Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A rare bird in Papua New Guinea that was last officially documented 55 years ago has finally been captured again on camera.

The New Britain Goshawk was snapped in the Nakanai Ranges by Fiji-based photographer Tom Vierus.

"I was on a scoping trip with WWF in Pomio [eastern New Britain], with three members of the local community guiding us through the forest, so we could better understand the presence of species. I photographed several bird species, including the New Britain Goshawk, but wasn't aware of the significance at the time," Tom Vierus said, sharing how he secured the photograph.

The last documented scientific record of the species appears to be a July 1969 specimen that is kept in the American Museum of Natural History in New York, USA.

Confirming the photographed bird as the New Britain Goshawk, John Mittermeier, Director of the Search for Lost Birds at American Bird Conservancy, said: "While there have been multiple sight-only records in the intervening years, the New Britain Goshawk seems to have eluded photo, sound, and specimen documentation for 55 years."

According to the World Wildlife Fund Papua New Guinea hosts the third-largest intact tropical forest in the world, following the Amazon and Congo basins. With more than 5,000 lakes, extensive river systems and wetlands, more than 8,000 kilometres of mangrove swamps, lagoons, coral reefs and atolls, the country is remarkably diverse in terms of species, landscapes and ecosystems.

The forests where the bird was photographed are part of the Nakanai Ranges, a rugged and remarkably biodiverse expanse of green dotted mountains that form a section of the Sublime Karsts of Papua New Guinea, a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site.

[RNZ Pacific]

PRESIDENT’S PACIFIC PLAN

The United States House of Representatives has passed a bill which would require US presidents to develop a Pacific Partnership strategy.

The bill, if eventually passed into law, would mean the President, in coordination with the Secretary of State, "shall develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a strategy entitled the "Strategy for Pacific Partnership'."

It said this should happen "not later than January 1, 2026, and again not later than January 1, 2030".

The bill states this strategy would include overarching goals for United States engagement in the Pacific Islands region and a plan to address threats faced by the region, including from natural disasters.

It would also include an analysis of the needs and goals expressed by governments of the Pacific Islands region.

Hawai'i representative Ed Case, who sponsored the bill, told the House it aims to broaden and deepen US partnerships with their fellow nations of the Pacific.

He said the Pacific today faces challenges including increased natural disasters, human and drug trafficking, economic sustainability and threats to democracy.

"It is crucial that the United States continues to extend our hand of full partnership in assisting the countries of the Pacific to meet these challenges, as we have for generations.

"Our bill...advances these goals.

"It acknowledges that the United States should support the vision, values and objections of the Pacific Islands."

American Samoa representative Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen said while Congress has extended the Compacts of Free Association, "those are only focused on three Pacific Island countries".

"There are 11 other countries who need our attention."

The bill has passed the lower House this month and has been received in the Senate, read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

[RNZ Pacific]

TUVALU HAS NEW GOVT HOUSE

Tuvalu's Prime Minister, Dr Feleti Teo, has a new residence and Tuvalu TV reported renovations cost US$1.8 million ($2.7 million Tuvaluan).

The renovation of the Prime Minister and Governor General's residences was initiated by the government of Enele Sopoaga in 2017.

It was delayed for a few years due to other projects, including the construction of bungalows for the Pacific Leaders' Group in 2018 and the Pacific Islands Leaders' Meeting in 2019, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Construction work kicked off again in 2020 and wrapped up this year.

[RNZ Pacific]

SOLOMON ISLANDS RENEWABLE ENERGY

The Asian Development Bank has given a US$10 million loan and a US$5 million grant for a renewable energy project in Solomon Islands.

The bank says the project will finance new solar farms in Guadalcanal and Malaita provinces, along with an energy storage system in Honiara.

It will also pilot a business model for rooftop solar systems at two regional schools, and support reforms of the Solomons power sector.

Money is also coming from the Saudi Fund for Development and from Solomon Power, and the Government of Solomon Islands is providing $7 million in exempted duties and taxes.

[RNZ Pacific]

DRUGS IN FIJI SCHOOLS

Fiji's Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad has raised concern over the rising number of drug cases in schools and among Fiji's youth.

Speaking at the 50th anniversary celebration of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) he has again called on the urgent need to stop the spread of hard drugs.

FBC reported Prasad also mentioned the critical role that faith-based organizations, such as ISKCON, can play in the fight against drugs.

[RNZ Pacific]

FRENCH POLYNESIA OLYMPIAN KNIGHTED

French Polynesian Olympic surfing gold medalist Kauli Vaast has been made a Knight in the Legion of Honour.

He was given the title during an official ceremony at the weekend to mark the end of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The award was bestowed upon all French medalists, either in the Legion of Honour or in the National Order of Merit.

[RNZ Pacific]