- Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Vanuatu have formed the Melanesian Ocean Corridor of Reserves (MOCOR) to connect and expand their marine protected areas.
- The initiative covers at least six million square kilometers, aiming to become the world’s largest transboundary marine protected area.
Key Contributions and Commitments
- Announced at the inaugural Melanesian Ocean Summit in May 2026 in Port Moresby.
- Papua New Guinea: Commits the Western Manus Marine Protected Area in the Bismarck Sea, covering over 214,000 square kilometers (9% of its exclusive economic zone).
- Vanuatu: Pledges 70,000 square kilometers within the Torba National Marine Protected Area (10% of its exclusive economic zone).
- Fiji: Pledges 15% of its waters this year, with plans to expand further over the next five years.
Objectives and Rationale
- Serves as a unified Pacific response to climate change, rising sea levels, and coral reef destruction.
- Acts as a platform for regional Melanesian integration, emphasizing stewardship that transcends national borders.
- Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat framed the move as choosing "protection over extraction."
Caveats and Future Outlook
- The Pacific Network on Globalization has urged leaders to translate these regional commitments into binding domestic legislation, specifically calling for a moratorium on deep-sea mining.
- Enric Sala of National Geographic praised the commitment to protect 30% of critical marine biodiversity.
- Nations are scheduled to meet again in two years to review and broaden their protection commitments.