Places

Melanesia

Where We Work

In Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands, WCS works at key locations within the Bismarck Solomon Seas Ecoregion, a cornerstone of the Coral Triangle, which contains an estimated 75% of known coral species and over 3,000 species of reef-associated fish. We also work in the Vatu-i-Ra Seascape in Fiji, which has recorded levels of fish biomass and site-level fish diversity comparable to the some of the most outstanding Coral Triangle locations.

On land, WCS works in the Bismarck Forest Corridor, an important intact forest landscape, and protects remnant patches of highly sensitive and threatened cloud forests (Kolombangara Island, Solomon Islands) and rainforests (Great Central Manus Forest, PNG, and Kilaka Forest Conservation Area, Fiji) that are connected to important downstream marine ecosystems.

We lead conservation programs in the following countries:

• Fiji
• Papua New Guinea
• Solomon Islands
• Vanuatu (not a formal country program)

Drivers of Change

Melanesia is characterized by rapidly growing and modernizing populations that have an increasing need to enter the cash economy. Most of Melanesia’s wealth is driven by extraction of the region’s natural resources. The combination of resource commercialization and loss of traditional practice have weakened customary management systems, resulting in unsustainable farming, hunting, and fishing practices.

Melanesian countries are characterized by low employment rates, poorly distributed economies and poor public sector capacity. Central governments have been unable or unwilling to regulate accelerated trade, fueled by direct foreign investment and the global boom for commodities. Corruption levels are often high, with funds diverted to support interests that favor clans in power.

With a high proportion of land and sea under customary tenure, conflict can easily erupt over decisions to establish protection zones, with conservation programs upended if benefits are not perceived to be equitably shared. Climate change presents a further unprecedented challenge through impacts on biodiversity and livelihoods from floods, droughts, sea level rise, tropical cyclones, and coral bleaching.

Strategic Approach

WCS Melanesia's programs integrate community engagement, science-based conservation, outreach and link successful local conservation initiatives to regional and national policies. We take a “boots on the ground” approach, spending time living and working with local communities to collaboratively solve the pressing conservation challenges of habitat loss and degradation, overexploitation and climate-change adaptation through innovative applications of community-based resource management (CBRM).

Three outstanding examples of various CBRM approaches applied across Melanesia include:

• Ridge-to-reef management: In Fiji and Solomon Islands, WCS works with local communities to collectively manage at the scale of ecosystems processes that provide important services, such as clean water, food security, and human health.
• Locally-managed marine areas: Across all our Melanesian programs, WCS assists local communities in choosing management strategies to implement in their LMMAs to best achieve their local objectives (focused on sustainable fisheries, livelihoods and maintenance of cultural practice).
• Conservation agreements: In PNG and Fiji, WCS has brokered formal agreements with communities to facilitate CBRM for forests and reefs through incentives such as community development projects and access fees.