Few places can be termed as a royal dream destination. Clearly, the Solomon Islands is a favourite destination for the British royal family. On a recent visit to the Solomon Islands, Prince Charles won the hearts of its people by speaking in their native language, known as pidgin English! Notably, the Prince of Wales was all praise while addressing the Parliament as follows, “It is my dearest wish that the Solomon Islands might become a beacon in this region and across the Commonwealth.”

A compelling speech on ocean management, bio-economy and national capital put the global spotlight back on what truly matters for countries worldwide – conserving planet Earth and its vast natural resources including marine life.

On a personal note, it was shared that Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had shared the extraordinary welcome he received on his first visit in 1959 with a multitude of canoes paddling out to greet the Royal Yacht Britannia and escort it towards Gizo Island.

Prince Charles also praised the hospitality of the Solomon Islanders for the warm welcome shown to William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, during their visit in 2012, as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

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“Choosing a healthy ocean, and an inclusive and sustainable blue economy, will require investment and effort, but this will be repaid many times over – not least through tourism. A compelling example can be found in the Galapagos islands, where the market price of a shark is about $300. But it has been estimated that the amount the same shark generates over its life through tourism is $5million, ” Prince Charles stated.

“Your forests are of global importance as are your coral reefs which are the second most diverse in the world, ” Prince Charles stated, “Such natural capital wealth should be the bedrock of economic growth, at the same time, it is fragile… ”

Linking the growing impact of global warming, climate change and natural capital depletion, Prince Charles reiterated that such unique ecosystems are ‘perilously closer to a tipping point’, following which a recovery may almost be impossible.

Emphasising on conserving biodiversity and helping to build climate change resilience, the Prince of Wales lauded the great success of the Arnavon Community Marine Park that was beneficial for local communities and paved the way for critically endangered hawksbill sea turtles and for the protection of coral reef areas which support high levels of biodiversity.

“If the world achieved the target of protecting thirty per cent of the Ocean by 2030, the global fishing catch would actually increase by thirty-seven per cent,” Prince Charles reminded.

Highlighting the immense potential for the Solomon Islands to take a leading role in smartly managing its forests and oceans, Prince Charles further stated, “Bio-economy is going to be of importance. Your forests offer a durable source of income, as a uniquely sustainable supply of biodiversity for the new technologies that are already emerging.”

Drawing upon the need for Governments, the private sector, and populations to work together to tackle these challenges, Prince Charles concluded on a positive note, “At last, the financial services sector and the capital markets have woken up to the huge potential now available from genuinely sustainable investment opportunities and the natural assets represented by your forests and the surrounding ocean could offer increasingly valuable structured investment opportunities.”

With the buzz in Britain growing stronger that Prince Charles is likely to take charge as Prince Regent from Queen Elizabeth, these views on the environment and climate change come at a significant juncture, besides the ‘royal boost’ to Solomon Islands tourism.
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