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In the tropics, coral reefs are a conspicuous and important component in the livelihoods of many coastal communities. Coral reefs are amongst the most productive and diverse habitats in tropical oceans. The diversity of organisms on coral reefs is the highest per unit area of any known habitat. Coral reefs also act as barriers against the destructive power of oceanic waves, providing sheltered environments for the development of seagrass beds and mangrove systems. These same barriers also protect the coastline from erosion that could destroy property and houses in coastal villages. Older reef structures may also form the foundations on which communities build their houses. More importantly, from a human perspective, coral reefs have long provided a source of sustenance, livelihood and set of cultural values for many coastal communities.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Conservation Program developed this report of MPAs managed by state and territory governments in conjunction with federal, state, territory, and commonwealth partners. The information included in the report was collected in partnership with the National Marine Managed Area (MMA) Inventory that was conducted by the National Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Center from 2001-2006. Inventory data was obtained through direct surveys with managers of coral reef MPAs and review of legal documents and management plans. This data is available in the Inventory of MMAs on the National MPA Center’s website at www.mpa.gov (National MPA Center 2006c). This report is based on data extracted from the inventory in July 2005. In the process of writing and reviewing this document, several of the jurisdictions revised and edited their MMA Inventory data.

The Palolo Deep Marine Reserve known for its unique shape, the “deep”, was established as a marine reserve in 1974 under the National Parks and Reserve Act. The reserve is a fringing reef comprising a total area of 137.5 hectares located at the northeast of Apia harbor. The proximity of the reserve to Apia town has attracted many tourists as well as local people to the reserve for recreational activities such as snorkeling, scuba diving as well as for researching

The pearl oysicr industry is a growing multibillion dollar sector of mollusc aquaculture. Pearl farming occurs throughout Australasia, the Middle East and South America. Few species of molluscs possess the ability to produce pearls of gem quality. The South Sea pearl oyster is one of them. Pearl production in the wild is an unpredictable and uncontrolled event which human intervention, through pearl culture, has progressively overcome by improving culture practices. Farming mother-of-pearls shares commonalties with edible mollusc aquaculture. However, the endproduct, pearl production, is unique to this sector. In aquatic production, health issues are of utmost importance; pearl production is based entirely upon health. The pearl itself is a product of the oyster's immune defences as a response to soli-tissui irritation. Exploited stocks receive frequent handling stresses which often predispose farmed animals to inlection and diseases. Therefore, the importance o! health management for pearl oysters is paramount. Today, most disease problems are caused by opportunistic pathogens taking advantage of oysters weakened by the stress of handling, including pearl surgery and sub-optimal growing conditions. Except for the mass mortalities experienced in Japan, the pearl oyster industry have not yet laced the types ot epizootics which has impacted mollusc culture elsewhere in the world. Development of the industry will, inevitably, lead to increased risk of disease introduction, spread or emergence. Against such an unwanted future, health management is the critical defence line.

The Apia Catchment is Samoa's selected IWRM demonstration project zone. It accommodates Lake Lanoto'o and its two main tributaries - Vaisigano and Fuluasou Rivers, which are very important water sources for drinking water, hydropower, bio-diversity and tourism. Unfortunately, with increasing population and development pressures over the years, this catchment area has become significantly degraded from problems such as soil erosion, siltation, water pollution/contamination and water shortages, causing major concern to the Government.

The waters surrounding Choiseul contain some of the highest diversities of coral and reef fish in the world, with the 2004 Solomon Island Marine Assessment showing that the Solomon Islands are part of the global centre for marine diversity known as the Coral Triangle. Other countries that make up the Coral Triangle are Indonesia, Philippines, parts of Malaysia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea. Since 2004 The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Lauru Land Conference of Tribal Community (LLCTC) and Choiseul provincial fisheries have assisted five local communities around Choiseul in their efforts to establish Marine Conservation Areas (MCA) on their traditional reefs. The first MCA to be established was the Zinoa MCA. Zinoa is located on the south-west side of Choiseul in the Solomon Islands. The Zinoa MCA was established by traditional leaders in November 2004, covering 150 hectares and consisting of two islands and associated reefs that occur approximately one kilometre offshore from Voza village on the Choiseul mainland. The reefs around Zinoa Islands are representative of this region of the South coast of Choiseul. In early 2005 sea cucumbers, trochus and giant clams around Zinoa Islands were reported by traditional reef owners to be only a tiny fraction of their former abundance and food fish populations were also reported to be in decline.