The Arnavon Community Marine Conservation Area Management Committee was established in 1995 as the first community-managed marine conservation area in the Solomon Islands. The 157-km² area is home to nesting grounds of the endangered Hawksbill sea turtle. This Marine Protected Area, created to stem the overexploitation of dwindling marine resources, attracts ecotourism that provides a valuable source of income for local communities. Local youth are employed as monitors and high school students are brought on tours to learn about the group's conservation efforts. A management committee that represents the three founding villages – Kia, Wagina and Katupika – helps resolve resource conflicts.

In partnership with The Nature Conservancy, this initiative has led attempts to diversify sources of income and nutrition for the villages' fishing communities, including making handicrafts for visiting tourists, seaweed harvesting, and small-scale agriculture.

 

Key Facts 

Equator Prize Winner: 2008

Founded: 1993

Location: Arnavon Islands

Beneficiaries: villages of Kia, Wagina, and Katupika

Biodiversity: Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata

 

Case Study