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Executive Summary
This report is presented in 4 chapters.
Chapter 1 provides background on the process of developing the Cook Island
National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). The Cook Islands was one
of the first countries to commit to the CBD by signing it at the Earth Summit in 1992,
and the Cook Island National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) was
one of the first to be completed for the Pacific Region. This in itself was a positive
step towards implementation of the CBD. The NBSAP was prepared based on

Summary of Wetland Situation
There are four main types of wetlands in the Cook Islands:
• Freshwater marshes and swamps: on Rarotonga, Mangaia, Atiu, Mitiaro and Mauke.
• Permanent freshwater lakes: Lake Tiriara on Mangaia, Lake Tiroto on Atiu, and Lake Rotonui and
Lake Rotoiti on Mitiaro.
• Tidal salt marsh: at Ngatangiia Harbour on Rarotonga.
• Mountain streams: on Rarotonga.
There are no mangroves in the islands.

Average hard coral cover for all sites in 2013

Reports baseline surveys used to monitor Rarotonga's Fringing Reef

Report prepared by Stephen Lyon for the Environment Service, Tu’anga Taporoporo, Cook Islands. Reports on fringing reef survey

Data presented in this survey provides a snap-shot of present conditions around Rarotonga, however time series data obtained from continuous monitoring of all fore reef and lagoon sites may enable us to identify changes at the community level that may be related to land based activities. Multi-Dimensional Scaling analyses of fore reef corals and fish (by trophic level) between windward and leeward exposures indicated differences between groups.

Impacts of 2015-2016 El Nino event in the Northern Cook Islands.

From 28 July – 9 August 2013, a research team consisting of individuals from the Office of the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Te Ipukarea Society, Oceans 5, Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative, Cook Islands National Environment Service, and local volunteers travelled aboard the vessel Plan B of the Waitt Institute to conduct a rapid marine assessment of the fore reefs of the islands of Aitutaki, Manuae, Mitiaro, Takutea, and Atiu in the southern Cook Islands –– for the purpose of assessing the health of coral reefs within the proposed Cook Islands Marine Park.

Although coral reef monitoring has been on-going for around 20 years on Rarotonga, it has been
inconsistent in terms of methodology, intervals between surveys, data collectors, and also the government
ministries involved. The first monitoring was undertaken by the National Environment Service in 1994 (Miller et al., 1994), and subsequent monitoring by the Ministry of Marine Resources in 1999 (Ponia et al., 1999), then the National Environment Service in 2000 (Lyon, 2000), 2003 (Lyon, 2003), 2006 (Rongo et al., 2006), and 2009

An interdisciplinary journal on the toxins derived from animals, plants and mircoogranisms

Rarotonga Fore Reef Community Survey 2009

Marine survey analysis for the proposed cruise ship landing jetty site in Arorangi 2011

Cook Islands National Environment Service Technical report

A published paper on the effects of natural disturbances, reef state, and herbivorous fish densities on ciguatera poisoning in Rarotonga, southern Cook Islands

Figure 113: Total finfish density inside reef, 2007. (PROCFish 2009)

Cook Islands country report: Profiles and results from survey work at Aitutaki, Palmerston, Mangaia and Rarotonga

Sea cucumber densities (count per area) from four islands in Cook Islands, 2013. (Rongo et al, 2014)

Envisions “To tatou Marae Moana - akatapuia, akonoia, taangaangaia ma te akamanako, ei urunga no to tatou ra manava e to te uki ki mua”. “Our Marae Moana - our nourishing source of life; respected, cared for and used wisely, today and for generations to come.” It purposes to conserve biodiversity and natural assets in the oceans, reefs and islands while ensuring sustainable development of economic growth interests.

2ND MONITORING SURVEY OF THE RAROTONGA RAUI 2000