Management

Palauans describe the environment as "Lukel a Klengar" - the nest of life. In this short film produced for the Palau International Coral Reef Center as part of the Our Ocean 2022 Conference, Palauan ocean conservation is on display through the protection of a massive piece of ocean in the Palau National Marine Sanctuary. Tommy Remengesau, Jr. (former President of Palau), Ann Singeo (Executive Director of the Ebiil Society), Paramount High Chief Reklai (traditional leader of the Palauan people), and others share their wisdom and insights about large ocean conservation.

 'Gwala Rising in the Bwanabwana Islands' depicts the revitalization of traditional conservation practices in the islands of Papua New Guinea. The community of Anagusa Island is combating the effects of climate change and protecting the coral reefs they rely on using gwala: the traditional practice of setting aside a reef or forest area to allow the ecosystem to recover. Gwala is helping the community of Anagusa Island prosper - empowering men and women with improved access to food and livelihoods.

Meet Josefa Bau from Nataleira who runs a dolphin watching business with tours to Moon Reef, a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in Fiji. Nurturing and protecting natural resources is not a new or foreign concept for i-Taukei (indigenous Fijians) like Josefa - ocean conservation is more than just environmental protection - it is an intrinsic part of their identity passed on for generations.

This Management Plan was prepared by the representatives of the Padezaka Tribe in partnership with the Natural Resources Development Foundation (NRDF), Integrated Forest Management Program (IFMP) and Ecological Solutions Solomon Islands (ESSI) in Choiseul. Members of the Padezaka tribe for their cooperation and patience through the process. The Padezaka Protected Area Management Committee acknowledged that the Padezaka Tribal Rain Forest Conservation Area is in the customary land of Padezaka tribe.

The time-tested Indigenous fishing knowledge (IFK) of Fiji and the Pacific Islands is seriously threatened due to the commercialization of fishing, breakdown of traditional communal leadership and oral knowledge transmission systems, modern education, and the movement of the younger generations to urban areas for work and/or study. Consequently, IFK, which has been orally transmitted for generations, has either been lost, not learned by the current generation, or remains undocumented.

East Rennell (part of the island of Rennell, in Solomon Islands) was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1998. Its listing was a milestone in the development of the World Heritage Convention regime. It was the first listed World Heritage site in the independent Pacific Island States, and the first place anywhere in the world to be inscribed based on its natural heritage values and its protection under customary law.

BIOPAMA has provided 16 grants in 9 countries to carry out on-ground protected area management work. Tenkile Conservation Alliance received a Small Technical Grant to support the conservation of Critically Endangered tree kangaroos. For information on upcoming call for proposals please visit action.biopama.org

In an age of dramatic environmental and ecological challenges, the dynamics of sovereignty associated with the conservation of natural resources in Oceania are in flux. This article draws on the transformative work of Tongan anthropologist and political philosopher Epeli Hau‘ofa to articulate characteristics of an Oceanian Sovereignty that illuminate ongoing conceptual shifts around conservation in this region.

Resource sustainability requires recognising and developing pathways to integrate local and Indigenous knowledges alongside conservation and sustainability sciences within management practices and governance. However, knowledge never occurs in a vacuum, and is always mediated by the beliefs, values, or stances towards its possession or use within particular contexts.