The government of French Polynesia has expanded ocean protections to 30 percent of its waters, conserving an additional 520,000 square kilometers of the nation’s territorial waters.
“This is our mission as Oceanians,” French Polynesia President Moetai Brotherson said in announcing the expansion. “We also hope that it can inspire other countries, especially the larger ones, in the way they manage their relationship with the ocean.”
The move comes a year after French Polynesia established the Tainui Atea Marine Protected Area (MPA), partially protecting nearly 5 million square kilometers of its exclusive economic zone, according to conservation organization Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy.
As part of the new protections, the government will add 8,000 square kilometers of artisanal fishing zones around the Austral Islands and nearly 19,000 square kilometers of artisanal fishing zones around the Marquesas islands.
Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy worked closely with the government and fishers on increasing the nation’s marine conservation efforts.
“From the start, that vision included coastal protected zones around the islands and their seamounts, where artisanal fishing can continue for the local people who depend on it. This announcement is a powerful example of how local leadership and traditional approaches like the Polynesian conservation practice of rāhui can guide effective, durable conservation,” Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Principal Officer Donatien Tanret said.
According to conservation news outlet Mongabay, 20 species of sharks, including the critically endangered scalloped hammerhead and oceanic whitetip, will be protected in the new zone. Additionally, swordfish, bigeye tuna, and opah that live in the Austral and Marquesas, 455 mollusk species, 60 pelagic fish species, three sea turtle species, 22 bird species, and 10 marine mammal species will now be protected, too.
