Mangrove ecosystems play a critical role in harbouring biodiversity and providing a variety of ecosystem services. The need for developing better techniques for classifying and monitoring mangroves is increasing, especially with the growing demand in blue carbon markets. However, many countries are challenged by the need to improve their mangrove cover estimates to inform decision-making on coastal land use and to guide local conservation efforts including restoration planning. This manual was developed to help overcome this problem by providing guidance, specifically targeted to build capacity for mangrove resource managers on how to use and take advantage of the latest technologies in mapping and monitoring mangroves. It enables collection of data that informs conservation decision-making, guiding the planning of mangrove restoration and protection activities that will ultimately lead to enhanced management and conservation of mangroves. In addition, case studies are presented on estimating mangrove extent, structure, condition and change, using a range of remote sensing-derived sources that are focused on < 5-m spatial resolution.

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Report of the Third (3rd) South Pacific National Parks & Reserves Conference, Apia, Western Samoa, 24 June - 3 July 1985 : conference report (Vol. 4) : report on conference arrangements

In recognition of the need for National Parks and protected areas in the South Pacific, the New Zealand Government hosted the First South Pacific Conference on National Parks and Reserves in 1975, in association with the South Pacific Commission (SPC) and the International Union for the Conservat

Report on baseline data from permanent monitoring sites and community based monitoring trials, Aleipata district

Baseline monitoring was carried out in two complementary programs : establishment of Permanent Monitoring Sites conducted by the Project Team, and trials of a Community Based Monitoring Program undertaken with village volunteers who will monitor their respective No-Take areas on a more frequent b

Report on the 2016 Funafuti Community-based Ridge-To-Reef (R2R). Rapid biodiversity assessment of the conservation status of biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES) in Tuvalu.

This report presents the results of the 2016 Funafuti Community-Based Ridge-to-Reef (R2R) Rapid Biodiversity Assessment (BIORAP) of biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES), hereafter referred to as the BIORAP.

Reptiles and Amphibians of the Trans-Fly Region, New Guinea

There are 102 species of reptiles and 25 species of frogs known from the Trans-fly region. 29 of the reptiles and one of the frogs are of special conservation concern. Seven of these species are of high conservation concern: 2 turtles, a monitor lizard, three snakes, and one frog.

Reshaping Natural Resource Management in Papua New Guinea

The growing need for effective tools and new approaches for natural resource management (NRM) is being met by PNG’s NRM Hub initiative, which is already helping to centralise environmental data and make it accessible to stakeholders everywhere.

Responsible marine wildlife viewing guidelines: a guide to industry best practice for viewing marine wildlife in the Pacific.

This guideline provides practical, science-based information for tourism operators and tourism regulators who want to offer the best possible experience to their customers, while conserving species and habitats and making a positive contribution to local communities.

Revenues for Nature Guidebook Series Nature-based Models for Unlocking Private Investment into Freshwater (Expanded Edition)

The R4N Guidebook Series provides an in-depth analysis of models across the globe that unlock private sector capital into nature restoration or protection, including nature-based solutions (NbS).

Review and Recommendations Regarding Human Activity Surveillance Technologies in Pacific Marine Protected Areas

The present study, commissioned by the French Agency for Biodiversity (Agence française pour la biodiversité, AFB), is part of the "Pacific Biodiversity Blue Belt" project.

Review of Cetacean Diversity Status and Threats in the Pacific Island Region

This report brings together information on the status of and threats to whales and dolphins in the Pacific Islands region.

Review of legislation, policies, strategies and plans relating to the development of marine protected areas in Fiji

Fiji is committed to the sustainable use of its marine resources and conserving its marine biodiversity. This commitment has been ratified through Fiji’s international responsibilities and obligations under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD).

Review of natural resource and environment related legislation : Cook Islands

Environment related legislation reviewAvailable onlineCall Number: [EL]Physical Description: 20 p. ; 29 cm

Rubble in paradise: motile infaunal diversity patterns across reef environments in Palau

Assessments of coral reef biodiversity generally focus on corals and fishes, although there is a variety of other taxa that live within the structure of coral reefs.

Samoa Ocean Strategy 2020-2030

Samoa has long recognised the Pacific Ocean as a source of social and economic benefit which has sustained its communities for generations. The ocean remains a primary resource for food and livelihoods that requires responsible stewardship.

Saving the ocean and climate through innovative marine protected area finance mechanisms

Ocean threats: acidification, deoxygenation, warming, heatwaves. Do we have anything useful to bend, change, or reverse the results?

Scaling Up: Conservation in a Connected World

Our planet is facing an unprecedented and accelerating biodiversity crisis, driven by human activity and compounded by climate change, which is bringing ever more severe weather to a world already strained by poverty and inequality.

Sea Turtle Monitoring Manual

This manual is not a summary of all that is known about sea turtles. There are already very good books and resources that do that. It is also not exhaustive about research and monitoring. Nor it is the global synthesis of all turtle research options.

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.

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.

Socioeconomic Fisheries Surveys in Pacific Islands: a Manual for the Collection of a Minimum Dataset

Kronen, M., Stacey, N., Holland, P., Magron, F., Power, M. 2007. Socioeconomic Fisheries Surveys in Pacific Islands: a Manual for the Collection of a Minimum  Dataset. SPC, Noumea, New Caledonia.  

Socioeconomic Manual for Coral Reef Management

Bunce, L. Townsley, P., Pomeroy, R., Pollnac, R. 2000. Socioeconomic Manual for Coral Reef Management. GCRMN, AIMS, Townsville, Australia.

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.

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.

Spawning potential surveys in Fiji: A new song of change for small-scale fisheries in the Pacific

Catastrophic overfishing of small-scale coastal fisheries through the Pacific poses a major threat to regional food security and biodiversity. Globally, approaches to fisheries assessment and management that were developed for industrial fisheries, are failing small-scale data-poor fisheries.

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 of practice to guide ecosystem restoration

The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030 (hereafter “UN Decade”) aims to prevent, halt and reverse ecosystem degradation and recover biodiversity, and ecosystem integrity; enhance human health and well-being, including sustainable delivery of ecosystem goods and services; and

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 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

Super corals could help buy time for reefs in a warming world

Coral reefs are in crisis. Rising ocean temperatures driven by climate change are pushing these ecosystems to the brink, with mass bleaching events becoming more frequent and severe.  But what if nature already holds part of the solution?

Sustainable Kava Cultivation, Pacific BioScapes Programme - Vanuatu

The rapid expansion of kava farms, and the increase in market value for the plant, has resulted in an increased clearing of native forests in key growing zones. Cleared cultivation areas are now penetrating some of the most well preserved native forests of the Pacific region.

SWOT Report: Atlas of Global Sea Turtle Status

The sea turtle conservation community has made remarkable strides in globalscale priority setting in recent decades thanks to the collective efforts of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), universities, and local communities.

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

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 - Revised conservation & management plan

In a unique partnership that crosses community, language, province, and religious borders, the Arnavon Marine Park seeks to strengthen our spirit and cultural links to the environment through the preservation and protection critical habitats and species in the first and longest operating marine p

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 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.