Solomon Islands Commits Resources to World’s First Indigenous-led Ocean Reserve

The Solomon Islands has taken a historic step in ocean governance, committing ministerial resources to support the Melanesian Ocean Reserve (MOR) — the world’s first Indigenous-led, multi-national ocean reserve.

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele confirmed the government’s commitment on Tuesday during the 54th Pacific Islands Forum in Honiara, describing the reserve as a groundbreaking model that combines Indigenous knowledge, modern science, and regional political leadership.

An island built by hand on the Lau Lagoon, Solomon Islands reef. Photo credit: Foueda Village, Malaita Prvince, Solomon Islands.

Spanning the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and New Caledonia, the Reserve is projected to cover more than six million square kilometres of ocean — an area comparable in scale to the Amazon rainforest. It will safeguard some of the most biologically rich and culturally significant seas in the world.

Manele first announced the intention to form the Reserve at the United Nations Oceans Conference in Nice, France earlier this year, alongside ministers from Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

“Never before have countries united across entire EEZs to enshrine Indigenous governance, constitutional authority, and ancestral stewardship as the foundation of large-scale ocean protection,” he said. “The ocean has always been our garden, our market, and our home. Today, we take further steps toward making that truth the law.”

Ministerial platform launched

A Ministerial Platform has now been established to guide discussions on the Melanesian Ocean Reserve Declaration and engage with development partners on financial support. Officials say the platform is crucial to ensuring the Reserve is not only declared but fully implemented, with Indigenous knowledge embedded at its core.

Two key ministers also outlined the Four Paddles — the Reserve’s central programs — which will focus on:

•  Monitoring and managing the ocean,
•  Indigenous-led investment in sustainable ocean economies,
• Sustainable transport and reconnection of island peoples, and
• Integrating modern science with customary wisdom.

Minister for Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Hon. Polycarp Paea, highlighted the cultural and practical importance of reconnecting people to the sea.

“We eat from and live in the ocean, but we have been retreating from it as other ways of life start to dominate,” Paea said. “MOR is a unifying approach that makes sense of the different ways of protecting our Ocean. The paddle for knowing the ocean uses science and research to build from our existing ancestral knowledge, rather than replacing it. The transport and reconnection paddle will ensure that our people return to the ocean for transport and movement, filling it up with our life and our attention.”

Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources, Hon. Bradley Tovosia, described the initiative as a vital framework for driving a sustainable ocean economy.

“The Melanesian Ocean Reserve is a framework to mainstream the ocean in our economic thinking. Through the ocean transparency paddle we aim to observe our full ocean space, so we can see who is doing what, and leverage our population across the islands in monitoring and reporting,” Tovosia said. “With the Indigenous investment paddle, we look forward to our Indigenous Solomon Islanders becoming direct participants in the fisheries value chain, instead of being spectators.”

Next steps

The Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu are leading the initiative in partnership with the Islands Knowledge Institute (IKI) and Nia Tero. Regional leaders are expected to carry this momentum to Climate Week in New York later this month, where financing discussions for the Reserve’s programs will continue.

Media Release | Melanesian Ocean Reserve