Key Biodiversity Areas

On May 24, 2023, Typhoon Mawar, one of the strongest Northern Hemisphere tropical cyclones ever recorded in the month of May and the strongest globally in 2023, hit the U.S. Territory of Guam in the Western Pacific.

This guidebook offers managers and other conservation practitioners a process and methods to evaluate the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for the purposes of Adaptive Management.

Measurements analyzed by an international research team led by ETH Zurich show that the global ocean absorbed significantly less CO₂ than anticipated during the unprecedented marine heat wave in 2023.  The world's oceans act as an important sink for carbon dioxide (CO₂).

The dual mandate for many protected areas (PAs) to simultaneously promote recreation and conserve biodiversity may be hampered by negative effects of recreation on wildlife.

Forest and land cover across the Pacific are undergoing rapid transformation.

Transoceanic dispersal to far-away islands is an important mechanism for the generation of new species lineages and biotas and has captivated scientists since at least the time of Darwin.

Coastal communities in the south Pacific are vulnerable to cyclones which are projected to increase in intensity due to climate change.

Mangroves provide numerous ecosystem services and are increasingly recognized as a natural climate solution. As a result, multiple recent initiatives have set ambitious mangrove restoration targets.

Disseminating research through academic publishing is essential for contributing to global knowledge, advancing critical fields and finding solutions to humanity’s challenges.

The Indo-Pacific eel, Anguilla marmorata Quoy & Gaimard, has the widest geographic distribution of anguillid eels.

Hodgson, G., Hill, J., Kiene, W., Maun, L., Mihaly, J., Liebeler, J., Shuman, C. and Torres, R. 2006. Instruction Manual A Guide to Reef Check Monitoring.  Reef Check Foundation, Pacific Palisades, California, USA

Located in the Central Division of Fiji, the Navua River and Beqa lagoon support high social, ecological and economic values.

The Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool (IMET) is an approach to support protected areas planning, monitoring and evaluation and to improve management patterns  and conservation outcomes.

Papua New Guinea contains more than 7% of the world's biodiversity in less than 1% of the land area. PNG has more than 18,894 described plant species, 719 birds, 271 mammals, 227 reptiles, 266 amphibians and 341 freshwater fish species.

This review was prepared by the Pacific Invasives Initiative (PII) on request from the Pacific Invasives Partnership (PIP).

This Technical Note provides advice to managers of protected and conserved areas1 (PCAs) for applying a ‘One Health’ approach for the benefit of environmental, animal, and human health.

Identifying and conserving areas of particular importance for biodiversity is a fundamental element of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

This study aimed to determine an economic value1 of seven marine and coastal ecosystem services in Kiribati.

This assessment identifies the capacity-building needs and priorities of local and national public authorities and institutions, representatives from civil societies and communities, and NGOs from the 19 Kiwa-eligible PICTs to: 1.

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.

We present an initial exploration of why and how participation in a case of community-based resource management (CBRM) in a Pacific context could be considered a deviation from gender norms.

When night falls in Panama's forests, the time of the opossums begins. The marsupials, which have spent the day sleeping in trees, climb down the trunks and search for fruit, frogs or eggs on the ground. The omnivores often carry a hazardous parasite—the Chagas disease pathogen.

This paper presents the design and development of a coastal fisheries monitoring system that harnesses artificial intelligence technologies. Application of the system across the Pacific region promises to revolutionize coastal fisheries management.

There is a widespread perception that illegal fishing is common in marine protected areas (MPAs) due to strong incentives for poaching and the high cost of monitoring and enforcement.

Govan, H, Aalbersberg, W., Tawake, A. and Parks, J.E. 2008.  The Locally-Managed Marine Area Network (LMMA)

Even optimistic climate scenarios predict catastrophic consequences for coral reef ecosystems by 2100. Understanding how reef connectivity, biodiversity and resilience are shaped by climate variability would improve chances to establish sustainable management practices.

