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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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.

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).

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?

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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 Important Marine Mammal area Network: A Tool for Systematic Spatial Planning in Response to the Marine Mammal Habitat Conservation Crisis

The Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs) initiative was launched by the Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in 2016, as a response to a conservation crisis in the protection of marine mammals and wider global ocean biodiversity.

The past as a lens for biodiversity conservation on a dynamically changing planet

We are in the midst of a major biodiversity crisis, with deep impacts on the functioning of ecosystems and derived benefits to people (1, 2). But we still have time to pull back. To do so, it is imperative that we learn from plants’ and animals’ past actions (3, 4).

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area Management Plan 2015 - 2020

The Phoenix Islands lie in the heart of the Pacific Ocean and are one of the most remote island chains on Earth. They are located approximately halfway between Fiji and Hawaii. The largest atoll, Kanton, is 1,750 km (1,087 miles) from the Kiribati capital Tarawa.

The PNG-METT : A method for assessing effectiveness in Papua New Guinea's protected areas

In 2015, 2016, the Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG), through its Conservation and Environmental Protection Authority (CEPA) and with the support of United Nations Development Program (UNDP), organised an evaluation of its protected areas, as part of the process to improve management eff

The role and value of science in shark conservation advocacy

Many species of sharks are threatened with extinction, and there has been a longstanding debate in scientifc and environmental circles over the most efective and appropriate strategy to conserve and protect them.

The Role of Coral Reef Small-Scale Fisheries for Addressing Malnutrition and Avoiding Biodiversity Loss

Integrated management of coral reef foods, as a highly diverse set of blue foods, can contribute to addressing the dual challenges of malnutrition and biodiversity loss.

The State of the World's Mangroves 2021

Mangroves are vital components of the planet coastal ecosystems. Mangroves sequester carbon at up to four times the rate of terrestrial forests, making them tremendous allies in our struggle for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The ‘Paper Park Index’: Evaluating Marine Protected Area effectiveness through a global study of stakeholder perceptions

Governments around the world are increasingly committed to reaching terrestrial and marine conservation goals. But achieving such commitments is challenging, and conservation targets that are reached on paper, e.g., in terms of square kilometers protected, can be misleading.

Tonga National Marine Ecosystem Service Valuation

The exclusive economic zone of Tonga, nearly 700,000 km2 of ocean, is 1000 times larger than the country’s land area. Coastal and marine resources provide the Government of Tonga, businesses and households many real and measurable benefits.

Towards a guidance document for invasive species planning and management on islands

In 2012 a process was initiated to produce a guidance document for invasive species management on islands, as an objective of a regional invasive species project in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) islands, implemented by IUCN.

Trade regulations drive improved global shark and ray management

International wildlife trade contributes to the loss of biodiversity and has driven several terrestrial and aquatic species to extinction. Sharks and rays are some of the most threatened vertebrates, with overfishing considered the primary threat causing substantial global population declines.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and practices associated with the Vanate (Raggiana Bird of Paradise, Paradisaea raggiana) along the Kokoda Track in Central Province, Papua New Guinea

Context. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is lost due to the increase of urbanisation, and the lack of transfer of this knowledge to younger generations. Aims.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and practices associated with the Vanate (Raggiana Bird of Paradise, Paradisaea raggiana) along the Kokoda Track in Central Province, Papua New Guinea

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is lost due to the increase of urbanisation, and the lack of transfer of this knowledge to younger generations. Aims.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and practices associated with the Vanate (Raggiana Bird of Paradise, Paradisaea raggiana) along the Kokoda Track in Central Province, Papua New Guinea

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is lost due to the increase of urbanisation, and the lack of transfer of this knowledge to younger generations. Aims.

Tropical mammal functional diversity increases with productivity but decreases with anthropogenic disturbance

A variety of factors can affect the biodiversity of tropical mammal communities, but their relative importance and directionality remain uncertain.