Oceania’s humpback whales are of global conservation concern having recently been re‐
classified from “Threatened” to “Endangered” by the International Union for the Conservation
of Nature (IUCN). Although humpback whales in many parts of the world are showing
encouraging signs of recovery from past exploitation, the small breeding populations in the
South Pacific Islands region remain vulnerable to extinction.
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Regional cooperation and responses are common across the PICTs. SPREP already has in place regional action plans for marine turtles, dugongs, and whales and dolphins. In addition, the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), comprising 17 Pacific States, has a proven track record in cooperation on fisheries management issues including the longstanding Nauru Agreement and the current development of a regional monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) strategy.
This report provides a review of the current state of knowledge of cetacean diversity, habitat and threats in the Pacific Islands Region.
In 2008, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reviewed the conservation status of cetacean populations worldwide. As a consequence of this review, the Oceania population of humpback whales has been re-classified from Threatened to Endangered. This is in recognition that, although humpback whales in many parts of the world are showing encouraging signs of recovery from whaling, most of the small breeding populations in the South Pacific remain at extremely low levels and some remain vulnerable to extinction.
Members of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium met at the University of Auckland from 8-12 February, 2009 to discuss (i) the results of fieldwork and analysis conducted during 2008 and, (ii) conservation initiatives in the region. As with previous synoptic surveys dating back to the austral winter of 1999, surveys of humpback whales were conducted to collect genetic samples, individual identification photographs and song recordings in the four primary regions: New Caledonia, Tonga (Vavau), Cook Islands and French Polynesia (Moorea).
To date, there is no defined list of priority migratory species of concern (indicator species) at the regional level for the Pacific islands to direct efforts. The Regional Marine Species Action Plans (under revision; see below) and the regional CMS Memorandum of Understanding (2006) for cetaceans can be considered as part of regional level prioritisation. For birds, Bird Life’s Data zone includes a list of migratory species for each country in the region.
Globally and locally, conservationists and scientists work to inform policy makers to help recovery of endangered sea turtle populations. In Fiji, in the South Pacific, sea turtles are protected by the national legislation because of their conservation status, and are also a customary iTaukei resource. Centered on our interview based study at Qoma and Denimanu villages, parallel management systems coexist, where both the (written) national legislation and the (unwritten) customary iTaukei rules determine the time and the quantity of sea turtle harvest.
This document reviews actions taken by intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), including regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) and other relevant regional fishery bodies (RFBs), to address problematic sea turtle and seabird interactions in marine capture fisheries. Sea turtles and seabirds are subject to a number of natural and anthropogenic mortality sources, including fishing operations. As a result, all sea turtle species of known status are recognized as being endangered.
Pattern of genetic structure in highly mobile marine vertebrates may be accomplished by genotypic variation. Most studies in marine turtles focused on population genetic structure have been performed at rookeries.
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Many species of sharks are threatened with extinction, and there has been a longstanding debate in scientific and environmental circles over the most effective and appropriate strategy to conserve and protect them.
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Pacific Island Countries and Territories are facing rapidly changing ocean and coastal conditions due to climate change, and are particularly vulnerable to sea level rise (SLR). As elsewhere in the world, Pacific coastal cities concentrate population and valuable assets including well over the 50% of the region's built infrastructure.
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The Pacific BioScapes is supporting local community monitoring of coastal ecosystem resilience on the islands of Maninita, Taula, Fangasito, Fonua'one'one, Mu'omu'a and Fua'amotu in the Vava'u group. This aims to assess the benefits for biodiversity that occur following the eradication of invasive species
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The marine turtle states review for Solomon Islands 2022 was commissioned to inform the development of the country's 5-year National plan of Action (NPOA) - Marine Turtles 2022-2026.
This status review is a compilation of the most recent literature and statistics on the status of sea turtles in the Pacific Ocean region, providing a clearer understanding of the risks to sea turtles and their habitats. It presents a summary of the relevant (published) literature and knowledge about sea turtle reproductive biology, movements, and connectivity, and presents these alongside relevant threats that, in combination, are pertinent to understanding the status of sea turtle populations in the Pacific Ocean.
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This is a region-wide activity covering all the island
territories of the region except Australia and New Zealand.
Since most of the pollutants found in the South Pacific are
land-derived, this will provide the data necessary for
determining what pollutants are likely to be found in any given
locality. Atmospheric transport of pollutants may be important
in certain parts of the world, but recent studies have shown
that the South Pacific atmosphere (apart from certain
industrial areas) is the cleanest so far studied (Riley et al.,
Recent studies have shown that many coral reefs are capable of
yielding a total fish catch of 18- 24 T.Km-2 (Hill, 1978; Alcala,
1981; Munro, 1987). There are, however, no estimates for the
productivity and yield of fishes associated with coral reefs in
French Polynesia. This study was designed to determine the fisheries yield from a part of the fringing reef on the island of Moorea, French Polynesia.
Available online
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The Tokelau Islands consist of three atolls (Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo) approximately 500 km north of Western Samoa. Their numerous islets are formed mainly of coral sand and rubble with no standing freshwater. Sixty-one plant species have been recorded, 13 of these being introduced and 10 being adventives. There are three vegetation zones, the beach, the beach-crest, and the interior coconut/fern zone with the physiognomy of a humid tropical forest. Marine invertebrates have not been studied.
Conservation biology involves protection and management of biodiversity (Metfe and Carroll 1994). This integrated discipline requires both an understanding of an ecosystem and its associated threats, as well as an understanding of the management of the system as a resource. In order to
develop management techniques that can limit resource degradation, we need a clear understanding of the role of threats to the resources. The focus of this dissertation is assessing threats to resources, using coral reefs as a model
system.
Coral reefs are vital ecosystems, providing a source of income, food arid coastal protection for millions of people; arid recent studies have shown that coral reef goods and services provide an annual net benefit of US$30 billion to economies worldwide