THE Arnavon Community Marine Conservation Area (ACMCA) was the first Marine Protected Area (MPA) to be officially established in Solomon Islands and has functioned for the last 21 years.

The ACMCA was originally mandated under the Resource Management Ordinance of Isabel Province and in 2015 it was pending consultations and submission to the Protected Area Advisory Committee for deliberations and declaration under the Protected Areas Act 2010.

I am not sure whether the ACMCA was subsequently covered by the Protected Areas Act 2010.

The most important flagship in the ACMCA is the hawksbill turtles.

Under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the international organization that monitors the population, trends of fauna and flora (animals/plants) on earth, the hawksbill turtles are categorised as a critically endangered species.

This means that the global population of hawksbill has experienced dramatic declines over the past century and hawksbill turtles face a high probability of becoming extinct in the near future.

Research on turtles in Solomon Islands began in the1960s, and by the early 1990s it was clear that the Arnavons Hawksbill population was in severe decline, a consequence of over a hundred years of commercial hunting.

Recognition of these marked declines led to renewed efforts to discuss with stakeholder the need to protect the Arnavons in 1992.

This was followed by successive terrestrial and marine assessments and meetings which eventually led to the opening of ACMCA as a Marine Protected Area in August 1995 under a partnership agreement.

The ACMCA provides the opportunity for the conservation officers to meet people in all walks of life including yachties, film makers, scientists, government officers and the conservation officers were honoured to host the Governor General of Solomon Islands at one time.

With the assistance of the Solomon Islands Government and partners, the Solomon Islands Rapid Ecological Assessments (REA) was done in 2004, and the findings of that survey resulted in making Solomon Islands to become part of the Coral Triangle.

The ACMCA was initially financially supported by multilaterals/bilateral donors, foundations and individuals.

Unfortunately such funding is normally only given for a specific time period, and considerable effort is needed to continually seek new sources of funding to keep the ACMCA going in undertaking its vital conservation wok.

Here, perhaps, news from RNZI in New Zealand, today, Thursday, might be of help to the ACAMCA.

“Small conservation initiatives in the South Pacific are being invited to apply for small grants for 2017 from the Auckland Zoo’s conservation fund.

Grants of up to $US3, 500 will be given to support wildlife conservation in Polynesia and Melanesia for ongoing or pilot programmes worth up to, but not more than, $US13, 800.

“Auckland Zoo’s Peter Fraser said previously the fund has been open to the entire world but the Zoo wants to help more South Pacific initiatives.

“New Zealand is part of the South Pacific, the South Pacific islands are our neighbours and we feel like we have a responsibility to the region and we also have the skills. Because all those islands have very similar problems to New Zealand which we have developed some really good skills to deal with. They have a similar sort of range of species, birds and reptiles not a lot of mammals and a big issue with invasive species,” said Peter Fraser.

“Interested parties can apply online via the Auckland Zoo website.”

The deadline for applications closes on 19 February 2017.

Good luck in following through for a grant, ACMCA, and keep up your excellent conservation work in the Solomon Islands.

Yours sincerely

FRANK SHORT