Illustrated Book Makes Case for Austral Islands Marine Reserve

French artist tells story of proposed Rahui Nui nō Tuha'a Pae protected area

Illustrated Book Makes Case for Austral Islands Marine Reserve

A short illustrated book, published in French and English, tells the story of the proposal to create a large, fully protected marine reserve in the waters surrounding French Polynesia’s Austral Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. French artist Benjamin Bécue produced the colorful and playful drawings.

With many fish stocks facing depletion around the world and particularly in the Pacific, effective measures are necessary to ensure that island communities can continue to live sustainably off the ocean. Internationally, less than 3 percent of ocean waters are protected today. Members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature recommend boosting the amount that is highly protected to at least 30 percent. A dozen Pacific countries have already joined the international movement to create large marine reserves to help reach this goal.

Austral Islands Marine Reserve

Today, in French Polynesia, the communities of the Austral Islands have offered to join this movement to protect our seas by calling for the creation of a large, fully protected marine reserve in the waters beyond their traditional fishing zones. The marine reserve would be named Rahui Nui nō Tuha’a Pae, a Tahitian reference to the traditional Polynesian practice of restricting access to an area or resource to conserve it.

Austral Islands Marine Reserve

This proposal, first made by the municipal councils of the five inhabited islands, was then refined by the people of the Australs in an extensive consultation that included elected officials, fishermen, associations, tourism stakeholders, and religious representatives. If approved by the French Polynesian government, the proposed marine reserve could become one of the largest marine protected areas in the world. It also would help spread Polynesian culture and the influence of the Austral Islands far beyond the borders of the archipelago.

Austral Islands Marine Reserve
Podcast

Our Blue Planet–Protecting the Ocean

Episode 6

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Podcast

Three-quarters of our planet is covered with water—and it’s this water that sustains life. But our liquid planet, home to half of the world’s known creatures and plants, is facing multiple threats, such as overfishing and commercial development. That’s why leading scientists say that 30 percent of our oceans should be protected. Host Dan LeDuc explores why this 30 percent data point is important with two people committed to safeguarding the oceans: native Hawaiian Sol Kaho’ohalahala, whose culture and livelihood depend on sustainable seas; and Matt Rand, who directs the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project and has been working with people like Kaho’ohalahala since 2006 to keep our oceans healthy.

Proposal for an Austral Islands marine reserve
Proposal for an Austral Islands marine reserve
Issue Brief

Rāhui Nui Nō Tuha’a Pae

Proposal for an Austral Islands marine reserve

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Issue Brief

The five inhabited islands of French Polynesia’s Austral archipelago—Rimatara, Rurutu, Tubuai, Raivavae, and Rapa—have come together to propose to the central government in Tahiti that a large, highly protected marine reserve be created in their waters. If approved by the government, the reserve could be the largest in the world at a potential 1 million square kilometers.