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The Resilience of Ecosystems and Societies to Climate Change (RESCCUE) project is a regional project implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. The overall goal of RESCCUE is to contribute to increasing the resilience of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) in the context of global changes. To this end RESCCUE aims at supporting adaptation to climate change (ACC) through integrated coastal management (ICM), resorting especially to economic analysis and economic and financial mechanisms.

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
NOAA, UNESCO and partners held in Hawaii in January 2007. The overall objective of the session was to promote a shared understanding of the extent and diversity of MPA/MMA approaches and key lessons learned in their design, and to identify practical and strategic future actions to further apply these tools in the Oceania marine realm.

Coral reefs face threats from climate change and local pressures, but many initiatives designed to deliver conservation outcomes for them and the social-economic systems they support are limited by sustainable finance and the availability of funds over the long term. Conservation finance is viewed as part of a holistic approach to coral reef conservation that integrates science-based biodiversity, social, and economic solutions tailored to local socio-cultural, environmental, and economic conditions to ensure their effective design and implementation.

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. Land-based pollutants from human activities travel downstream via watersheds - through groundwater flow and land areas drained by streams – and are funnelled into coastal environments.

Microplastic pollution threatens marine ecosystems, especially in vulnerable regions like the Pacific Islands. This study examines temporal trends by comparing Anadara spp. specimens from Fiji's tidal flats in the 1980s and 2023–2024. Historical samples from the University of the South Pacific's Marine Collection and newly collected specimens were analyzed. Results show microplastic contamination increased from 76 % of 1980s samples (0.42 ± 0.4 particles per individual) to 100 % in 2023–2024 (0.93 ± 0.4 particles per individual).

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 turtles. This work will complement the existing marine spatial plan which identifies special marine areas for protection. The SNMSMP provides protection for marine species within the whole Exclusive Economic zone (EEZ) with the added objective to include seabirds, a current gap in the regulation.

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 Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). This meeting was at Ministerial. A second South Pacific Conference on National Parks and Reserves, also at Ministerial level, was held in 1979 in Australia.

The Sixth South Pacific Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas held in Palikir, Federated States of Micronesia, on 29 September – 3 October 1997, continued the series of nature conservation conferences held in New Zealand (1975), Australia (1979), Western Samoa (1985), Vanuatu (1989) and Tonga (1993).

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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 basis.

The Fiji Islands Marine Eco region which includes our coastal, Inshore and offshore marine environment is rich in marine biodiversity and endemism. A natural and vibrant ecological mosaic, it links coastal forests and mangroves; tidal estuaries, seagrass beds and lagoons; rich coral reefs and barrier islands. Amongst this rich mosaic can be found over a third of the worlds coral species, the 3rd longest barrier reef in the world, and a large number of species of mangroves and tropical sea grass species.