Status of policy and target development and implementation for marine protected areas/marine managed areas in the Pacific Islands Region - a preliminary assessment and future directions

This paper is based on presentations and discussions held during a marine managed areas (MMAs)2session organised by NOAA, SPREP and Conservation International (CI) as part of the “Our Seas of Islands” Regional Forum for Oceania on MMAs convened by
NOAA, UNESCO and partners held in Hawaii in January 2007. The overall objective of the session was to promote a shared understanding of the extent and diversity of MPA/MMA approaches and key lessons learned in their design, and to identify practical and strategic future actions to further apply these tools in the Oceania marine realm.

Conservation Finance for Coral Reefs

Coral reefs face threats from climate change and local pressures, but many initiatives designed to deliver conservation outcomes for them and the social-economic systems they support are limited by sustainable finance and the availability of funds over the long term. Conservation finance is viewed as part of a holistic approach to coral reef conservation that integrates science-based biodiversity, social, and economic solutions tailored to local socio-cultural, environmental, and economic conditions to ensure their effective design and implementation.

Comparison of historical (1980s) and contemporary (2023–2024) microplastic contamination of arc clams (Anadara spp.) from tidal flats in Suva, Fiji

Microplastic pollution threatens marine ecosystems, especially in vulnerable regions like the Pacific Islands. This study examines temporal trends by comparing Anadara spp. specimens from Fiji's tidal flats in the 1980s and 2023–2024. Historical samples from the University of the South Pacific's Marine Collection and newly collected specimens were analyzed. Results show microplastic contamination increased from 76 % of 1980s samples (0.42 ± 0.4 particles per individual) to 100 % in 2023–2024 (0.93 ± 0.4 particles per individual).

Report of the annual meeting of the South Pacific whale research consortium, 9th February - 12th February 2009, Auckland, New Zealand

Members of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium met at the University of Auckland from 8-12 February, 2009 to discuss (i) the results of fieldwork and analysis conducted during 2008 and, (ii) conservation initiatives in the region. As with previous synoptic surveys dating back to the austral winter of 1999, surveys of humpback whales were conducted to collect genetic samples, individual identification photographs and song recordings in the four primary regions: New Caledonia, Tonga (Vava’u), Cook Islands and French Polynesia (Moorea).

Marine biodiversity law in Fiji, Solomon and Vanuatu Islands : final report

The research agreement signed on 19th December 2005 by the Institute of Research for Development (IRD), the University Paul Sabatier (Toulouse III) and Nantes University, the Pharmacochemical laboratories of Natural Substances and Pharmacophores Redox (UMR 1165) and the Centre of Maritime and Ocean Law (EA 1165, CDMO) led to the international research program “Coral Reef Initiatives for the Pacific” (CRISP).

Guidelines for invasive species planning and management on islands

These Guidelines deal with invasive plants, animals, disease agents and other organisms, in marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments, and their impacts on the environment, biodiversity, ecosystem services, human health, economies and society. All of the main thematic areas and their objectives are required for comprehensive management of the invasive species threat. These Guidelines reflect and are compatible with relevant international conventions and standards (see Resources p.

Key Biodiversity Areas

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are the most important places in the world for species and their habitats. Faced with a global environmental crisis we need to focus our collective efforts on conserving the places that matter most. The KBA Programme supports the identification, mapping, monitoring and conservation of KBAs to help safeguard the most critical sites for nature on our planet – from rainforests to reefs, mountains to marshes, deserts to grasslands and to the deepest parts of the oceans.

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A Rapid Biological Assessment of the Mt. Panié and Roches de la Ouaième region, province Nord, New Caledonia

The Mt. Panié RAP survey was led by a partnership between local communities, Province nord (Northern Province), Conservation International (CI) and Dayu Biik, an indigenous conservation non-profit organization. CI and Province nord’s relationships
with research institutes and experts, both in New Caledonia and internationally, brought together the multiple skills needed for
this comprehensive survey.

Rapid Biological Assessments of the Nakanai Mountains and the upper Strickland Basin: surveying the biodiversity of Papua New Guinea’s sublime karst environments

The independent state of Papua New Guinea (PNG) occupies the eastern half of New Guinea, the world’s largest and highest tropical island and one of the last major tropical wilderness areas on earth. Although New Guinea and nearby smaller islands remain substantially covered with tropical forest and are known to have an immensely rich and highly endemic flora and fauna, much of this biota remains undocumented, as evidenced by spectacular discoveries of both plants and animals during Conservation International’s recent RAP biodiversity surveys on the island (e.g. Richards 2007).