Traditional leaders, Island Councils, communities and government have all contributed to the establishment and management of PAs. Most Cook Islands PAs are not covered by legislation, and the few that are legislated vary in their levels of protection. Only three of the 14 terrestrial PAs are covered by formal government-based legislations and regulations, which include the Suwarrow National Park Declaration, Takutea Island Regulations and Takuvaine Water Catchment Regulations.
This was published in 2020
Rarotonga’s wetlands, with in-fill areas of wetlands, and other types of land-use. (SPREP, 2015; Data source NES)
Figure 95: Rarotonga’s wetlands near Avarua. (SPREP, 2015, Data source NES)
COOK ISLANDS TUNA LONGLINE ANNUAL REPORT 2006
COOK ISLANDS TUNA LONGLINE INDUSTRY CATCH REPORT Annual report 2005
There are 14 terrestrial PAs, which total at least 1407.2 hectares (five PAs are uncalculated), or about six per cent of the Cook Islands’ total 240 km2 land mass. Terrestrial PA are concentrated in a few locations. Three of the 15 islands in Cook Islands are wildlife reserves (Suwarrow, Takutea and Manuae), almost 40% of the terrestrial PAs are represented by four motu on Pukapuka, and three of Rarotonga’s four PAs make up 36% of total terrestrial PAs.
These interactive graphs were derived from the raw data of the Waste Audit conducted under the PacWaste Project for Cook Islands
This is Assessment of Legislative Frameworks Governing Waste Management in the COOK ISLANDS
Map of the protected areas for the Pacific Islands Region with regional-level summary statistics on the amount of area under protection, count for each type of protected area (terrestrial or marine), and the count of their designation.
The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas, updated on a monthly basis, and is one of the key global biodiversity data sets being widely used by scientists, businesses, governments, International secretariats and others to inform planning, policy decisions and management. The WDPA is a joint project between UN Environment and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Rarotonga Water intakes and Streams
Dataset that provides a direct link to Cook Island's data hosted on the GBIF website / records.
direct internet link to data related to bird species of the Cook Islands on the BirdLife International portal
The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas, updated on a monthly basis, and is one of the key global biodiversity data sets being widely used by scientists, businesses, governments, International secretariats and others to inform planning, policy decisions and management.