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A community of living things, along with its surroundings, is referred to as an ecosystem. An ecosystem often takes its name from the most common, or most obvious, thing present. The parrotfish shown in Figure 1.1, for example, is said to be part of the coral reef ecosystem.

This book provides a brief overview of some of the key aspects of the Solomon island's marine environments and the threats they face. The Solomon region's marine ecosystems are some of the most diverse and intact on earth. They have been identified as part of the 'Coral Triangle' which is an area of the highest biodiversity of coral and fish species on the planet. It is these rich resources that support the livelihoods of the rural population, Solomon people have been sustainably using these marine and forest resources for thousands of years. The recent change to commercial harvesting of forests and reefs as well as future climate change related impacts has and will continue to place new pressure on these resources.

La zone est extrêmement variée et les enjeux le sont donc également. Toutefois certains d’entre eux sont présents dans presque tous les sites où le programme intervient : Pêches récifales de plus en plus problématiques Travaux sur l’état de santé des récifs, l’effet des pêches, l’effet des AMP, éparpillés et peu coordonnés, Coopération régionale très limitée malgré la similitude des problèmes et probablement des solutions Possibilité de renforcer la couverture des AMP dans le Pacifique Disponibilité de savoir faire (centre de recherche, ONG, entreprises, Etats), de réseaux (LMMA, ONG, GCRMN, etc.) et de moyens (commande politique de la France de coopérer régionalement sur le sujet, ONG internationales prêtes à cofinancer) Espèces phares en danger par endroit (tortues, dugong, etc.) Pressions : - Activités humaines : surtout surpêche ou pêche avec des techniques destructives mais aussi, pollution des eaux (agriculture intensive, problèmes miniers, etc.) - Facteurs climatiques: cyclones

ESTABLIHMENT OF A CORAL REEF MONITORING PROGRAM IN KURIA, ABEMAMA AND TARAWA, GILBERT GROUP, REPUBLIC OF KIRIBATI, MAY 7TH- 23RD 2004

In 2002, the Tokelau government approached SPREP for assistance with marine resource management of their atolls. A scoping study was undertaken in Tokelau over two separate visits in 2002 and 2003 to assess the level of community and leadership interest in revitalizing the proposed marine resource management project. The scoping study found that the communities and their traditional leaders of all atolls were very supportive of the government proposal and that all three atoll communities were keen to be involved. SPREP put together a multi-disciplinary team (including scientists, educators, managers, and community specialists) to visit each of the Tokelau Atolls to undertake an assessment of the status and use patterns of the inshore and lagoon resources of the atolls as first step towards establishing a marine conservation program in Tokelau. The team also worked with the community on each atoll to establish an overview of community perceptions of atoll resource status, general concerns, as well as their attitudes towards conservation approaches to marine resources.

Most countries in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) have one or more marine protected areas (MPAs) dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, natural resources and cultural heritage values. Of these, two (Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park and Aldabra Atoll) are listed as World Heritage sites under the World Heritage Convention, and another three (Malindi-Watamu and Kiunga-Dodori in Kenya, and Mananara-Nord in Madagascar) are listed as Biosphere Reserves under the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme in recognition of their global value. Experience has shown that it is not simply enough to declare or legally gazette an area as an MPA, although this is a vitally important step. The long term success of an MPA depends on effective management combined with demonstration of its usefulness and appropriateness as a conservation and management tool within its local and national context.

The Vanuatu Coral Reef Monitoring Network Project (VCRMN) is a regional network funded under the Canada South Pacific Ocean Development (CSPOD) programme coordinated by the University of the South Pacific's Institute of Marine Studies at the School of Marine studies Programme (MSP) in Suva Fiji. Under the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, the Pacific Node is divided into Polynesian Mana. Micronesian node and South West Pacific Node which covers the Melanesian region. The initiative is a continuation of the former SPREP coordinated coral reef monitoring programme that ended in 1998 without establishing national monitoring programmes in the node member countries.

The International Waters Project in Vanuatu began in mid-2002 and will be ending in mid-2006. The National Task Force (NTF) for the project selected Crab Bay in Central Malekula as the project site. The decision was made primarily to support the existing community initiated marine taboo (no take and no entry zone), which was established in 2002 to arrest the fast declining stock of land crab (Cardisoma carnifex) in the area.