In 2018, French Polynesia established Tainui Atea, now recognized as the largest Marine Protected Area in the world, covering nearly 5 million km² of ocean. Building on this momentum, a network of local Marine Protected Areas is gradually being deployed across each archipelago. The Gambier Islands represent the first concrete example: a pilot Marine Protected Area, co-constructed with and for the local population.
In September 2025, a wide-ranging consultation process was launched with residents. Over several months, inhabitants, fishers, pearl farmers, tourism stakeholders, cultural representatives, and institutions worked together to co-create a project tailored to the realities of the archipelago.
This collective effort led to the validation of a 2026–2036 management plan, at the inaugural management council held in February 2026 in Rikitea. A local committee, made up of community representatives, now oversees its implementation and ensures that the protection of the lagoon fully benefits future generations.
The Gambier Marine Protected Area is above all a collective project, where environmental preservation, economic activities, and local culture are closely intertwined. Shaped together with residents, the management plan rests on three core ambitions:
- Preserving marine and cultural heritage
- Supporting sustainable economic activities
- Uniting the territory’s stakeholders around a shared vision
In practice, this translates into promoting small-scale fishing, guiding pearl farming toward more environmentally responsible practices, and developing sustainable tourism that benefits local communities — in a spirit closely aligned with the traditional rāhui.
