The Melanesian Ocean Reserve is the world's first Indigenous-led, multi-national Ocean reserve protection initiative that will operate across the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), territorial, and archipelagic waters of Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia. When complete, it is expected to span over 6,000,000 square kilometres of ocean and islands — an area as vast as the Amazon rainforest.
It reflects a collective ambition of nations to protect the vast ocean spaces that sustain Melanesian peoples and ecosystems through Indigenous governance and traditional custodianship. It serves as an umbrella approach that supports a mosaic of management regimes — ranging from strict no-take zones to highly managed areas where Indigenous stewardship ensures protections that match or exceed those of marine protected areas (MPAs) globally.
The Reserve is built on a fundamental concept: that these waters and ecosystems are the home of the Indigenous Peoples that have occupied them for hundreds of centuries, and that their continued harmonious presence in this area will be the best way to secure it for the long term.
When complete, the Melanesian Ocean Reserve is expected span 6,000,000 square kilometres of ocean and islands, making it one of the largest marine protected areas globally.
The Melanesian Ocean Reserve is not a single Marine Protected Area. Instead, it weaves together each nation’s existing marine protected areas (MPAs), locally managed marine areas (LMMAs), and community-based resource management areas (CBRMs). Grounded in Indigenous-led ocean governance and aligned with the global framework of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), the Reserve creates a national and regional framework that safeguards these local initiatives from political reversal, fragmentation, or lack of scale. By connecting community efforts to broader ocean governance and development goals, it strengthens both ecological resilience and sustainable economic opportunities for Ocean Peoples.
The Melanesian Ocean Reserve is more than a conservation tool—it represents a commitment to long-term stewardship that is consistent with international standards while firmly rooted in local leadership, traditional knowledge, and customary governance systems. This ensures that Indigenous Peoples, as holders of authority and responsibility, remain at the centre of caring for the ocean into the future.
Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea are the involved countries with Ministerial-level leadership from all three strengthening the regional momentum behind the initiative. While individual governments are at different stages of policy interpretation, each country is playing a distinct role in shaping the reserve’s cultural, ecological, and governance frameworks.
Using the Solomon Islands as an example, in June 2025, a cabinet paper was passed on the concept of recognition for the current fisheries protection by the foundation within their EEZ, focused on three zones:
In addition, the Solomon Islands is spearheading operational principles, legal designation, concepts of zonation, and policy integration through its National Ocean Policy (SINOP). The provinces of Temotu and Makira are among the first to commit to large-scale marine closures and serve as early implementation sites. Solomon Islands is also leading regional diplomacy and cross-border agreements, such as the Tirvau and Motulave Agreement with Vanuatu.
Likewise, in August 2025, Vanuatu also passed a cabinet paper and plays a key role in expanding the “blue cultural corridors” concept in collaboration with the Solomon Islands on joint marine governance, especially through the Torba Province’s alignment with Temotu Province.
Together, these nations are creating a unified yet locally grounded ocean governance model that blends traditional custodianship with modern science and policy.
The governments involved in the Melanesian Ocean Reserve will establish a dedicated Office to operationalize governance across jurisdictions — a central pillar essential to the Reserve's effective functioning. This Office will serve as a coordinated implementation hub, providing technical support, facilitating regional diplomacy, and ensuring seamless partner collaboration. Each country will also assign Ministers to the Melanesian Ocean Reserve Ministerial Platform, offering crucial political support and oversight of the Office to guide and sustain the initiative’s impact.
The zonation framework within the Melanesian Ocean Reserve has been conceived of to integrate ecological protection, cultural sovereignty, and economic opportunity. The Reserve uses a multi-zone structure to reflect the diverse needs, histories, and priorities of Indigenous communities across participating nations.
The zones serve several key purposes:
Each MOR country will design its own zones in ways that reflect its laws, customs, and priorities. The example below is based on the Solomon Islands model, which includes:
Indigenous Ocean Reserve: includes strictly protected zones where all industrial activity is prohibited. They are reserved for cultural, spiritual, and subsistence use by Indigenous communities. These areas often include sacred marine sites, ancestral fishing grounds, and biodiversity hotspots. The IORs serve as ecological sanctuaries that regenerate fish stocks and marine habitats while affirming Indigenous custodianship.
Indigenous Navigation and Oceanic Nations Reserve: supports the revival of ancestral trade routes, traditional voyaging, and cross-border Indigenous cultural exchange. It enables low-impact maritime travel and re-establishes historical connections between islands. The INON reflects the importance of cultural mobility and regional solidarity in Melanesian identity.
Managed Development Reserve: includes areas where Indigenous-led, low-impact economic activities are permitted under strict environmental and cultural safeguards. This includes ecotourism, sustainable aquaculture, artisanal fisheries, and community-owned enterprises. The aim is to foster economic resilience without compromising ecological integrity.
Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea will be establishing their specific zones with New Caledonia following the zoning process already defined for its EEZ.
Activities that the Melanesian Ocean Reserve aims to promote and support include:
In the case of commercial fishing, the focus is on implementing strong, Indigenous-informed management frameworks that prioritise ecological sustainability and long-term ocean health.
The reserve builds on successful regional models, such as the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) — of which Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea are members. PNA nations manage the world’s largest sustainable tuna purse seine fishery, contributing around 50% of the global skipjack tuna supply, while effectively minimising by-catch of vulnerable species like dolphins and whale sharks.
The Melanesian Ocean Reserve zones will follow a no-loss revenue principle, ensuring that conservation does not come at the expense of national economies. Existing regimes already place limits on commercial fishing in certain zones, and the MOR will build on and strengthen these frameworks so that protection is paired with prosperity. Small-scale, Indigenous-led fisheries may continue in designated areas outside the strictly protected zones, where they are carefully managed to support both conservation and cultural practices.
On deep-sea mining, leaders of the MOR have reaffirmed commitments under the Udaone Declaration, which applies the precautionary principle, and note the Solomon Islands’ moratorium across its EEZ. Very little is known about the long-term impacts of seabed mining, and activities in one country can affect ecosystems far beyond national boundaries. This uncertainty, combined with risks to biodiversity and the interconnected nature of Pacific waters, makes precaution essential.
For Indigenous Peoples of Melanesia, the ocean is not just a resource — it is an ancestral domain, a sacred space tied to identity, culture, and custodianship. Deep-sea mining undermines these cultural and spiritual connections, threatening relationships that have safeguarded Pacific waters for millennia.
We have the aspiration to advance activities within the Melanesian Ocean Reserve through the following paddles:
Indigenous Investment in Sustainable Ocean Economies: The MANA Investment Platform for Indigenous Participation in Sustainable Ocean Value Chains is an example of this paddle. MANA is an investment platform enabling Indigenous Peoples to participate in ocean industries. Initial focus is on supporting resource owners to become investors in upcoming tuna developments.
Sustainable Transport and Reconnection of Island Peoples: The Voyaging, Alliance, Trade, and Autonomy Project (VATA) will exemplify what this paddle wants to achieve. This transport and movement project is designed to reconnect kin across islands in the MOR region. Early work includes scoping a sail-powered trade route linking Honiara, Lata, Sola, and Luganville.
Monitoring and Management of Ocean: The Seascape Oversight & Local Watch for Archipelagic Tracking & Assessment (SOLAWATA) is a real-time ocean monitoring system using AI technology. Building on systems already applied to monitor Solomon Islands’ forests, this approach will combine AI processing, satellite imagery, and public observers aboard vessels to track activity across the MOR.
Knowing the Ocean through modern science and customary knowledge: We aim to establish an ambitious program to establish the Melanesian Ocean Reserve as the world’s premier marine conservation and research destination. The program will integrate traditional Indigenous knowledge systems with cutting-edge scientific research and educational frameworks.
Indigenous communities will benefit in relevant ways at each level of political organisation: Communities will benefit through:
MOR addresses past failures by:
Together, these features provide a robust foundation for lasting conservation.
The intent of establishing the Melanesian Ocean Reserve was announced at the United Nations Ocean Conference in June 2025 in Nice, France and is in an advanced planning stage. Each participating country is undertaking its own legal and policy processes to contribute to this collective vision. So, while it is not yet legally established in full, it is well beyond the conceptual phase and moving toward formal recognition.
An update on the declaration will take place at the Pacific Island Forum in September 2025 in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
The Islands Knowledge Institute (IKI), Noabou Holdings and Nia Tero have been working together and with the governments involved to make the Melanesian Ocean Reserve a reality. Each brings complementary strengths to the initiative.
The Islands Knowledge Institute (IKI) is a Melanesian-based think tank and advisory group grounded in Pacific knowledge systems. IKI plays a central role in:
Noabu Holdings (Noabu) is a Melanesian-led organisation with strong networks across Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and the USA. Noabu’s role in the Melanesian Ocean Reserve includes:
Nia Tero is a global facilitator of direct funding to Indigenous Peoples and growing the field of Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship. With regards to the Melanesian Ocean Reserve, Nia Tero supports:
We recognize that other initiatives and organizations, such as the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the Blue Nature Alliance, and National Geographic, are contributing to the Melanesian Ocean Reserve through their efforts to advance marine spatial planning and establish marine protected areas. We are eager to involve other non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and others interested in engaging with and supporting the design and implementation of the Melanesian Ocean Reserve.