valdez, Jr., Chief of Staff, National Coast Watch Center, Philippines

1445 – 1515

BREAK 2

1515 – 1530

Closing Ceremony

Comments by:

Rear Admiral John J. Adametz, Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific, USA

and

Her Excellency Kay Harrison, Climate Change Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand

1530 – 1600

Certificate and Photo Distribution

Gallery

Event Documents:

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What Does The Partnership Do?

The Partnership broadly conceptualizes environmental security as safeguarding against vulnerabilities induced by the abundance or scarcity of environmental assets and/or degradation. The Working Groups implement training and capacity building activities to improve the ability of partner nations to plan for and manage environmental security challenges.

IPESP Partners

The Partnership includes four working groups, which help shape the mission, maintain structure and sustainability, and provide clear lines to accomplish organizational objectives.