Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

There are 130 Areas of Biological Significance identified in Micronesia. The FSM is known as a critical corridor for commercially important migratory fish stocks, including the skipjack, yellowfin, and bigeye tuna [ ] 157 Community-based organizations lead the way In the FSM, communities and resource owners are the traditional stewards of their surrounding environment. Over the past decade, natural resource management agencies and NGOs have worked alongside community-based organizations, women’s and youth groups, traditional leaders and natural resource owners. This engagement is widely seen as a critical component to the success of conservation work. In addition to the establishment of man- agement plans, community groups are working with resource management agencies and local NGOs to rehabili- tate habitats and conduct monitoring and research activities. A clear success for biodiversity conservation efforts in the FSM is the Yela forest conservation ease- ment in Kosrae, which was officially established in 2014 after more than a decade of negotiations. Covering 78 acres of wetland forest, including part of the largest remaining contiguous stand of Ka tree (Terminalia caro- linensis) in the world and a portion of the Tafunsak area watershed, it is the first conservation easement in the entire Micronesia region. While retaining title and tradition- al usage rights to the land, the land- owners have agreed not to develop the area and to work collaboratively with the Kosrae Island Resource Management Authority, which now has authority to regulate the site. In return, the United States Forestry Services (Forest Legacy Program) and the David and Lucille Packard Foun- dation contributed to an endowment managed by the Micronesia Conser- vation Trust that will provide annual payments to the landowners. Outside of Kosrae, others are learning from the Yela easement as it respects traditional ownership rights common throughout the region while promoting conservation. The site could be a model for similar agreements in other critical habitats, especially for the way in which the collaborating partners are actively engaged in managing the site, includ- ing clearing channels in the water- shed, combating invasive species, replanting native species and putting in a network of ecotourism trails. In addition to work on the ground, the management team is also engaged in community outreach and aware- ness-building about the value of the watershed and the wetland forest. A key achievement to date is the reduction in clearing of trees from the site, attributed to an increased understanding of the importance of the site’s resources and the impact of overharvesting in the area. Chuuk State, Micronesia Micronesia (Federated States of) T he Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is comprised of four States: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae. The country’s 607 islands stretch across almost 3 million km 2 of the Pacific. There are 12 terrestrial biomes and six marine biomes, which are characterized by a high rate of endemism and a profusion of species. For example, the country is home to more than 1,200 species of ferns and flowering plants, more than half of which are native species. More than 1,000 species of fish and 350 types of coral inhabit the country’s coastal and marine areas. Matt kieffer on flickr