A nearshore marine assessment of Atiu and Takutea prepared by MMR for Atiu Island Council and Community. The survey in Atiu took place from the 21st to 30th of May 2018 at ten field sites around the island. The survey in Takutea took place on the 24th and 25th of May of 2018 at four sites around the island. Survey sites were selected to include any existing rā’ui and nearby control areas (unregulated areas open to harvest). Finfish, invertebrates and substrate data were collected at each field site on both islands using SCUBA transects in 10 m of water on the fore reef slope.
A nearshore marine assessment of Atiu and Takutea prepared by MMR for Atiu Island Council and Community. The survey in Atiu took place from the 21st to 30th of May 2018 at ten field sites around the island. The survey in Takutea took place on the 24th and 25th of May of 2018 at four sites around the island. Survey sites were selected to include any existing rā’ui and nearby control areas (unregulated areas open to harvest). Finfish, invertebrates and substrate data were collected at each field site on both islands using SCUBA transects in 10 m of water on the fore reef slope.
A survey of finfish, invertebrates and substrate in Aitutaki & Manuae from September to November 2017.
This report contributes preliminary results for a study of the genomic diversity and population connectivity of paua (small giant clam, Tridacna maxima) in the Cook Islands.
Islands used in this study include Manihiki, Palmerston, Aitutaki, Manuae, Takutea, Atiu, Mitiaro, Mauke, Rarotonga and Mangaia.
This research was commissioned by the Ministry of Marine Resources.
The CKI OECM Workshop Report consolidates the discussions, outcomes, recommendations and next steps following the Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures Workshop, hosted by the National Environment Service, in partnership with Secretariat of Pacific Regional Environment Program and the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, on the 24th - 25th January 2023 in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
Official project document for the Cook Islands national project under GEF-7 programming, project title: Enhancing Biodiversity considerations and effective protected area management to safeguard the Cook Islands integrated ecosystems and species. Annexes not included.
Information on the location of known seabird breeding colonies throughout the Pacific including all PICTS, also Hawaii, Australian offshore islands and NZ Kermadecs
All materials related to the GEF 8 National Dialogue, hosted by the National Environment Service with support from the GEF Secretariat at Edgewater Resort on the 19th & 20th April 2023, including the presentation slides, report and activity sheets will be hosted here.
Reports and data from the Cook Islands GEF-5 Ridge to Reef project
The National Environment Service issues permits for the export of CITES species out of the Cook Islands. CITES stands for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
This report provides information on permits issued by the NES in 2022.
The National Environment Service (NES) herein reports on its activities and performance for the financial year period 2022-23.
The Cook Islands Minamata Initial Assessment Report was developed under the project, “Development of Minamata Initial Assessment in the Pacific”. The project is an enabling activity for the ratification and/or implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
The report consists of:
From February - April 2024, the National Environment Service and Te Ipukarea Society conducted consultations with various stakeholders for the RESPONSE project. Documents from these consultations have been filed here.
This is a MaxEnt model map of the global distribution of the seagrass biome. Species occurrence records were extracted from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) Ocean Data Viewer and Ocean biogeographic information system (OBIS). This map shows the suitable habitats for the seagrass distribution at global scale.
This dataset shows the modelled global patterns of above-ground biomass of mangrove forests. The dataset was developed by the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, with support from The Nature Conservancy. The work is based on a review of 95 field studies on carbon storage and fluxes in mangroves world-wide. A climate-based model for potential mangrove above-ground biomass was developed, with almost four times the explanatory power of the only previous published model.
This dataset shows the global distribution of coral reefs in tropical and subtropical regions. It is the most comprehensive global dataset of warm-water coral reefs to date, acting as a foundation baseline map for future, more detailed, work. This dataset was compiled from a number of sources by UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) and the WorldFish Centre, in collaboration with WRI (World Resources Institute) and TNC (The Nature Conservancy).
This dataset shows the global distribution of cold-water corals. Occurrence records are given for 86 Families under the subclass Octocorallia (octocorals; also known as Alcyonaria) and four Orders (in Class Anthozoa): Scleractinia (reef-forming corals), Antipatharia (black corals), Zoanthidae (encrusting or button polyps), and Pennatulacea (sea pens). Occurrence records are also available for the order sub-Order Filifera (lace corals) in Class Hydrozoa.
Bioregions, of course, are just one of the important data layers in indentifying an ecologically representative system of marine protected areas. To be truly ecologically representative and comprehensive, one must also consider all available information about habitats, species and ecological processes. In addition, socio-economic and cultural considerations are vital in the spatial planning process. This report is focussed upon one important, but only one, input to marine spatial planning: the development of marine bioregions.
AquaMaps are computer-generated predictions of natural occurrence of marine species, based on the environmental tolerance of a given species with respect to depth, salinity, temperature, primary productivity, and its association with sea ice or coastal areas. These 'environmental envelopes' are matched against an authority file which contains respective information for the Oceans of the World. Independent knowledge such as distribution by FAO areas or bounding boxes are used to avoid mapping species in areas that contain suitable habitat, but are not occupied by the species.