October 2010: The UN University (UNU) has published a report on local management approaches for enhancing marine biodiversity in the Pacific.

The report is the product of a process coordinated by the Traditional Knowledge Initiative of the UNU–Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) to foster dialogue on traditional marine management areas of the Pacific in the context of national and international law and policy. The report incorporates information from two dialogue sessions and four workshops organized by UNU-IAS and partner organizations between 2003 and 2007. It presents case studies compiled at the workshops and uses them to examine the relationship between local marine resource management practices in the Pacific, legally established marine protected areas, and national and international law and policy.

The report explores the role of traditional marine resources management in meeting the goals of communities and those of national and international conservation strategies. Specifically, it looks at: how traditional practices are applied in various Pacific island countries; how concepts such as the ecosystem approach and adaptive management are incorporated; whether traditional marine managed areas are recognized by national law; and whether and how they are seen to contribute to national and international protected areas and conservation targets in the context of national law, as well as in the context of a regional framework for marine protected areas, which is currently being developed in the Pacific.

The report concludes that traditional marine management contributes to the attainment of international targets related to protected areas and marine conservation, and it recommends that traditional marine management’s role in this regard should be fully recognized. Such recognition should include support for and reinforcement of pre-existing systems of traditional resource management, while allowing the incorporation of cooperative management strategies in adapting to contemporary circumstances. Recognition of community ownership and control of marine areas and resources, and the importance of local and traditional knowledge, are essential components of best management practice in the Pacific islands. [The Report]