Skip to main content
Home

GEF Logo

GEF Logo

Search
  • Who We Are

    Organization

    • Overview
    • CEO and Chairperson
    • Focal Points
    • Secretariat Staff

    GEF Council

    • Members & Alternates
    • Work Programs
    • Meetings
    • Decisions

    Funding

    • Overview
    • GEF-9
    • GEF-8
    • GEF-7
    • Replenishment Documents
    • Overview
    • CEO and Chairperson
    • Focal Points
    • Secretariat Staff
  • What We Do

    Topics

    Topics

    • Amazon
    • Biodiversity
    • Blended Finance
    • Chemicals and Waste
    • Food Security
    • Forests
    • Global Biodiversity Framework Fund
    • Illegal Wildlife Trade
    • Integrated Programs
    • International Waters
    • Land Degradation
    • LDCF
    • Mercury
    • SCCF
    • Sustainable Cities
    • Transparency
    • View All Topics >>

    Stakeholder Engagement

    Stakeholder Engagement

    • Civil Society Organizations
    • Country Engagement Strategy
    • Fonseca Leadership Program
    • GEF Voices
    • Indigenous Peoples
    • Knowledge & Learning
    • Private Sector
    • Youth
  • Projects & Operations

    Projects

    Projects

    • Project Database
    • Templates
    • How Projects Work

    Countries

    Countries

    • Recipient Countries
    • Donor Countries
    • Participant Countries
    • Country Support Program

    Operations

    Operations

    • Conflict Resolution Commissioner
    • GEF Geospatial Platform
    • Knowledge & Learning
    • Policies and Guidelines
    • Results
  • Partners

    Partners

    • Countries
    • GEF Agencies
    • Conventions
    • Civil Society Organizations
    • Private Sector
    • Countries
    • GEF Agencies
    • Conventions
    • Civil Society Organizations
    • Private Sector
  • Newsroom

    Newsroom Menu Column 1

    • All
    • News
    • Feature Stories
    • Press Releases
    • Multimedia
    • Publications
    • Blog

    Newsroom Menu Column 2

    • GEF Logo
    • Partner News
    • Newsletter
    • Media Contacts
    • All
    • News
    • Feature Stories
    • Press Releases
    • Multimedia
    • Publications
    • Blog
  • Events
  • Search

Rising Phoenix: the GEF's contribution to sustainable development in Kiribati

News
August 11, 2016
Eco-tourism  in the PIPA protected area brings in income to Kiribati.
Eco-tourism  in the PIPA protected area brings in income to Kiribati.

By Tukabu Teroroko, Director, Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA)  

The Phoenix Islands - roughly halfway between Australia and Hawaii in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean – form one of the world's last intact oceanic coral archipelago ecosystems. Its reefs have remained unspoiled and its 25 square kilometers of land, scattered through 408,000 square kilometers of  sea averaging 4km in depth, are home to rare birds and plants. Five of its eight islands are officially designated as Important Bird Areas and -  since only one island is inhabited, and by less than 50 people - this is truly a natural laboratory in the wild.

In 2006 Kiribati declared the establishment of the Phoenix Island Protected Area (PIPA), which in 2010 became a World Heritage Site, the largest and deepest on Earth. It is the biggest  marine conservation effort of its kind by a Least Developed Country.

PIPA has benefited from GEF funding, which supported the implementation of the are'as first Management Plan, the establishment of its two Implementation Offices and the recruitment of six core staff. The plan focuses on (i) Core Operational (capacity, infrastructure, zonation, surveillance and enforcement, monitoring, evaluation) and Strategic Outcomes (atoll restoration, reverse fishing license, world heritage site management, tourism, climate change adaptation) and (ii) the design and operation of PIPA’s Sustainable Financing System.

The islands' wildlife was damaged by mammalian pests, especially rats, and the project enabled it to be restored. Birds and vegetation (which shelters birds and chicks) recovered quickly when rat eradication programmes were implemented on McKean and Birnie islands, and after all the rabbits were shot and killed on Rawaki Island.