This publication has been developed as a contribution to Phase II of the Two-phase Strategy on Protected Areas of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and prepared pursuant to various paragraphs of COP decision XIII/2 on protected areas, in particular paragraph 5(a-e),

There has been a profound shift in attitudes towards the designation and management of site-based  conservation over the past 25 years, from being a predominantly science-based, top-down and  government-led approach to one that focuses on governance and equity, and is far more variable,

Seagrass habitats support biodiversity, improve water quality, protect coastlines, and sequester carbon, among other essential ecosystem functions, yet they are declining worldwide due to human activity.

The management plan describes the priority strategies for the Ijuw/Anabar wetlands Proposed Conservation area (PCA) that will best maintain and improve the key conservation values in this area by reducing the impact of threats, including from climate change.

King, M., Passfield, K. and Ropeti, R.  2001. Management of Village Fisheries; Samoa’s Community-Based Management Strategy 

Presented here are examples of management plans for various kinds of protected areas from strict nature reserves to local village fisheries management plans.  In addition, there is a discussion on the reasons for management plans and guidelines for writing a management plan.

The management plan describes the priority strategies for the upland areas of the Lake Lanoto'o National Park that will nest maintain and improve the key conservation values in these areas by reducing the impact of threats including from climate change. 

The management plan describes the priority strategies for the upland areas of the Lake Lanuto'o National Park that will best maintain and improve the key conservation values in these areas by reducing the impact of threats, including from climate change.

This document builds on lessons learned from 10 years of DEC-MNRE action on the myna issue, training workshops on invasive species management, a 2015 myna population transect survey (conservative estimate of total population in Samoa between 129,407 and 188,583 birds), appropriate literature and

The health and integrity of coral reef ecosystems are in decline worldwide due to an increasing suite of human activities, which threaten biodiversity and human wellbeing. One of the major drivers of coral reef ecosystem decline is poor water quality from human activities on land.

This report, the Mangrove Management Plan 2013 (MMP2013), has been prepared by Dr Dick Watling, Environment Consultants Fiji (ECF) for the Department of the Environment (DoEnv) as the focal point for the Mangrove Eco Systems for Climate Change Adaptation and Livelihood project Project (MESCAL).

McKenzie, L.J. & Campbell, S.J. 2002 Western Pacific Edition (QFS, NFC, Cairns).  Manual for Community Monitoring of Sea Grass Habitat in the Western Pacific

Ellison, J.C., Jungblut, V., Anderson, P., Slaven, C. 2012.  Manual for Mangrove Monitoring in the Pacific Islands Region. SRPEP, Apia, Samoa.

It is essential to ensure the effectiveness of current conservation efforts to meet the interconnected crises of biodiversity loss, habitat degradation, and climate change.

Hodgson, G and Ochavillo, D. 2006.  MAQTRAC Marine Aquarium Trade Coral Reef Monitoring Protocol Field Manual. Reef Check Foundation. Pacific Palisades, California USA.

While the ocean covers more than two thirds of the Earth’s surface, the oceanic territory of Kiribati is morethan 4,000 times larger than its land territory. With an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 3.55 million km2,Kiribati is a large ocean state.

While the ocean covers more than two thirds of the Earth’s surface, the oceanic territory of Tonga is over 1,000 timeslarger than its land territory. With an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 700,000 km2, Tonga is a large ocean state.

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 Oce

Marine spatial planning is underway now, or starting, in many Pacific Island countries, including Fiji.

Marine spatial planning is underway now, or starting, in many Pacific Island countries, including the Solomon Islands.

Marine spatial planning is underway now, or starting, in many Pacific Island countries, including Tonga.

In 2014, the Council of Ministers (Decision No. 172/2014) decided to start implementation of, amongst other things, a Marine Spatial Plan for the nation.

The Pacific BioScapes Programme is providing support to produce the Samoa National Marine Sanctuary Management Plan (SNMSMP) which will provide guidance for government and the public to implement existing regulations which established the sanctuary to protect whales, dolphins, sharks, rays and tu