Empowering Communities to Protect Their Ocean
TONGA
ABOUT
TONGA
The Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean made up of 174 islands with an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of approximately 700,000 km2. Tonga’s ocean is famous for its high biodiversity, migratory species (whales) and coral reefs. In 2015, the Cabinet decided to create a Marine Spatial Plan to sustainably manage the nation’s marine resources for current and future generations.
To support Tonga's important work, the Vava'u Ocean Initiative (VOI) was launched in 2017. VOI is a partnership between the Government of Tonga, the Vava'u Environmental Protection Association and the Waitt Institute to support fisheries management, sustainable ocean planning, and conserve biodiversity while allowing for sustainable economic development.
The Initiative has three focal areas: supporting creation of a sustainable ocean plan through Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), supporting creation of Special Management Areas (SMAs) for community fisheries, and supporting scientific research. SMA’s are coastal marine areas in which the community has exclusive fishing rights and management responsibilities, including establishing a designated no-take area. Led by the Ministry of Fisheries, the goal of the SMA program is to restore and enhance fisheries resources and increase resilience of communities.
Follow the Vava'u Ocean Initiative on Facebook.
FOUNDING
PARTNERS
KEY
STATISTICS
ocean protection commitment
30%
99%
of Tongan territory is ocean
PROJECT
TIMELINE
MOU
GOVERNANCE & WORK PLANNING
ASSESSMENTS
PLANNING & LEGAL DEVELOPMENT
IMPLEMENTATION
PROJECT
MILESTONES
2015
Tonga government makes a decision to prepare a Marine Spatial Plan.
2015
Technical working group Ocean 7 holds first meeting to lead development of the Tonga Ocean Plan.
2017
MOU is signed between the Government of Tonga, Vava'u Environmental Protection Association and Waitt Institute to form the Vava'u Ocean Initiative.
2021
Tongan government approved the Tonga Ocean Management Plan.
OCEAN LEADERSHIP
OCEAN7: OCEAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Ocean7 technical working group was established in 2015 and arose out of the need for cross-sectoral planning and communication to achieve national MSP goals. Since then the Ocean7 has reached several key milestones in the process including 2 rounds of national consultation to develop Tonga's Ocean Management Plan (adopted by Cabinet in 2021), and guiding the development of the Tonga Ocean Management Bill, the Tonga National Ocean Policy, and Tonga’s Blue Economy Framework.
PROGRAM
TEAM
IMPLEMENTING PARTNER
VAVA'U ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ASSOCIATION
The Vava’u Environmental Protection Association (VEPA) was started in May 2009 by a group of local leaders concerned with the pressing environmental conservation issues facing the islands of Vava’u. VEPA has four focus areas aimed at ensuring biodiversity and conservation, increasing knowledge exchange, and securing sustainable livelihoods.
KEY
PARTNERS
IUCN
The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
"We understand that, because of its vast size, what happens to our Pacific is make or break for the planet. That's why we have committed to protecting 30 percent of our Blue Continent as we strive to protect and sustainably manage critical ecosystems."
- Honourable Hu’akavemeiliku Siaosi Sovaleni
Prime Minister of Tonga
