Very fishy: Australia fails to see ocean for the fish

One of island delegate stated that no one is fully happy with the text, despite their praise.

"I can live with it," the delegate said, "but I would like to see more on ecological effects."

A spokesperson from the World Bank provided some optimism.

"The general feeling is that, no matter what comes out of Rio, governments will take action."

Australiahas played an admirable role as mediator and facilitator, encouraging compromise and easing contentions.

But if Australia hopes to be a champion for the Pacific region, it will need a more holistic approach, particularly as Pacific Islands are poorly represented in the negotiations.

Aside from a few self-representing nations, the only other forum for Pacific Islands in the oceans negotiations appears to be the G77, a large and unwieldy group beset by factionalism and conflicting interests.

The Pacific region is comprised of Australia, New Zealand, and many small island nations, including Fiji and Kiribati.

There is estimated to be more than 23 000 islands in the area.

"We are not a small island developing country, but rather a large ocean developing economy," said H. E. Tom Murdoch, the Kiribati Finance Minister.

Rio+20 is a UN conference of sustainable development in areas such as ocean, jobs and energy.

The summit is predicted to be the largest UN conference yet, with over 150 heads of state and 50 000 participants.