Oceania is a diverse region encompassing Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, New Zealand and Polynesia, with six of the world’s 39 hotspots of diversity but a poor record for extinctions from widespread threats to biodiversity. The region is also culturally diverse, containing close to a quarter of the world’s languages and some of the oldest cultures. This makes the region a priority for immediate and sustained conservation action. In this special issue we provide local conservation solutions in Oceania to global problems, capturing the diversity of nations, cultures and environments. The issue is organised by the major threats faced in the region: habitat loss, over exploitation and invasive species. Case studies, framed as coupled problem–solutions, include examples from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific and contrast findings across regions and realms. There are successes and failures faced by conservation in this local region, and the analysis within this special issue offers lessons for conservation globally.
The special issue, put together by SCBO board members Vanessa Adams, Rebecca Spindler and Richard Kingsford was timed to come out before our upcoming conference in Brisbane. If you’re coming to SCBO 2016, don’t miss the accompanying symposium!
Pacific Conservation Biology
Volume 22 Number 2 2016
Conservation Oceania Style: Highlighting Oceania’s Unique Approaches to Conservation
