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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 Fisheries Authority (NFA) underwent a reorganisation process from 1999–2003. As part of the reorganisation, provincial and lower-level government (LLG) agencies were given greater responsibility for the development and management of inshore fisheries resources. This approach was intended to: • build natural resource management capacity at provincial and local government levels; • improve the effectiveness of fishery management arrangements through greater stakeholder participation in the management process; • meet NFA's obligations under the Organic Law to provincial and LLGs, which requires central agencies to devolve responsibility for natural resources development and management to lower levels of government; • provide revenue-raising opportunities for provincial and local governments; and • free NFA of primary responsibility for managing numerous and dispersed local fisheries, which NFA is not equipped to do.

The Papua New Guinea (PNG) National Fisheries Authority (NFA) underwent a reorganization process during the Fisheries Development Project (FDP) from 1999–2003, in which it was determined that provincial and lower-level government agencies should be more involved in the development and management of inshore fisheries resources. This approach was adopted with the expectation that it would: • build natural resource management capacity at provincial and local government levels; • improve the effectiveness of fishery management arrangements through greater stakeholder participation in the management process; • meet NFA's obligations under the Organic Law on Provincial and Local-Level Governments, which requires central agencies to devolve responsibility for natural resources development and management to lower levels of government; • provide revenue raising opportunities for provincial and local governments; and • free NFA of primary responsibility for managing numerous, dispersed local fisheries, which the Authority is not equipped to do.

Healthy ecosystems sustained by productive lands play a vital role in ensuring socio-economic development and securing basic human needs such as food, water, shelter and health. Agricultural landscapes, water and forest ecosystems are interrelated in a complex productive chain that generates the goods and services such as food, fuel wood, fi bre, timber, drinking water and a myriad of traded goods that constitute the very basis of human livelihoods and socio-economic development. Healthy lands are the keystone of this vital productive chain.

The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) is an intergovernmental treaty whose mission is the "conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local, regional and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world"