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Pacific Island countries are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and variability. Conservation of mangroves and associated coastal ecosystems has been identified as a key natural adaptation strategy and mitigation measure to the effects of climate change.

The Pacific Ocean occupies one-third of the earth’s surface area and almost half of the world’s ocean area. It supports hundreds of millions of people living in Pacific Rim countries and the island nations of the Pacific. It is home to a diversity of plant and animal species within many complex ecosystems and supporting the economies of the Pacific Rim and Pacific countries, as well as globally. It is the engine room for Earth’s climate, as well as being an integral part of the global politics and security. Despite such ecological, economic and social importance, the Pacific Ocean is not being managed sustainably. If anything the Pacific Ocean is under considerable stress from ongoing human activites, according to the Pacific Ocean Scientific Consensus Statement (Annex 1) coordinated by the Centre for Ocean Solutions, which is a partnership between the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and Stanford University

The Pacific Ocean covers 165.2 million square kilometers, an area larger than earth’s total land area. It is the engine room of the earth’s climate, playing an irreplaceable role in the planet’s carbon and water cycles. It supports the enormous biological diversity and ecosystems that directly support nearly 3 billion people who live in its 56 Pacific Island and Rim countries and territories (PIRCT), and the world at large through trade links.