13th July 2017 The Cook Islands is now the largest multi-use marine park in the world. Marae Moana – spanning a total ocean area of nearly two million square kilometres – became a reality on Tuesday. A massive feat for a country with only a
Wednesday October 31, 2018 This week, Kevin Iro is representing the Cook Islands at the Our Ocean Conference in Indonesia, a meeting of prominent leaders, ocean advocates, scientists, businesspeople, funders, scientists, non-profit organisations, and advocates from all over the world. Recognisable names include Malcolm Turnbull,
Saturday, December 08, 2018 Prime minister Henry Puna speaks often at conferences and in the pages of international magazines about how the Cook Islands possesses the world’s largest marine-protected area. He’s not wrong; Marae Moana, the marine park legislated last year, covers nearly two million
Thursday December 20, 2018 Recently Cook Islands Chamber of Commerce president Tangata Fletcher Melvin, had a conversation with Marae Moana director Jacqui Evans that changed the way he understands the marine park. It was not, he realised, a marketing ploy, but a solid legal framework
Saturday December 29, 2018 Published in Environment One of the great ironies of our time is that what we do in pursuit of money puts undue pressure on the environment, but restoring the health of our environment costs money too. “We have been making progress on
Monday December 10, 2018 Some people accuse Marae Moana, the Cook Islands’ marine park, of being spineless. Others suspect it’s a marketing ploy to procure aid money. Most of these people will admit they don’t know a lot about what is arguably the country’s most
At the UN General Assembly meeting recently the United Kingdom’s government challenged the world to protect 30 per cent of all oceans before 2030. “It took my breath away,” said Lewis Pugh, a British maritime lawyer who once swam for 49 days to protest the
Thursday November 08, 2018 Alan Friedlander is currently chief scientist for National Geographic’s Pristine Seas Project, an initiative that focusses on marine protection and raising awareness about why it’s necessary. The project is National Geographic’s largest initiative dedicated to environmental preservation. Friedlander has produced more
Wednesday October 24, 2018 Surveys commissioned by the team managing Marae Moana reveal that little is known within the Cook Islands community about the marine park covering our whole ocean – what it is, what it means, and why it matters. Respondents under the age
Monday October 29, 2018 The tiny team working to give Marae Moana life is, until next week, inviting feedback from the public about what ocean-based activities need managing and how much. Comments will inform a process called marine spatial planning, which determines what’s allowed where