BIOLOGICAL EXPEDITION IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL THRIVES

The SICCP team on board their vessel. Photo credit: SICCP.

A biological expedition in Western and Central Provinces has been successful in its mission to update and collect information on the status of marine resources within the region.

The Solomon Islands Community Conservation Partnership conducted the research with the Waitt Institute this month.

Led by SICCP’s Marine Conservation Coordinator, Alec Hughes, the expedition team was made up of four national and two international researchers.

The team collected a range of baseline data that will contribute to the goal of better understanding the status of fish, invertebrate, and coral species throughout Western Province.

Mr Hughes says the data collected as part of the marine assessment provides critical baselines for long-term resource monitoring efforts in Western Province.

He adds as more standardized data is collected by SICCP and others, it will be accessible to local resource and conservation managers, strengthening informed decision-making about the state of their marine environment.

The expedition team conducted coral reef assessments at locations with active community-based resource management programs – namely, Gatokae, Vangunu-Tetepare and Kolombangara, in the Western Province.