As part of the process, IUCN technical experts spent two days in Honiara delivering awareness-raising and training sessions on the IUCN Green List Standard and Certification Process. The sessions were coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM) and brought together key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR), Global Fish, the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF) Regional Secretariat, representatives from the Arnavon Marine Protected Area, and Ecological Services Solomon Islands (ESSI).
Following the Honiara sessions, the IUCN team travelled to Munda in Western Province to work directly with communities and site managers of the Munda Lagoon Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA). The visit aimed to complete a Green List Self-Assessment, an essential step in evaluating how the site aligns with globally recognised standards of effective and equitable area-based conservation.
Munda is the largest community on New Georgia Island, located at the southwestern tip of the island adjacent to the Roviana Lagoon. The Munda LMMA encompasses five coastal communities—Nusa Roviana, Dunde, Kekehe, Lodumaho, and Kindu—and is supported by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Solomon Islands. The communities jointly govern the area through customary stewardship and collaborative management arrangements, protecting critical habitats such as seagrass meadows, coral reefs, and fish spawning areas.
