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Global calls for greater ocean protection have sparked renewed interest in very large marine protected areas (VLMPAs, >100,000 km2) to achieve management targets; however, their conservation value is debated.

Today the world faces three interconnected crises: biodiversity loss, climate change, and unsustainable debt, each greatly exacerbating the other. Governments, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) have increasingly focused on using commercial debt refinancing to simultaneously take action in support of conservation, build resilience to environmental change, and reduce or reprofile sovereign debt.

This study seeks to shed light on the rates and drivers of tree cover loss in island catchments focusing on a case study from Fiji. Global Forest Watch (GFW) is critically assessed as a framework for quantifying terrestrial tree cover loss and associated forest carbon stocks. The study assesses the role of the drivers of tree cover loss identified by GFW global models including anthropogenic deforestation: shifting agriculture, wildfires, urbanisation and plantation forestry as well as other drivers outside of the globally standardised list.

If the ocean was a state of its own, it would be the seventh largest economy in the world – with a “gross marine product” of at least US$ 2.5 trillion per year. This Blue Economy is underpinned by diverse ecosystems that provide valuable services to the world, be it fishing, tourism or shipping. On the one hand, the ocean is undoubtedly an important part of the world economy. On the other hand, its asset base, that is to say its capital, is steadily declining. This is because the sea is a commons.

Marine spatial planning is underway now, or starting, in many Pacific Island countries, including the Solomon Islands. This planning aims, amongst other things, to achieve the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Aichi Target 11 which states, in part, that at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas are conserved through ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas. For the Solomon Islands, means to achieve an ecologically representative system of marine protected areas is missing.

Marine spatial planning is underway now, or starting, in many Pacific Island countries, including Tonga. This planning aims, amongst other things, to achieve the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Aichi Target 11 which states, in part, that at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas are conserved through ecologically representative and wellconnected systems of protected areas. However, means for countries who have signed on to the CBD to achieve an ecologically representative system of marine protected areas is missing.

The Government of Vanuatu has decided to develop an oceans policy, aligning with recommendations from the Commonwealth Secretariat. This report has been prepared to provide an analysis and assessment of legislation relevant to management and use of Vanuatu’s oceans, to contribute to the development of a national oceans policy. The review approach involved an analytical framework comprising three components: 1. Individual analysis of legislation, policies, strategies and plans; 2. Integration of individual analyses into an assessment table for comparative analysis and assessment; and 3.

This study aimed to determine an economic value1 of seven marine and coastal ecosystem services in Kiribati. It is part of the MACBIO (Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Management in Pacific Island Countries) project, which aims to improve the management of marine and coastal biodiversity in Pacific Island countries.