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World Seas: An Environmental Evaluation, Second Edition, Volume Two: The Indian Ocean to the Pacific provides a comprehensive review of the environmental condition of the seas from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific.

In the Pacific Island region, oceanic fisheries target four species of tuna – skipjack, yellowfin, bigeye and South Pacific albacore – and make critical contributions to economic development, government revenue and livelihoods in most nations. Climate change is expected to have profound effects on oceanic fish habitats, food webs, the fish stocks they support and, as a consequence, the productivity of fisheries.

This report synthesizes the emerging evidence of climate impacts at different temperature thresholds for Pacific islands. All evidence points to vast differences in impacts in a 1.5 ?C world, compared to the +3 ?C world to which our current policies and climate change pledges are leading us.

The effects of climate change on Pacific Islands are expected to have significant implications for society, culture and gender. Social and cultural groups will be impacted differently, with some being disproportionately affected by climate change. These groups also play an important role in sharing information and should be consulted and included in all efforts to promote climate action. Inclusion of social and cultural considerations increases

In the Pacific Islands region, fish and invertebrates (specifically shellfish) fulfil important ecological roles in coastal and oceanic habitats, and many species are targeted by fisheries, making vital contributions to food security, livelihoods, government revenue and cultural heritage.

Pacific island mangroves include the world’s centre of mangrove biodiversity in Papua New Guinea, and extend east through all countries and territories as far as the Marshall Islands and Samoa. Mangroves provide many values to local communities, however immense worldwide losses have occurred in the past century owing to human coastal development, including around urban centres in the Pacific islands.

Due to anthropogenic pressure, seagrass habitats are declining by over 7% annually