| Fast Facts |
location
between northern Santa Isabel and southern Choiseul islands; 200 miles from the capital of Honiara
ecoregion
Papua
project size
311,000 acres
public lands
Arnavon Marine Conservation Area is community-owned
partners
provincial government, village leaders, community members, Lauru Land Conference
conservancy initiatives
Marine
natural events
hawksbill turtle nesting, June–August | |
 | |
 |
Home to one of the world’s largest nesting populations of endangered hawksbill turtles, the Arnavon Islands represent the first community-managed marine conservation project in the South Pacific. |
|
 |
Barrel sponge.
© Mark Conlin/Larry Ulrich Stock |
|
Dense emerald forests blanket the islands and crystal-blue water surrounds them. Occasional clusters of stilted, thatched-roof huts hug the shorelines, and villagers ply the waters in dugout canoes. Scattered amid the forests and harbors are rusting remains of bombers, troop ships and tanks. Known mostly by World War II historians for the battle of Guadalcanal and now by scuba divers, the Solomon Islands are off the radar screen for most of the world.
But the islands are very much on the radar screen for endangered hawksbill turtles, which return each year from foraging grounds on the Great Barrier Reef in record numbers to lay their eggs on the smooth-sand beaches of the Solomons. The islands are also an important nesting ground for rare Sanford’s sea eagles, Brahmany kites, ospreys and ground-nesting megapodes. There is no other island group in the world where natural selection has produced such a dramatic diversity in bird populations. With creatures like giant clams, bęche-de-mer, trochus and gold-lip pearl oysters, the Solomon Islands is ranked among the top 10 most biologically diverse nations in the world. The diverse species are also among the world’s most imperiled. |
Hawksbill turtle.
© Kelvin Aitken/Peter Arnold, Inc. |
|
In a group of islands in the Solomons chain known as the Arnavons, three communities have taken charge of their fragile resources and are setting an example for their South Pacific neighbors to follow. In 1995, at the invitation of these communities and in partnership with the Solomon Islands government, The Nature Conservancy helped establish |
| the Arnavon Marine Conservation Area, the first community-managed marine conservation project in the South Pacific. Villagers patrol beaches during nesting season to prevent turtle and egg poaching, and community leaders have voluntarily established fishing limits and new methods to rebuild stocks and maintain sustainable seafood harvesting. Efforts are also under way to combat cyanide fishing and other destructive practices that have accompanied the live reef fish trade elsewhere in the region. | |
| Learn more about The Nature Conservancy's work in The Solomon Islands. |
|
| Conservation Profile |
targets
hawksbill turtle nesting beaches, marine breeding grounds, forests, commercially valuable species such as trochus, sea cucumber, black and gold-lip pearl oysters and giant clams
stresses
overharvesting of marine resources, destructive fishing practices, logging
strategies
designate marine and terrestrial protected areas, foster sustainable fishing practices, undertake scientific research, strengthen local partner organizations, engage community in natural resource management
results
Arnavon Marine Conservation Area established; hundreds of turtles tagged | | | | |
