Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) established between 1999-2005

Click on the names of the MPAs in the map below for more information

For a detailed map of 10 new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to be established between 2004-2006 click here.

The primary goal is to conserve and protect Western Solomons marine biodiversity by assisting customary resource owners to sustainably use their natural resources. To achieve this, permanent community-based Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and sustainably managed "no-take" zones (spatio-temporal refugia) have been established and expanded in the Roviana and Vonavona areas. All stakeholders including land owners, local authorities, provincial government officials, and NGOs are participating in this program.

We believe that these closures will achieve effective management, particularly for multi-species tropical fisheries in which absolute yields are difficult to predict and in which there are multiple users and fishing techniques. Overall, MPAs are beneficial in enhancing spawning stock biomass, and allowing for larval dispersal and export of adults to adjacent non-protected areas. Likewise, "no-take" areas alleviate pressure on stocks by allowing depleted populations to recover during seasonal or episodic no-take periods. "No-take" zones may also allow for increased larval dispersal, particularly if the area is dotted with permanently closed source-population zones. This precautionary strategy is particularly appropriate for the Solomon Islands where fisheries biologists have very little scientific information on the biology of multi-species inshore fisheries. The selection of sites for management has been based on various criteria. To date, 21 MPAs have been set up in the Roviana and Vonavona Lagoons covering an area of 2000 hectares or around 5% of all lagoon habitats. For a printable map click here.

Proposed sites for 2004:

Kurihokata area spatio-temporal refugia
Miho Honiavasa area spatio-temporal refugia
Belobelo Island community-based MPA