Protected Area targets have been set globally, regionally, and sometimes at a country level. During the last decade, the global protected area targets that all country signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) committed to were the CBD's Aichi Biodiversity Targets.  Specifically, Aichi Target 11 which stated that:

at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscapes and seascapes by 2020.

The new Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted in December 2022 at the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15). CBD country signatories have committed to implementing the protected area target (Target 3) of the new GBF by the year 2030. The text of Target 3 is below:

Ensure and enable that by 2030 at least 30 per cent of terrestrial, inland water, and of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, are effectively conserved and managed through ecologically representative, well-connected and equitably governed systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, recognizing indigenous and traditional territories, where applicable, and integrated into wider landscapes, seascapes and the ocean, while ensuring that any sustainable use, where appropriate in such areas, is fully consistent with conservation outcomes, recognizing and respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities including over their traditional territories.

Regionally, the Micronesia Challenge aims to effectively conserve at least 30% of near-shore marine resources and 20% of terrestrial resources across Micronesia by 2020. An example of a country-based target is Fiji that aims to have 30% of reefs protected by 2015 and 30% of waters managed as a marine protected area network by 2020. During the 24th Micronesia Island Forum in 2019, the Leaders recognized the success in the first 15 years of the Micronesia Challenge and endorsed the new Micronesia Challenge 2030 goals to effectively manage 50% of marine resources, including the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and 30% of terrestrial resources by 2030. 

Below are various efforts that have been carried out to assess global and regional progress towards the Aichi protected area targets. The paper by Govan (2009) is the most comprehensive assessment of marine protected areas (MPAs), including all LMMAs in the Pacific Islands. Govan’s data has now been incorporated into the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA).  Several of the papers below attempt to assess progress towards targets which relate to factors such as management effectiveness, biodiversity coverage, governance and finance etc. 

As we move closer to 2030, further technical guidance on implementing the new GBF Target 3 that becomes available will be added to the resources section below. Furthermore,  the resources section will be updated as needed to include any new papers or guidance related to taking stock of national, regional and global progress in implementing the GBF Target 3. 

 

Seed-dispersing animals are in decline, impacting forests and the climate: Study

A lot of attention has been paid to the decrease in bee populations and other pollinators, but a recent review article makes the case that we should be equally alarmed by the declining numbers of seed-dispersing animals, which are crucial for growing healthy forests.

Sepik Wetlands Management Initiative, Papua New Guinea

The Sepik River is the longest river on the island of New Guinea. The majority of the river flows through the Papua New Guinea provinces of Sandaun and East Sepik, with a small section flowing through the Indonesian province of Papua.

Setting priorities for marine conservation in the Fiji Islands Marine Ecoregion

The Fiji Islands Marine Eco region which includes our coastal, Inshore and offshore marine environment is rich in marine biodiversity and endemism.

Sharks and rays of the Samoan archipelago: a review of their biological diversity, social and cultural values, and conservation status

Data on chondrichthyan (sharks, rays, and chimaeras) populations is largely lacking for many countries and territories in the Indo-Pacific. Aims.

Siporae Rainforest Conservation Area - Management Rules

In 2019 the Siporae Rainforest Protected Area was declared a protected area under the 2010 protected area ACT. It protects and conserves one of the last untouched rainforest ecosystems in Choiseul Province and Solomon Island.

Sirebe Rainforest Conservation Area - Management Rules

In 2019 The Sirebe Rainforest Conservation Area was declared a protected area under the 2010 protected area ACT. It protects and conserves one of the last untouched rainforest ecosystems in Choiseul Province and Solomon Islands.

Six key policy recommendations to advocate for marine conservation that matches the ocean’s dynamism

Marine ecosystems face threats from human-induced stressors like climate change, pollution, and habitat loss. Despite international endeavors, significant gaps remain in understanding ocean dynamics.

Social Assessment for Protected and Conserved Areas (SAPA) - 2nd Edition

In April 2013, IIED in partnership with Fauna and Flora International (FFI) and the UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), launched a project to develop and pilot the Social Assessment for Protected Areas methodology (SAPA).

