Our guest speaker at the Zoom meeting on Tuesday 14 July was Dr Stuart Kininmonth from the University of Queensland.
Stuart's mother Carolyn and cousin Bronny Donnelly also joined the 31 members of our Club for the Zoom meeting.
Dr Stuart Kininmonth addressing us via Zoom
Stuart has recently completed a three and a half year stint as the Senior Lecturer at the School of Marine Studies at the University of South Pacific (USP).
Stuart holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Melbourne University, majoring in Zoology and Genetics, a Masters in Resource Science from the University of New England and a Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Queensland.
Stuart has an extensive history of marine and ecological research.
He has over 20 years experience in marine and coral reef ecology and he has led teams conducting surveys and experiments in the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea.
Among a diverse range of global activities, Stuart has active ongoing collaboration with the Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University in Sweden and has modeled Baltic Sea fisheries.
Stuart is a Level 1 accredited diver, teaches scuba diving and hold a commercial boat licence.
His topic for the evening was Challenges in Small Island Developing Countries.
Stuart talked about living in Fiji whilst at USP. He took on the role there because he wanted to explore the peoples and culture of the Pacific islands.
USP has twelve member countries that all share the one university.
The islanders are warm, welcoming and vibrant.
Stuart outlined his meetings and dealings with the Council of Chiefs.
While the impact and potential impact of climate change is serious and will cause major problems for Pacific Islands, there are a host of other problems as well. These include high rates of diabetes, medical mismanagement, environmental issues, third rate sewerage systems and the impact of modern technology.
While there its a strong desire for cars, phones and roads, many of these things have been introduced in a haphazard manner without the necessary supporting infrastructure.
Another major issue is the over nutrification of reefs caused by over usage of nutrients.
While one thinks of Pacific islands as being pristine, rubbish is a huge problem. In Fiji Stuart came across 200 kilograms of rubbish for every 100 metres of beach. There is a lack of understanding of recycling and other methods of rubbish reduction. Some areas tried burning rubbish with disastrous consequences.
A general hunger for infrastructure in the Pacific sees an insidious approach by China where locals are given loans that they cannot afford to repay. Loans have to be paid back and there have been a number of defaults leading to China having significant control in some areas.
Australia, on the other hand, gives money through foreign aid and doesn't expect it to be paid back.
The largest tuna fishing industry in the world occurs in the Pacific and a number of countries have been trading off their tuna right to China in return for hospitals, bridges and roads.
The impact of COVID-19 has been horrendous, especially on the tourism industry.
The University of South Pacific is endeavouring to teach the skills and tools necessary for them to make informed decisions about their future. People need to control their destiny and shape their future.
Stuart's highly informative session was finished with a number of questions from interested Club members.
Page one of the Zoom attendees