Australes islanders want to establish and manage their own marine protected area
After two years of discussions and work, with many meetings in each district, Australes inhabitants are now mostly convinced of the interest of creating a large marine protected area around their islands.
This large Marine Protected Area (MPA) would cover approximately one million square kilometers of the Austral Islands and be called “rahui Nui nĆ Tuha’a Pae,” which means “The great Rahui of Austral”. They explained that the entire ocean around Austral would be protected, with the exception of free fishing zone within the limit of 20 nautical miles of land and reserved for local fishermen and some fishing areas regulated on shoals near the islands.
This commitment is part of this fishing community experience. In the 1980s they saw the arrival of new fishing techniques and has seen the expansion of refrigerators and freezers on the island. The islanders then observed a rapid decline in fish populations. Coastal resources have been depleted.
Before the advent of these technologies, they used to catch the fish needed for the day and the following morning. But when people were able to keep fishes longer, they began to catch more than necessary.
At that time, the City Council of the island decided to restore a rahui – this Polynesian traditional custom which restricts the use of natural resource to protect it. The rahui was able to restore fish populations along the coast of Rapa to healthier levels. The originality of the project lies in the fact that it emanates from the population of the entire archipelago who has been consulted and who supports this project.
