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Solomon Islands Postcard From the Field

Chief Leslie Miki Vele on the Arnavon Islands.

And this is the first place where the sand is littered with sea cucumbers which have been stripped from other areas.

This boost to marine resources in the Arnavon Islands was begun by Chief Leslie Miki Vele who has joined us on the survey. Chief Leslie has an enormous passion for conservation. For 46 years, he has spoken on behalf of all the land and sea for every one of the 2,000 people of Kia village on Isabel Island. More than 10 years ago, he began to speak very passionately and negotiate on behalf of his people to create a marine reserve on their traditional fishing grounds in the Arnavon Islands.

The reefs of Arnavon Islands were used by people from Kia village as well as people from Katupika on Choiseul Island. In the 1960s, people from the Gilbert Islands were repatriated to Wagina Island, close to the Arnavon Islands, and also began to catch fish and turtles there.

With more and more people fishing in the Arnavon Islands, the pressure on its marine resources was increasing. An overseas market stimulated a demand for sea cucumbers that prompted the use of modern diving equipment. People could go deeper,stay longer, and collect animals that they couldn’t reach before.

Fish, trochus shell, and sea cucumbers started to disappear. And there were fewer hawksbill turtles in the turquoise waters of the islands.

In 1992, Chief Leslie called a meeting of the chiefs from Wagina Island and from Katupika on Choiseul Island to talk about how to stop the decline.

His vision was to create a marine sanctuary in the Arnavon Islands to protect marine resources. After several years of negotiations and with the strong support of The Nature Conservancy, his vision became a reality.

Finally in 1995, to the delight of Chief Leslie, the Arnavon Islands were proclaimed a marine reserve. The Nature Conservancy continues to support the project by providing funds for Conservation Officers who are stationed on the Islands. The Conservancy, through the Biodiversity Conservation Network, has established a fisheries centre on Wagina and another in Katupika to supply an alternate sustainable harvest. The centres are already culturing seaweed and a range of reef fish.

So the future looks bright for marine conservation in the Arnavon Islands. The challenge will be to learn from this experience and to protect other places in the Solomon Islands.

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