Ensuring Resilient Eco-Systems and Representative Protected Areas in the Solomon Islands

The proposed GEF -funded project “Ensuring resilient ecosystems and representative protected areas in the Solomon Islands” will be implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM), in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) and in close coordination with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The project’s goal is to “establish an effective network of protected areas to achieve healthy, productive and restored landscapes in Guadalcanal, Malaita, Rennell-Bellona and Temotu provinces”. The project will be implemented in these four provinces of the Solomon Islands.
As part of achieving this goal, the degradation of terrestrial ecosystems will be reduced and there will be a multiplication of co-benefits. The project interventions will lead to improved community livelihoods through the diversification of income-generating sources, increased direct economic value and benefits from natural resources, and increased resilience to the effects associated with climate change. At the national level, baseline information gathered on natural resources and other variables as well as capacity building will contribute to sound and efficient decision making in the Solomon Islands.
The project will contribute to addressing terrestrial biodiversity loss and ecosystem decline through the improved management of natural resources, and the creation of protected areas within four Key Biodiversity Areas. Biodiversity preservation and ecosystem services will be promoted over at least 50,000 hectares of terrestrial and coastal land. By promoting biodiversity protection, building capacity for the creation and management of Protected Areas including access to relevant information for land-use planning, and strengthening the policy framework for the creation, management and maintenance of protected areas, the EREPA project will significantly support Solomon Islands in meeting its commitments under multilateral environment agreements.
The design of the project is fully aligned with Solomon Islands’ national priorities and will be implemented within the framework of the Protected Areas Act and other relevant national policies and regulations. The strong political will of participating ministries will be an important factor in sustaining the longevity of the projects outputs. The strong relationship between government institutions and the executing agency, as well as