The Pacific Community (SPC) and Island Conservation have signed a memorandum of understanding at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, to explore joint work on island and ocean restoration, biodiversity and climate resilience in the Pacific.
The agreement was signed by SPC Deputy Director-General Science and Capability Dr Andrew Jones and Island Conservation Vice President, Conservation Programs, Cameron Driver.
SPC said the memorandum identifies possible areas of collaboration including island and ocean restoration, ocean monitoring and governance, marine and terrestrial protected and conserved areas, threatened species and biodiversity, nature-based solutions, and integrated ridge-to-reef and coastal management.
It also provides for sharing information and data, supporting climate resilience and looking at sustainable financing. SPC said specific activities will be developed through separate agreements that set out each organisation's responsibilities, deliverables and funding arrangements.
"Climate resilience and biodiversity are closely linked across Pacific islands. By signing this MoU at COP31, we are highlighting the importance of that connection and creating a framework to explore collaboration guided by the priorities of Pacific members," Jones said.
Driver said every island has its own ecology and priorities, and that working with SPC gives Island Conservation an opportunity to learn from Pacific partners and identify where its restoration experience can support local conservation goals.
SPC said the collaboration is intended to complement existing work and contribute to the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, with the aim of restoring island ecosystems, protecting biodiversity and sustaining the natural resources communities depend on.
On volcanic islands, rain falling in upland forests and catchments carries water, nutrients and sediment towards the coast, so what happens on land can affect coastal habitats and the people who rely on them. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that degradation of land and marine ecosystems can increase the vulnerability of small-island communities to climate change.
COP31, the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, runs from 9 to 20 November 2026 in Antalya. Support for Pacific Island countries and territories at the conference is coordinated through the One CROP mechanism, led by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, the Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner, the University of the South Pacific and SPC.