Social Assessment for Protected Areas (SAPA)

This manual provides detailed guidance for assessing the social impacts – benefits and costs – of protected areas (PAs) and related conservation and development activities, at the local level using the relatively simple and low cost Social Assessment for Protected Areas (SAPA) methodology.

Solomon Islands Interactive Marine Atlas

While the ocean covers more than two thirds of the Earth’s surface, the oceanic territory of Solomon Islands is more than 47 times larger than its land territory. With an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 1.34 million km2, Solomon Islands is a large ocean state.

Solomon Islands National Marine Ecosystem Service Valuation

Solomon Islands is composed of almost 1000 islands and has the second longest coastline and the second largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Pacific.

SOLOMON ISLANDS NATIONAL OCEAN POLICY

Solomon Islanders are ocean people. We are not separate to our ocean: we are part of our ocean. It is reflected in our history, our culture, our traditions and in our day-to-day lives.

Solomon Islands National Plan of Action for Marine Turtles 2023-2027

It is through ministerial leadership with relevant stakeholders and partners’ collaboration that produces and finalizes the Solomon Islands National Plan of Action for Marine Turtles (NPOA) 2023-2027.

Solomon Islands Saltwater Crocodile Conservation and Management Plan 2023-2027

Reduce the risk of crocodile attack on people, while ensuring the long-term conservation and management of the species based on science, culture, and traditional knowledge for sustainable utilisation.

Solutions in Focus: Community-led successes in marine conservation

This booklet is part of a series of compilations assembling PANORAMA solution case studies on a defined topic. “Solutions in Focus” zooms in on a topic of interest covered by PANORAMA, allowing to explore common elements and shared learnings across success stories.

South Pacific regional workshop on economics and Marine Protected areas, Suva Fiji, 26-30 May 2008 : workshop proceedings

Some presentations refer to the term Marine Managed Area (MMA) instead of Marine Protected Area (MPA) in order to cover more management options.

Southern New Ireland, Papua New Guinea: A Biodiversity Assessment

Biologically, New Ireland has remained one of the least studied regions of Papua New Guinea (PNG), and the mountainous southern zone has been considered both a high priority for biodiversity conservation and a major “scientific unknown” (Beehler 1993).

Spillover benefits from the world’s largest fully protected MPA

Previous research has cast doubt on the potential for marine protected areas (MPAs) to provide refuge and fishery spillover benefits for migratory species as most MPAs are small relative to the geographic range of these species.

Standards, methods and guidelines for cross-referencing ecosystem classifications and maps to the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology

This publication establishes a structured, rigorous standard for cross-referencing ecosystem types to the GET. It first reviews the need for reliable interoperability among ecosystem classifications and the role of the GET as a framework for synthesis.

Status of Large Marine Protected Areas in the Pacific

Keep current on the expansion of large marine protected areas (MPA)in the Pacific.

Status of monitoring and evaluation of Tonga’s Special Management Area program

Tonga’s Special Management Areas (SMAs) have been widely supported by the people of Tonga as a successful approach to the comanagement of their fisheries and marine resources.

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

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

Benzaken, D., Miller-Taei, S.,  Wood, L. 2007. 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

Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including Aichi Biodiversity Targets

In decision X/2, the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, held from 18 to 29 October 2010, in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, adopted a revised and updated Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, including th

Summary of the UN Biodiversity Conference: 7-19 December 2022

The first part of the UN Biodiversity Conference convened virtually from 11-15 October 2021, with a limited number of delegates physically present in Kunming, China.

Takitumu Conservation Area - OECM process of recognition

The National Environment Service worked closely with family representatives of the Takitumu Conservation Area, to submit an assessment application that will gave the TCA official international recognition as an Other Effective area-based Conservation Measure (OECM). All documents relevant to

Technical Report - Land Degradation Neutrality for Biodiversity Conservation

Land degradation and the loss of biological diversity are two of the most pressing environmental threats facing humanity. Both are eroding the planetary life support systems on which the prosperity and well-being of current and future generations depend.