Sharing information on PIPA’s values and undisturbed natural beauties through outreach programmes has greatly inspired the school children, youth and the public at large in Kiribati to take care for the environment and surroundings. Eco-tourism  in the protected area  - focusing on snorkeling and diving, catch and game fishing, bird watching, amateur radioing, and simply relaxing enjoying the beautiful environment –brings in income to Kiribati.  In January 2015, the PIPA  was fully closed to commercial fishing, There have been quite a number of scientific reports on studies there, while research into tuna larvae continues.

The project adopted a multi-ministerial approach which has proven very effective. The Kiribati Police Service Maritime Unit under the Office of the President , for example, is responsible for the PIPA’s surveillance and enforcement tasks;  The Fisheries Department for research and monitoring in the PIP andthe Attorney General Office for dealing with legal matters. Kiribati is also an active member of regional organisations and benefits from the support of the Forum Fisheries Agency on surveillance and security and the Secretariart of the Pacific Commission, among others, for quarantine and biosecurity assistance. Bodies like Skytruth, Google Watch and Oceans are very helpful in detecting vessel movements in PIPA.

The PIPA Conservation Trust provides a steady flow of financial support needed to manage the Trust and to sustain the protected area's operations. A total of US$5 million has been invested with  contributions  from the Kiribati Government, New England Aquarium and Conservation International. Implementing the PIPA Fundraising Framework Strategy will provide additional capital to the Trust, while the Waitt Foundation and Ocean 5 are providing US$1 million annually for the next 4 years for the protected area's operations and management

Future expectations for the GEF

Additional financial support is needed for PIPA’s programme as below:

  • PIPA Atolls and Reef Islands Restoration & Biosecurity: Rat eradication was carried out only on 4 PIPA islands, namely, McKean, Birnie , Ederbury, and Rawaki (rabbits on this island only). Additional financial support to eradicate the rats on the rest of the untreated islands including Enderbury will ensure that their  pristine natural environment and beauty is maintained.
  • Surveillance and Enforcement: Financial support is required to further improve  existing infrastructures and equipment for surveillance and enforcement in the PIPA.
  • Science and Research: PIPA is an important tuna spawning ground. Investing in research on these valuable economic species inside the large marine protected area is vital. A better understanding of the tuna life cycle would contribute to managing stocks and address global concerns on overfishing and food security. And providing support in establishing PIPA as a natural marine laboratory for studying climate change could contribute to better understanding of the impacts of rising temperatures on corals and the marine life.
  • PIPA Eco-tourism development: Support for sound ecological low-volume high-end tourism development is vital. People will enjoy the pristine natural environment and beauties, while it  it will provide employment opportunities and government revenuent.
  • Marine Protected Areas Networking: Support to the Big Oceans initiatives, to which Kiribati belongs, will ensure a collective approach in working towards saving the oceans from overfishing, pollution, and the impacts of climate change.

Find out more on the PIPA Website: http://phoenixislands.org

 

Tweet these!

Did you know @theGEF's contribution to sustainable development in #Kiribati includes a World Heritage site?  

The Phoenix Islands in #Kiribati are one of the world's last intact oceanic coral archipelago ecosystems 

.@theGEF funds #tourism, #climatechange adaptation in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area of #Kiribati 

Countries

Kiribati

Related News

Disabled child trying to walk.
Feature Story

Changing Lives

April 1, 2018
25 years of GEF
News

25 Years of the GEF

October 24, 2016
Picture taken on a sunny summer day in Hellerup, a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark.
News

The GEF and Danfoos Heating

October 21, 2016

GEF Updates

Subscribe to our distribution list to receive the GEF Newsletter.

Sign up

GEF Logo

Follow Us

GEF Affiliated Sites

  • GEF Portal
  • Independent Evaluation Office
  • Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel
  • Small Grants Programme

Who We Are

  • GEF Secretariat Staff
  • Conflict Resolution Commissioner
  • Council Members & Alternates
  • Focal Points
  • Careers
  • Legal
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Global Environment Facility, All Rights Reserved.  |   Legal