Changes for The Better Witnessed Over Two Decades Much More Still to Be Done

Changes for The Better Witnessed Over Two Decades Much More Still to Be Done

Posted by : Frank Short Posted on : 16-Mar-2021

Compared to 22 years ago when I last worked in the Solomon Islands successive governments with the help of traditional donor partners and international funding agencies such as the World Bank and the Asia Development, the WHO, and the UNDP, have contributed to change the Solomon Islands for the better, but the country is not out of the woods yet, if I express the situation somewhat crudely.

Today, the environment and natural resources of the Solomon Islands are still under threat. The threats include invasive species; loss of major land and marine habitats; overexploitation of natural resources; destructive harvesting techniques; and climate change from sea level rise and more frequent destructive climatic events. The root causes stem from human activity - increasing population, increasing consumption, changing economic circumstances, the need for cash, and the drive for a more technological world.

The population of the Solomon Islands is increasing rapidly annually and the present population is estimated at 700,000. This is putting pressure on natural resources and land for food and food production, building materials, and other life support systems. The land is cleared for timber, forestry, oil palm plantations, farming, urban and rural developments, and infrastructure. Marine habitats are damaged from destructive fishing practices such as dynamite and poisons, pollution and harvesting of rock and coral. Solomon Islanders has moved to a cash economy for school fees, petrol and kerosene, and processed foods. This has resulted in a loss of traditional methods of natural resource management and use. 

Compounding the impacts of human pressure is the threat of climate change and sea-level rise. Unfortunately for the Small Islands States like Solomon Islands, the developed countries are the main producers of greenhouse gases and other climate-changing factors. However, the effects have severely impact coastal communities, islands and atolls and much is still needing to be done in providing protection and, hopefully, with financial support from the Green Climate Fund.

The increasing pressures on the environment require action. Multilateral environmental agreements such as the Rio Conventions on Biological Diversity, Climate Change and Combating Desertification have been designed specifically for the international community to meet international goals through national actions and the Solomon Islands will need to work to meet its commitments to the three international conventions.

A huge concern of mine, which I have raised before, is the fact that a very large portion of the health budget is taken up by dealing with diabetes and other Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs and pose a huge health cost to the government and the single biggest threat to the future development aspirations of the people and country.

NCDs are killing more people in Solomon Islands today than all the causes put together, including Covid-19 (and there has not been a single death attributed to coronavirus) and NCDs have not been accorded the attention and priority they deserve, according to some well placed medical sources.

It is a fact that up to 70% of all deaths in the country today are due to NCDs such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, chronic respiratory disease and cancer.

Diabetes alone, accounts for roughly 20% of the health budget.

A return to a traditional diet and less dependence on imported food products which contain too much fat and sugar is part of the answer to controlling NCD illnesses and there is a great need to give more educational advice on eating nutritional meals.

Much more could be said for the need for change but it should be for others to comment rather than from one who looks at the country from afar, albeit one with the strongest desire to see the Solomon Islands progress for the benefit and wefare of all its people.

Yours sincerely

Frank Short

www.solomonislandsinfocus.com

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