The Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) Programme marks seven years of learning, partnership, and shared success across our Blue Pacific. From empowering fisheries officers and promoting sustainable seafood trade, to strengthening community-based management and protecting our ocean spaces — this video celebrates the connections and progress that have shaped stronger, more resilient Pacific communities.

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In 2013, SPREP established the Lui Bell Scholarship Fund, honouring the legacy of Mr. Lui Bell and his dedication to the conservation of marine species in the Pacific. Three scholarships were funded by the European Union through the SPREP’s BIEM Initiative (under the Pacific-European Union Marine Programme (PEUMP)) for 3 students. Mr. Absalom Kairu and Ms. Jireh Leka from the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG…

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The Pacific region is home to some of the world's richest and threatened marine biodiversity, including marine turtles, sharks, rays, and seabirds. These species are not only ecologically important but also hold deep cultural significance and contribute to food security for many island communities. In response to increasing pressures from habitat loss, unsustainable harvesting, bycatch in fisheries, and climate…

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Marine turtles play a critical ecological and cultural role across the Pacific region, yet they face a range of threats including overharvesting, habitat degradation, climate change, and illegal trade. Despite existing conservation initiatives, comprehensive, regionally coordinated assessments of extinction risks had been lacking. Recognising this gap, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (…

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Marine turtles are culturally significant and ecologically important species across the Pacific Islands region. However, pressures from both legal and illegal harvesting for customary use, food security, and trade, combined with climate change and habitat degradation, pose serious threats to their survival. While regional and national management plans exist, there has historically been a lack of comprehensive, up-…

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The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) through the  PEUMP programme  and with support by  Alluvium Consulting led the BIEM initiative to strengthen sustainable management of Fiji’s coastal and marine ecosystems. The BIEM initiative focused on developing gender, social inclusion and human rights-sensitive ecosystem management plans for Navua catchment and Beqa lagoon. SPREP worked…

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The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Oceania Regional Office engagement in the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) Programme, was through the By-catch and Integrated Ecosystem Management (BIEM) Initiative, through SPREP, supporting marine spatial planning in Fiji and Solomon Islands. This support for marine spatial planning allowed these collaborating partners to support…

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Managing grants necessitates a structured approach, particularly when handling substantial funds aimed at supporting the development of countries, especially small island developing states like the 28 members of the Pacific Community (SPC). The Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) programme focuses on effective ocean and coastal governance, underscoring biodiversity protection and the sustainable…

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In 2019, the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and the Pacific Community (SPC) signed an agreement enabling the exchange of maritime boundary datasets—marking a significant milestone under the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) Programme. This agreement advanced efforts to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing by enhancing the Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance (MCS…

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Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing has long been a persistent challenge in the global fishing sector, posing a serious threat to the livelihoods of countless people who rely on the ocean for food security and economic stability. In the Pacific, the 2021 IUU quantification study conducted by MRAG Asia Pacific for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) found that between 2017 and 2019, an…