In the lead-up to the Commonwealth Leaders’ Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa this month, Pacific Ocean Commissioner Filimon Manoni asserts that Pacific Island countries and territories have not been “sitting on our laurels” when stewarding the health and protection of the region’s vast ocean and marine life.
“As stewards of one-third of the Earth’s surface, we understand the health of the ocean is critical as it is integral to our lives, our economies, and cultures,” says Commissioner Manoni.
“Contrary to belief, we as a collective have been successfully helping shape the global thinking around the need to prioritise the health and resilience of our oceans.
“We have led the charge in establishing marine protected areas, for example, the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, the Cook Islands Marae Moana, and of course, Niue’s NOW Ocean Initiative,” he adds.
The Commissioner noted his role is to ensure that the “work continues to progress to achieve this ambition, to ensure robust coordination, to ensure that there is alignment in policy, in governance, to ensure there is coherence, and that there is a platform and a voice for the Pacific.”
The Commissioner believes the CHOGM this year presents a “unique opportunity for the Pacific region to align our Ocean priorities with the broader global agenda”, that is, to protect 30 percent of the planet’s lands, coastal areas and inland waters by 2030 guided by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework launched in late 2022.
“Ocean health is not just a regional issue; it is a global one. And CHOGM offers another platform where the Pacific can emphasise the importance of sustainable management at the highest political levels,” says Manoni.
“Our priorities around climate, sustainable fisheries, and addressing marine pollution are integral to the discussions in the coming weeks.
“[It] provides an opportunity for collaboration and looking at financial mechanisms in terms of sharing support to mostly the Pacific Island countries and others who are small island developing states,” he adds.
Niue’s Minister of Natural Resources, Mona Ainu’u, reiterated that all countries of the Commonwealth need to be “champions of ocean and nature protection”.
“As an island nation, Niue has been working on ocean protection since the time of our forefathers, the knowledge they have passed through generations to continue the work that we do. Basically, it’s in our DNA. We breathe and live [with] the ocean,” says Minister Ainu’u.
Last year, Niue committed 40 percent of its exclusive economic zone as a no-take Marine-Protected Area (MPA) known as ‘Moana Mahu’. They also launched Ocean Conservation Commitments (OCC), an innovative financing mechanism managed by the Niue Ocean Wide (NOW) Trust that helps fund the protection of 1 km² of Niue’s ocean waters for 20 years, which aims to raise US$18 million to help build capacity and enhance resilience in the country’s ocean conversation efforts.
“Niue has made a huge commitment. We have done a lot of work over the years and have gone a step further looking at sustainable financing because we know talk is cheap if there is no action,” says Minister Ainu’u.
“I call on our Commonwealth family, through CHOGM, to help us accelerate our efforts to protect our paradise.”
Meanwhile, Executive Director of National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas, Dr Enric Sala, believes that while the challenge is enormous, so is the opportunity when establishing MPAs.
Dr Sala noted: “When we look at the Commonwealth on aggregate, less than 10 percent of the exclusive economic zone of the Commonwealth is highly protected, meaning protected from fishing and other activities so that marine life can be restored and produce many more benefits to the people of the Commonwealth and the climate.
“Most of the protection today is a few large, protected areas like Niue, Palau, Seychelles, and the overseas territories. And most nations of the Commonwealth have protected less than 1 percent of their exclusive economic zone. And this mirrors the global situation today, where only 8 percent of the global ocean is somehow protected, and we need to go to 30 percent. So, it’s a big challenge. It’s a daunting task.
“But the benefits are enormous because we know from our research all around the world, including in some Commonwealth nations, that when we protect places fully from damaging and extractive activities, the ocean comes back spectacularly. The abundance of fish increases 500 percent within these fully protected areas.
“And in the case of the Commonwealth, protecting the right 30 percent would allow the Commonwealth Nations to actually catch more fish, because in these areas, the fish populations not only recover, but also help to replenish the areas around.
He says protections could provide an additional 5 million tons of seafood for Commonwealth nations, which is “extraordinary at a time where the global fish catch has been declining because of rampant overfishing.”
He continued: “Protecting the carbon-rich sea floor of the Commonwealth from the most destructive fishing practices also could avoid over 120 million tons of CO₂ every year. That’s more emissions than most nations on the planet. So, the benefits for marine life, for the food security of the Commonwealth, for the climate, and also, of course, for tourism, because the opportunities associated with nature tourism are enormous in terms of job creation and revenue generation.
“The benefits of 30 percent of the Commonwealth protected far exceed the costs,” he adds.
The National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas programme played a pivotal role in helping create Niue’s Moana Mahu MPA and now, they are working on similar projects with Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and other Pacific nations, says Dr Sala.
“The Commonwealth has this unique opportunity to be the leader, not only because it harbours the greatest diversity of life in the ocean, but also because some nations in the Commonwealth have already done 30×30. If Niue can do it, if the Seychelles can do it, there is no reason why the other nations of the world cannot do it.
