Kiribati is a nation made up of a group of islands and atolls in the central Pacific Ocean covering an area of more than 1,000,000 square miles. It is the largest atoll nation in the world. The oceans and reefs surrounding the islands are home to remarkable biodiversity—more than 120 species of coral and fish species five times that number have been recorded there. Relatively close to Hawaii, Kiribati is an ideal location for the collection and exportation of livestock for the marine ornamental industry—it is also now home of the world’s largest marine protected area.
The World’s Largest Declared Marine Protected Area
Kiribati is made up of three major island groups—the Gilbert Islands, the Line Islands and the Phoenix Islands. On 28 January 2008, it was announced that the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) would be expanded to include 158,453-square-mile—roughly the size of the state of California. According to officials, “This action makes the PIPA the world’s largest declared marine protected area, an incredible accomplishment for Kiribati.”
An Innovative Partnership
The creation of the PIPA in 2006 was the result of an innovative partnership between the New England Aquarium and the nation of Kiribati. Funding has been provided in large part by Conservation International's Global Conservation Fund and Pacific Islands Program.
"Numbers You Don’t See in Most Places Anymore"
As Steve Bailey, Curator of Fishes for the New England Aquarium, said, “I saw several thousand surgeonfishes and over 500 buffalo parrotfish on this dive—numbers you don’t see in most places anymore. The way the parrotfish charged in a herd and grazed on coral, they looked just like buffalo.”
Protection Needed
The action to expand the protected area was taken to protect the region from both overfishing and global climate change. Commercial fishing will be restricted in the area, and both Conservation International and the New England Aquarium are involved in working with the Kiribati government to compensate economically for lost revenue due to the area being closed as a commercial fishery.
A Collection Area Management Plan
In 2005, the year before the creation of the PIPA, the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) sent a team to Christmas Islands, Kiribati, where they were involved in the development of a Collection Area Management Plan (CAMP) for the marine aquarium trade. According to their report, they “found a particularly high abundance of Golden Gregory Damsel (Stegastes aureus), Bartlett’s Anthias (Pseudanthias bartlettorum), Lemonpeel Angel (Centropyge flavissima), Flame Angel (Centropyge loriculus), Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon meleagris) and Niger Trigger (Odonus niger) species.”
A Sustainable Aquarium Trade
While in Kiribati, the MAC team met with all of the exporting companies (there were seven at the time), as well as with officials from the Department of Fisheries, Environment, Tourism, Wildlife and Conservation, and the Ministry of the Line and Phoenix Islands. At that time, again according to the report, “all stakeholders were in favor of a management plan for the aquarium trade as sustainability was a concern.” The team also worked directly with collectors and distributed a best practices booklet in the Kiribati language.
Time Will Tell
Today, marine ornamental specimens continue to be exported from Kiribati providing valuable income for local collectors. At the same time, the nation is leading the world by example in marine conservation. Is this the perfect union of consumerism and conservation? Only time will tell how the need for dependable exports, the demand for tropical marine fish and the desire to conserve the Earth’s oceans will coincide in Kiribati.
Additional Resources
Phoenix Islands Protected Area Website
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