ERW in the Pacific

The guns of WWII were silenced almost 70 years ago, leaving thousands of combatant graves from both sides on the Pacific Islands and tonnes of unexploded ordnance littering otherwise idyllic locations. Many of these munitions had failed to detonate as intended during the war and others had simply been abandoned – left lying on the ground or unsafely disposed of in the sea.

Nine Pacific Island states are still contaminated by massive amounts of World War Two ordnance, nearly 70 years after the war ended. Not only does this pose an explosive risk, the weapons are corroding, leaking dangerous chemicals into sea and soil. This legacy has both a human and environmental effect, limiting farming, damaging industry and tourism, and perpetuating the poverty cycle.

SafeGround have conducted many projects in the Pacific, continuing to identify areas and communities impacted by legacy weapons, documenting their affects and starting conversations. 

In Search of SafeGround

SafeGround’s latest major endeavour to research and document the effects of explosive remnants of war in the Pacific culminated in a book launch and photo exhibition at the United Nations conference relating to the Landmine Ban Treaty at the end of 2018, presenting the publication ‘In Search of SafeGround: explosive remnants of war in the Pacific.’ The aim of the project was to attract attention to the need for funding and clearance. By bringing the scale of the problem and potential solutions to affected communities, local and national leaders and their local and international partners, we engage them to take action. This has been a cornerstone of our work in the Pacific and we continue to date to build on this works and continue our efforts throughout the Pacific distributing the book and having dialogues with officials and communities.