A marine conservation initiative by Pacific Island leaders is set to come into its own in 2012.
The Pacific Oceansape initiative, approved by leaders at their Auckland summit last year, is one of the most ambitious marine management regimes ever contemplated.
It takes in 38 million square kilometres of ocean, including the high-seas pockets between the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zones of Pacific Island nations.
Conservation International’s Pacific Marine Program Manager Sue Miller-Taei says the Pacific Oceanscape intiative is very significant.
“I think it offers one of the first chances for this region to assume the leadership that it needs to manage our part of the Pacific Ocean and in fact, the Pacific Island countries and territories manage about 10% of the world’s surface in terms of their Exclusive Economic Zones and the stewardship needed to manage this piece of ocean and the islands within them is absolutely urgent and fundamental to our survival.”
GARRETT: So how will the Pacific Oceanscape framework help conservation in the Pacific?
MILLER-TAEI: Well firstly, in terms of the way its constructed, it’s formed a very innovative partnership where governments, regional agencies and non-government agencies, like ourselves. I work for Conservation International have been working together for a number of years to work out what is needed and how it can be done. It also fosters leadership at the highest level, so the Pacific Oceanscape framework was endorsed by all Pacific Island Forum leaders, including Australia, including your prime minister in 2010 and is now under implementation and the Ocean Commissioner is in fact Nienie Slade, the head of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Secretariat.
GARRETT: So what will be the conservation priorities for the Pacific Oceanscape Framework?
MILLER-TAEI: They’re local, national and regional level and they relate to commitments being made. The Pacific Oceanscape was inspired by Kiribati leader, Anote Tong and he based it on the success of the Phoenix Islands protected area, which is the Pacific Oceans largest marine protected area to date one we’ve worked on with Kiribati since 2005. He saw that there was a larger need than that site but he’s committed the Phoenix Island Protecting area, to the Oceanscape and developed the framework for the region. And that’s inspired other countries to make their commitments. For example, last year, Tokelau, Tokelau declared the entire EEZ. I think it’s around just under 300,000 square kilometres essentially for whale sharks, turtles and dolphins. And at the same time, Prime Minister, Henry Puna, of the Cook Islands, declared their intent to create the Cook Islands Marine Park and in fact that’s the largest declaration to date globally of any marine conservation initiative and is just over one million square kilometres and they are in full design phase now. So a key part of the Oceanscape is fostering resourcing and partnerships to support national commitments for those countries to improve and manage in an integrated way their Exclusive Economic Zones and part of that picture is increasing marine protected areas.
2012 ABC