Approach
Living Archipelagos seeks to provide a mechanism for protecting ecological gems that are at risk of loss if conservation action is not taken quickly. We will focus on a ten or so priority sites in the Polynesia/Micronesia region for targeted, small-scale, and short-term projects with abbreviated planning phases. Although the projects are not intended to be region-wide in scale they may be ecosystem-based, such as actions to protect critical habitats or removal of alien species to protect assemblages of at-risk species, and transferable to other sites. This unique “surgical strike” approach (rapid identification and implementation for short-term initiatives) is intended to augment and complement the ongoing longer-term and broad-based nature conservation efforts in the Pacific Islands region.
Science will drive the selection of Living Archipelagos priority sites, as well as the projects implemented to protect them. As such, Living Archipelagos benefits from the strong scientific expertise of the Bishop Museum , which is the leading source of biological and cultural diversity information in the region. However, successful conservation action in the Pacific requires a full understanding of not only the ecology of an area, but the social, political, and economic realities of the region as well. To help integrate these oft-competing concerns into our priorities and to expedite on-the-ground/water action to save these ecological gems before it is too late, Living Archipelagos will build upon the ongoing priority-setting efforts in the region, such as the National Biological Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAP) under the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD). Whereas LA can mobilize and focus scientific expertise on an area, within each country we place a critical emphasis on effective and solid partnerships with local governments, community leaders, and NGOs to assist in the implementation of conservation actions at the priority LA sites.
Priority-setting for Living Archipelagos site selection was done through a two-step process that began in mid 2003. In the first step, nomination of appropriate sites for LA action was done by e-mail solicitation to about 40 regional experts, and resulted in 55 sites nominations. This was followed in April 2004 by two regional workshops to further consider and evaluate the proposed sites: a science-focused workshop was held in Honolulu, Hawaii, and a conservation-focused workshop was held the following week in Apia, Samoa. This resulted in narrowing of the nominations list to less than 25 sites, which are now undergoing further evaluation through direct consultation with governments and local conservation partners.