Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy celebrates French Polynesia's new marine protection commitments

Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy celebrates French Polynesia's new marine protection commitments © Ian Skipworth

Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy today celebrated French Polynesia's announcement that it will establish one of the world's largest networks of highly protected marine areas in a region of the South Pacific Ocean that hosts a vast array of life.

Speaking today at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), President Moetai Brotherson pledged to protect nearly 23% of French Polynesia's waters. These globally significant designations include two highly protected areas that collectively span 900,000 square kilometers (about 350,000 square miles). Once implemented, this will be one of the world's single-largest designations of highly protected ocean space in history.

"In French Polynesia, the ocean is much more than a territory—it's the source of life, culture, and identity," said President Brotherson. "By strengthening the protection of Tainui Atea (the existing marine managed area that encompasses all French Polynesian waters) and laying the foundations for future marine protected areas in the Austral, Marquesas, Gambier, and Society islands, we are asserting our ecological sovereignty while creating biodiversity sanctuaries for our people and future generations. These measures will make French Polynesia a central player in global ocean governance. This ambitious choice also carries a universal message addressed to the international community—that of an Oceanian people who protect their vital space not only for ourselves but for all humanity."

The highly protected areas will safeguard 220,000 square kilometers (85,000 square miles) of remote waters near the Society Islands and 680,000 square kilometers (263,000 square miles) near the Gambier Islands. Access will be limited, and all forms of extraction, such as fishing and mining, will be prohibited in order to create refuges for marine life, including migratory manta rays, coral atolls, and seabirds.

In addition, the government will create an artisanal fishing zone—collectively covering 186,000 square kilometers (72,000 square miles)—that extends 15 nautical miles from the Austral, Marquesas, and Gambier islands and 30 nautical miles around the Society Islands. Fishing in that zone will be limited to traditional single pole-and-line catch from boats less than 12 meters (39 feet) in length. Industrial fishing within these areas will be prohibited, while local people will be allowed to continue fishing in the same ways that area communities have for millennia.

The artisanal fishing zones and two highly protected zones will be established as marine protected areas (MPAs), spanning a combined 1,086,000 square kilometers (nearly 420,000 square miles)—an area about twice the size of continental France.

Beyond announcing the MPAs, President Brotherson also committed to bolster conservation measures within the remainder of French Polynesia's waters by including public participation in management, strengthening fisheries management plans, and banning deep-sea mining and drifting fish aggregating devices (FADs)—free-floating objects that commercial fishers commonly place in the open ocean to attract fish.

President Brotherson has also pledged to create additional artisanal fishing zones and two more large, highly protected MPAs within the next year near the Austral and Marquesas islands, increasing the total area of highly protected waters to 2.5 million square kilometers (965,000 square miles), or more than half of French Polynesia's territorial waters.

The announcement follows years of advocacy by communities in the Austral and Marquesas islands, who have consistently championed stronger marine protections to preserve their environment and culture.

For more than a decade, Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy has worked closely with the government of French Polynesia, fishers, scientists, elected officials, and environmental organizations in French Polynesia to support local communities' proposed efforts to conserve natural marine resources.

Speaking from UNOC3, Dona Bertarelli, philanthropist and patron of nature for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, said: "Improving and preserving ocean health, which is necessary for human health and sustainable livelihoods, demands urgent action. French Polynesia has shown its leadership and answered that call with a historic commitment by creating one of the world's largest MPAs."Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy, inspired by the local communities' drive and ancestral wisdom, stands ready to continue supporting work toward effective implementation."

The government's commitments come with overwhelming local support, with polling showing that more than 90% of French Polynesians back new highly protected areas. Poll respondents emphasized the need to safeguard ocean resources for current and future generations, with measures including respect for cultural values and drawing upon traditional stewardship practices such as rahui (the practice of temporary closure of natural areas to promote regeneration).

Further, French Polynesia's commitment advances the international goal of protecting 30% of the world's ocean by 2030—a key target adopted by the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity in 2022 to maintain biodiversity, boost fisheries productivity, and safeguard the ocean's economic, cultural, and life-supporting benefits.

French Polynesia's waters are known for their outstanding marine biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, which provide refuge to 21 shark species and an exceptional reef system that supports 176 coral species and 1,024 known fish species. This abundance benefits the ecosystem as well as the way of life in French Polynesia.

Tom Dillon, senior vice president of environment and crosscutting initiatives for The Pew Charitable Trusts, said: "These highly protected area commitments are a powerful signal of French Polynesia's leadership and long-term vision. They also demonstrate that ambitious conservation can be both achievable and widely supported."

Donatien Tanret, who leads Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy's work in French Polynesia, said: "Local communities have made their ambitions clear: They want to see stronger protections that reflect both scientific guidance and their ancestral culture for future generations. These protections and commitments to future designations are a powerful example of how local leadership and traditional measures such as rahui can address modern challenges."

The Pew Charitable Trusts and Dona Bertarelli created Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy with the shared goal of establishing the first generation of ecologically significant, large, and effective marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world. Today, the partnership also seeks to connect MPAs and help conserve key migratory species and entire marine ecosystems. These efforts build on more than a decade of work by Pew and Dona Bertarelli to create large-scale, highly or fully protected MPAs. Together, they have helped to obtain designations or commitments to safeguard more than 13 million square kilometers (5 million square miles) of ocean by working with communities, local leaders, philanthropic partners, Indigenous groups, government officials, and scientists.