CI Australia, through generous Australian donors, also support a range of fantastic projects in the Asia-Pacific.
Surf conservation
More than 75 percent of the world’s best surf breaks are in areas where highly biodiverse ecosystems like coral reefs, coastal forests, and mangroves are in critical need of protection. Likewise, more than 200 million tons of carbon (equivalent to annual emissions from more than 150,000 cars) are stored in mangrove and forest ecosystems surrounding surf breaks — making the protection of these ecosystems critical to combating climate change. Generating US$60 billion a year across the globe, surfing can support conservation at scale, helping to safeguard critical ecosystems and waves before they are lost.
Conservation International has joined forces with partners across the world to protect irreplaceable waves and surrounding ecosystems, through the creation of Surf Protected Areas. Since launching our surf conservation program in 2020, we have supported establishment of 30 Surf Protected in Indonesia, Costa Rica, Peru and Brazil and will double that number over the next two to three years. We also building the next generation of surfer conservationists through surf camps and contests and support local communities to develop businesses linked to surfing and conservation to fuel sustainable economies and job growth. We are so thankful to our Australian Surf Conservation Advisory Board, which is working to raise awareness and raise funds to establish new Surf Protected Areas in Indonesia.
Bintan MPA
Nestled close to Singapore, Indonesia’s East Bintan Marine Protected Area (MPA) has been established with multi-year support from Australian partner, ‘Jord International’.
The coastal waters that comprise the MPA support reefs of spectacular colour and diversity. Scientific surveys have revealed over a hundred species of birds and 276 species of fish. Endangered green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) and critically endangered hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) forage the MPA, alongside other threatened species such as dugong and Irrawaddy dolphins. These natural wonders represent a significant marine tourism opportunity for local communities. The declaration of the MPA, led by Konservasi Indonesia, is bringing all stakeholders together to find solutions to the threats of overfishing, pollution, rubbish, boat noise, dredging and anchoring on reefs, and to support local livelihoods alongside a healthy marine environment.
Ocean Guardians
Pacific Island communities are uniquely connected and wholly dependent on the ocean for survival, united as a region and their origins through the ancient art of ocean-voyaging in canoes (known by many names across Polynesia including ‘Vaka’. Conservation International’s Pacific team are harnessing the power of the Vaka to remobilise the proven environmental management knowledge that vests in Pacific Island communities.
Together with Samoan Government and Samoan Voyaging Society, and enabled by support from both Australian and NZ donors, Conservation International have launched the Guardians program: sailing a majestic Vaka to schools around Samoa delivering a five-day immersive, hands-on education program for youth. The wildly popular program delivers lessons about voyaging history, coral/habitat health, fish and food chains, marine protected areas, climate change adaptation and waste management. In Samoa, the education modules are being adopted into the national school curriculum; and meanwhile, Guardians is sailing ever further to reach children in Tonga, Cook Islands, Fiji and Tokelau in NZ.
Watch: Guardians
Building Pacific climate resilience
Pacific Islands are responsible for less than 0.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet are bearing the brunt of climate change in many ways. Conservation International, supported by Australian donors, are working with governments and communities throughout the Pacific to explore adaptation strategies, and related finance options. Examples include:
- The Pacific Blue Carbon Pilot Project in Fiji, with a goal to protect and restore mangroves for climate resilience and community livelihoods. Supported by the Australian Government, the project has focused on developing blue carbon credits, improving mangrove management and exploring financing pathways. The project has aligned with Fiji's national climate strategies, while at the community level, supported establishment of three communally-owned commercial seedling nurseries, the scaling of women’s handicraft production and incomes, and the revitalization of key species (Fijian Monkey Faced bats, Mud Lobsters, Mud Crabs, Mangrove Oysters) in Navitilevu Bay. In 2024 a delegation of Fijian community and government representatives were hosted by CI Australia, Greening Australia, and the Traditional Owners of Mungalla Station in Queensland. This learning exchange focused on the protection of Indigenous rights and the generation of local livelihoods as part of their respective blue carbon projects.
- Working to support communities in 14 Pacific Island countries in their efforts to adapt to the diminishing supply of fish from degraded coral reefs currently used for domestic food security. Additionally we are supporting nine tuna-dependent Pacific Island countries adapt to climate-driven redistribution of tuna, which seriously threatens the important contribution of industrial fishing access fees to their economies. The video below summarises these threats and the priority adaptations.
Watch: Visualisation of Climate Change Impacts to Pacific Fisheries