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This paper provides an overview of the role of the Pacific Islands Forum in ocean governance. The paper gives a short summary of the Pacific Islands Forum, and highlights its initiatives and directions that have underpinned oceans development in the region over the past thirty years.

The presentation of the Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Policy at the 2002World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg marked the culmination of yet another milestone achievement in regional cooperation in the Pacific Islands. The formulation of the regional policy began with a request from the 1999 Forum Leaders that a regional ocean policy be produced. This Policy is to be the basis for the harmonisation of national and regional actions in relation to oceanic and coastal resources in the Pacific Islands. The Policy will also offer the platform for the formulation of a Pacific Islands Regional Ocean Strategic Action Plan that will prescribe the sustainable use of the Ocean and its resources. The countries were urged to become parties to international treaties and conventions such as the Law of the Sea Convention.

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.

Oceans cover 70 percent of the earth's surface, and more than one-half of the world's population lives within 60 kilometers of the coast. (Oceans, Coasts and Islands Web Service) The seas have been regarded as a global commons whose resources are inexhaustible and therefore free for the taking. But many species of marine life have become depleted or even threatened with extinction due to rapidly increasing human populations, pollution and runoff from industry and agriculture, and industrial-scale exploitation of fisheries.