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.
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)
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE NINTH REGULAR SESSION ANNUAL REPORT TO THE COMMISSION PART 1: INFORMATION ON FISHERIES, RESEARCH, AND STATISTICS Held at Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia 6-14 August 2013
COOK ISLANDS TUNA LONGLINE FISHERY ANNUAL REPORT 2012 Offshore Fisheries Division
COOK ISLANDS TUNA LONGLINE FISHERY ANNUAL REPORT 2011 Offshore Fisheries Division
Cook Island’s National Invasive Species Strategy and Action Plan 2015-2020 DRAFT 2016
The Strandings of Oceania database is a collaborative project between SPREP, WildMe and the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium to record stranding and beachcast data for whales, dolphins and dugongs throughout the Pacific. We use a platform called Flukebook. An account is needed to view or use data within Flukebook but the data is available for download here. You can submit data direct into Flukebook (preferably while logged in) or send a completed data form to SPREP for upload. Guidance on using the database is available :
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
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.
Memorandum of Understanding between two parties, for the exchange of data, related information and other services.
Memorandum of Understanding between SPREP and a Country, to facilitate the access to, and security of, all data entered into the national database.
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).