Fiji is committed to, and is embarking upon, a process to significantly increase the number and coverage of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) within the country. To help deliver on this commitment, the Marine Working Group of the Fiji national Protected Area Committee (PAC), established under the Environmental Management Act 2005, requested a review of previous efforts to describe marine priority sites for Fiji.
In 2015, the Tongan Cabinet embarked upon a National Marine Spatial Planning process, establishing a marine spatial planning technical working group comprising seven Ministries (the “Ocean 7”). One of their tasks was to identify Tonga’s special, unique marine areas. This report brings together data, literature and the outputs of a special workshop synthesising information about the areas identified. Data collected informed a scoring system by which the areas could be rated.
Marine protected areas (MPAs) exist all over the world to protect biodiversity. Their protection statuses range from minimally protected “sustainable use” areas to no-take zones, where any form of extractive activity, like fishing or mining, is prohibited.
The Pacific Islands Forum states have made a bold claim to be the authentic custodians of the Pacific Ocean’s marine resources and health through the forum’s ‘Blue Pacific’ strategy.
Climate change is altering familiar conditions of the world's oceans and creating new environments that could undermine efforts to protect sea life in the world's largest marine protected areas. The changing conditions also have cultural and economic implications for the people whose traditions a
A marine scientist in Hawaii says the Phoenix Islands Protected Area is incredibly strategic in the Pacific, especially in this age of climate change.
The Kiribati Government has decided to open up one of the world’s largest marine reserves to commercial fishing and de-register it as a World Heritage site. The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) spans over 400,000 square kilometres and borders US waters...Former President Anote Tong, who was
Since 2006, Kitty Simonds has used her position and the resources available to her as executive director of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council to organize and facilitate a fierce resistance to the establishment or expansion of marine monuments.
Effectively managing marine ecosystems—by preserving biodiversity, protecting ocean-based livelihoods, and ensuring sustainable fisheries—requires a lot of information about threats, and about species location, abundance, and food and habitat needs.
The Pitcairn Island Council recently published a five-year plan providing a framework and long-term direction for managing activities, monitoring, compliance and enforcement of the Pitcairn Islands marine protected area (MPA).