The Sea Around Us is a research initiative at The University of British Columbia (located at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, formerly Fisheries Centre) that assesses the impact of fisheries on the marine ecosystems of the world, and offers mitigating solutions to a range of stakeholders.
The Sea Around Us was initiated in collaboration with The Pew Charitable Trusts in 1999, and in 2014, the Sea Around Us also began a collaboration with The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to provide African and Asian countries with more accurate and comprehensive fisheries data.
AquaMaps are computer-generated predictions of natural occurrence of marine species, based on the environmental tolerance of a given species with respect to depth, salinity, temperature, primary productivity, and its association with sea ice or coastal areas. These 'environmental envelopes' are matched against an authority file which contains respective information for the Oceans of the World. Independent knowledge such as distribution by FAO areas or bounding boxes are used to avoid mapping species in areas that contain suitable habitat, but are not occupied by the species.
Bioregions, of course, are just one of the important data layers in indentifying an ecologically representative system of marine protected areas. To be truly ecologically representative and comprehensive, one must also consider all available information about habitats, species and ecological processes. In addition, socio-economic and cultural considerations are vital in the spatial planning process. This report is focussed upon one important, but only one, input to marine spatial planning: the development of marine bioregions.
Dataset includes various regional-scale spatial data layers in geojson format.
This dataset holds all media resources for the State of Environment and Conservation in the Pacific Islands: 2020 Regional Report
Maps and associated data from the Turtle Research and Monitoring Database System (TREDS). A summary of the database can be found below.
The Turtle Research and Monitoring Database System (TREDS) provides invaluable information for Pacific island countries and territories to manage their turtle resources. TREDS can be used to collate data from strandings, tagging, nesting, emergence and beach surveys as well as other biological data on turtles.
This dataset has all icons for Multilateral Environment Agreements such as SDGs and Aichi
The dataset contains a range of different Pacific regional maps developed by the SPREP GIS team and is available for use by members and partners.
Various training and reference materials from the ACPMEA and Inform Joint Regional Meeting held at SPREP 17-21 September 2018.
A direct internet link to and resources pertaining the Blue Habitat website which has been established as a portal for information on the global distribution of marine ‘blue’ habitats. Knowledge on the distribution of blue habitats is an important input into ocean management, marine spatial planning and biodiversity conservation.
Dataset regarding 'Seamounts' - peaks that rise over 1,000 m above the seafloor. Seamount chains occur in all three major ocean basins, with the Pacific having the most number and most extensive seamount chains.
Forest area for pacific island countries
These instructional videos walk users through the portal and its different features.
This document is a review of the status, trends and threats to Tonga’s unique biodiversity since the inception of its own NBSAP in 2006. The review also covers the status of the implementation of objectives and action plans, sectors and cross sector collaboration.
Final draft document of the national water and coastal management plan for Vavau
This is part of the "Preparation of Diagnostic Study to Inform an Integrated Coastal Management Plan for Tongatapu, Tonga" - this document represents Deliverable 3 : Coastal Characteristics and Issues Report
This vulnerability assessment provides evidence for the Government of Tonga and the people of Lifuka Island to make informed decisions about adapting to coastal erosion and sea-level rise. This project also aimed to be a blueprint for other low-lying nations considering adaptation options.
The objectives of this study were as follows:
1. Resurvey and delineation of the sand resource of eight beaches on Tongatapu
2. Evaluation of the extent of recent coastal changes on Tongatapu including changes effected by cyclones and other natural events, beach sand extraction, and interaction between the two.
3. Investigation of the rate of sand production and implications for the sustainability of beach mining.