The Solomon Islands today reaffirmed its strong commitment to ocean conservation during the launch of the “Closing the Ocean Gap” report at a side event of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), held onboard the OceanXplorer.
Hon. Trevor Manemahaga, Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, delivered the national statement highlighting the country’s commitment to the global 30×30 target—protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
The Solomon Islands aims to increase protection of its marine waters to 15%, covering approximately 59 million acres—an area roughly the size of Italy. This expansion reflects the country’s ambition to safeguard marine biodiversity for future generations.
Minister Manemahaga emphasized that effective marine protection is not just about scale but also about protecting areas with significant biological diversity. To this end, the government plans to establish multi-zoned Marine Protected and Managed Areas (MPAs/MMAs) within the waters of Temotu and Makira Provinces, covering about 27,400 square kilometres.