Terminal evaluation of UN Environment project: Prevention, control and management on invasive alien species in the Pacific island.

Invasive alien species represent an insidious and pervasive threat to the environmental, economic and human well-being of the Pacific islands.

Terrestrial Biodiversity of Manuae Atoll, Cook Islands

The most common and numerous island type across the Pacific basin are atolls.

Testing a global standard for quantifying species recovery and assessing conservation impact

Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a“Green List of Species” (now the IUCN Green Status of Species).

The ARNAVON MARINE PARK (a Community-Managed Conservation Initiative) - CONSERVATION & MANAGEMENT PLAN (Revised)

This Conservation and Management Plan was the culmination of a community-wide consultation undertaken to review the 20-year old ACMCA Management Plan first endorsed in 1994.The scope of this Plan is dictated by AMP’s status as an established and internationally recognized conservation program tha

The Case for Marine Protected Areas

Ocean health is critical to all life on this planet.

The CBD Post-2020 biodiversity framework: People's place within the rest of nature

Recognizing two decades of failure to achieve global goals and targets, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity are in the final phase of negotiating a Post-   2020 Global Biodiversity Framework for the conservation, sustainable use and benefit sharing of biodiversity.

The Conservation World Has a Longevity Problem We Rarely Talk About

COP30 has come and gone, leaving behind a familiar mix of new commitments and renewed political promises. But amid the declarations of progress, one issue that received almost backhanded attention is the quiet abandonment of conservation projects after their high-profile launches.

The Database of Island Invasive Species Eradications (DIISE)

Islands are at the forefront of the global extinction crisis, with invasive vertebrates posing a significant threat to native flora and fauna.

The effectiveness of global protected areas for climate change mitigation

Forests play a critical role in stabilizing Earth’s climate. Establishing protected areas (PAs) represents one approach to forest conservation, but PAs were rarely created to mitigate climate change.

The effects of protected areas on the ecological niches of birds and mammals

Protected areas are a cornerstone for biodiversity conservation, and typically support more natural and undisturbed habitats compared to unprotected lands. The effect of protected areas on intra-specific ecological niche has been rarely investigated.

The essential role of other effective area-based conservation measures in achieving big bold conservation targets

We argue that OECMs are essential to the achievement of big and bold conservation targets such as Half-Earth.

The Future of Our Ocean is in Our Hands: An Update on the Palau National Marine Sanctuary

Palau’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with a total of 500,238 km2 (over 300,000 mi2 ), became a multi-zoned national MPA in 2015, through the Palau National Marine Sanctuary Act.

The Global Wetland Outlook: Special Edition 2021

As an update to the 2018 Global Wetland Outlook, this special edition on the occurrence of the Convention’s 50th anniversary presents new findings on the status and value of wetlands globally, particularly in the context of the global pandemic, climate and biodiversity crises an

The High Seas: Earth’s Last Wild Frontier at Risk

The high seas – the vast waters beyond national jurisdiction – cover nearly two-thirds of our planet.

The impact of tropical cyclones Pam, Harold, Winston and Yasa on tree cover loss in Vanuatu and Fiji

Many Pacific Small Island Developing States are vulnerable to Tropical Cyclones (TCs) leading to an estimated average annual loss of USD 1.08 billion.

THE IUCN WORLD COMMISSION ON PROTECTED AREAS OCEANIA Newsletter No. 1 2019

The first edition of the Newsletter of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Oceania (2019). IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) is the world's premier network of protected area expertise.

THE IUCN WORLD COMMISSION ON PROTECTED AREAS OCEANIA Newsletter No. 4 2018

The fourth edition of the Newsletter of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Oceania (2018). IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) is the world's premier network of protected area expertise.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework: Business as usual or a turning point?

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)1 was adopted during the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at 3:30 a.m. on the morning of December 19, 2022, against a backdrop of protests by African countries.