Regional Marine Species Programme

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ON THIS PAGE:

• Introduction to the Marine Species Programme and Action Plans

• Webinar - 13 July 2023

• Review of the Programme

• Contact us

INTRODUCTION TO THE PROGRAMME AND ACTION PLANS

Download the Regional Marine Species Programme 2022-2026 in English and French

Watch a video about the Programme:

If you don't have access to YouTube, click here to watch it on Clipchamp.

The Pacific Islands Regional Marine Species Programme (Marine Species Programme, or PIRMSP) is a regional strategy for the cooperative conservation and management of:

• dugongs;
• marine turtles;
• whales and dolphins;
• sharks and rays; and
• seabirds.

The programme is designed to support SPREP Pacific island countries and territories, excluding metropolitan countries. The Programme, which is implemented through action plans, supports Pacific peoples to take a primary role in achieving the following vision:

A healthy Pacific Ocean with thriving populations of whales, dolphins, marine turtles, dugongs, sharks and rays, and seabirds, and the associated ecosystems on which they depend and contribute, which assures the aspirations of Pacific island peoples and protects their natural and cultural heritage. 

Pacific island peoples are stewards of their marine environment and depend on marine resources for their way of life. The 2022-2026 Marine Species Programme is intended to support them by:

• increasing knowledge, awareness, and understanding of marine species and their habitats, and their ecological, cultural and economic values, including through sharing best practice;
• appropriately incorporating and recognising cultural knowledge, traditional use, and conservation practices as the starting point for public awareness;
• building capacity and securing human resources to implement the action plans;
• securing sustainable financing to support implementing the action plans;
• identifying and addressing emerging threats and avoiding, reducing, or mitigating current threats;
• improving the condition of marine species and their habitats through improved management and protection;
• promoting appropriate customary management practices and traditional stewardship;
• ensuring that marine species populations recover and continue to fulfil their ecological roles;
• promoting the socio-economic benefits of non-consumptive use through responsible tourism;
• enhancing cooperation and coordinated action at national, sub-regional, regional, and international levels; and
• fostering opportunities for ecosystem-based multi-species management approaches.

Structure

The Marine Species Programme is in two key parts: the supporting framework, and the action plans. The supporting framework sets out programme-level actions and indicators for achieving the Marine Species Programme objectives in relation to:

A. Commitment, funding, and human resources

B. Implementation and coordination

C. Networking and reporting to support implementation.

The multi-species action plan was developed to reduce redundancy as many of the actions that can be undertaken to support the conservation of our marine species and their habitats are general in nature, such as managing pollution and coastal development, and implementing them will provide benefits for all species groups and across ecosystems.

The multi-species action plan should be read in conjunction with the species action plans to get a complete picture of conservation actions for marine species in the Pacific. 

Themes

Each action plan has the following consistent themes:

1. Research and monitoring
2. Climate change
3. Ecosystems and habitat protection
4. Threat reduction
5. Cultural significance and value
6. Legislation, policy, and management
7. Ecotourism and livelihoods
8. Capacity building and collaboration
9. Education, awareness, and communication.

Roles and responsibilities

The action plans and their implementation are the collective responsibility of SPREP Member States, the SPREP Secretariat, partner non-governmental and inter-governmental organisations (NGOs and IGOs) and private sector organisations.

SPREP will continue to play an important role in facilitating the exchange of information, coordinating efforts, building capacity, securing resources, and regularly monitoring and reporting on implementing the action plans.

History

The conservation and management of threatened and migratory species, particularly dugongs, whales, dolphins, marine turtles, sharks and rays, and seabirds has long been a key feature of SPREP's work on biodiversity conservation. Since 2003, SPREP and its partners have underlined, developed, reviewed and implemented three consolidated regional Marine Species Action Plans - an initiative designed, endorsed and implemented by the SPREP member countries and territories. In 2009, the regional Plan of Action for Sharks was developed and launched jointly by the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC), the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and SPREP, this was integrated into the Marine Species Programme in 2021, along with a new action plan for seabirds. 

WEBINAR - 13 JULY 2023

This webinar was hosted by SPREP’s Threatened and Migratory Species Team about a year after the Programme was launched to assist with socialisation of the Programme and encourage collaboration.

SPREP’s Threatened and Migratory Species Advisor, Karen Baird, and Migratory Marine Species Conservation Officer, Hannah Hendriks, presented on the following:

• global context
• an introduction to the five species groups and their threats
• a summary of the Programme and action plans and the review of the previous Programme
• an outline of some of the current and future work of SPREP pertaining to the Programme
• other items of interest (databases, webinars, PIRT working groups).

We also had an Environmental Specialist, Sarah Wyatt, from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) share information about the GEF country allocations and some of the relevant focal areas for the Marine Species Programme.

Throughout the webinar we utilised polls to get an understanding of country and territory priorities and activities. The webinar recording has been edited to remove breaks for the polls. Note that poll participation was voluntary and not all Pacific countries and territories were present so this is not completely representative or definitive and may not be the official view of the countries or organisations participating.

• View a report summarising the responses to the polls

View a recording of the webinar below and download the slides:

REVIEW OF THE PROGRAMME

Review of the 2013-2017 programme began in 2017 which introduced the supplementary action plan for sharks and rays. The review continued in 2020 with a concerted effort to consult with SPREP members to report on implementation of the three original action plans.

• Marine species action plans 2013-2017 implementation review report (2021)

Feedback from the consultation, implementation review and metropolitan state advice were used to draft a new programme for the 2022-2026 period.

A series of online workshops were held during July-August 2021 to discuss and review the draft action plans:

• Pacific Regional Marine Species Programme - Workshop Series Report 28 July - 3 August 2021

The workshops were followed by the 4th Meeting of the Signatories to the Pacific Islands Cetacean MOU.

The final Pacific Island Regional Marine Species Programme 2022-2026 was launched by Stuart Chape, Director Island and Ocean Ecosystems, on 15 June in celebration of the 29th Anniversary of the establishment of SPREP.