Fata Malolo Funefeai is among 30 Pacific Island environmental practitioners and government officials who received post graduate certificates in Ridge to Reef Sustainable Development from James Cook University. 

Fata is the only Samoan graduating from the programme. He is the Ridge to Reef Project Manager for the Water Resources Divisions of the the Ministry for Natural Resources and Environment (M.N.R.E.).

A formal graduation will be held in in Townsville, Australia next April.

The M.N.R.E. describes the post-graduate training program as aiming to strengthen local capacity and establish a cadre of island-based project managers and technicians.

Levan Bouadze, the resident representative of the United Nations Development Program, the agency agency attached to the project they were honoured to be the project implementors. 

"The U.N.D.P. is honoured to partner with the Global Environment Facility (G.E.F.), the Pacific Community, national Governments and development partners in implementing this project.

“Our enduring commitment is to improve resilience of the Pacific Island nations, help them protect their rich biodiversity and secure their ecosystems".

Deputy Director of the Pacific Community's (S.P.C.) Geoscience, Energy and Maritime project, Rhonda Robinson, said the achievement of best practices in integrated management in Pacific Island countries relies on local capacity for coastal and water resource management.

"This is constrained by the scarcity and limited sharing of specialist expertise and technical resources for integrated resource management in the region, which is why this is a significant milestone achievement not just for the programme, but for sustainable development of participating countries, the region and globally."

James Cook University Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Marcus Lane, commended the partnership.

“We are very proud to partner with S.P.C. on this very important initiative to build much need capacity in the region in Ridge to Reef Sustainable Development," he said. 

“The custom designed course was developed specifically for the R2R programme and practitioners to improve governance and enable positive contribution to some of the world's most pressing environmental challenges and leading international debates through its application to the implementation of national projects.”