Climate Change Impact and Structural Reforms in Kiribati
KIRIBATI
achieving financial sustainability for the PIPA conservation trust fund has proven difficult (Mallin et
al., 2019). The accurate estimate of the loss due to the closure is difficult to assess, as other factors
may influence these estimates. For example, weather and climate abnormalities (El Niño) could affect
fish stocks, while economic conditions could affect fishing revenues. In addition, the base for
comparison may be distorted by the pre-MPA overfishing, as McDermott et al. (2018) find that the
amount of extra fishing effort before the PIPA closure was equivalent to the fishing effort avoided
during the first 1.5 years of the designating the PIPA as an MPA. While Villaseñor-Derbez, Lynham
and Costello (2020) show a downward trend in the VDS days for Kiribati, from 12,617 in 2014 to
7,677 in 2018, with displaced vessels driving the decrease, revenues and catch levels rebounded in
2019 and have remained high since then, at or above 2014 levels, suggesting the increase in the
price of Kiribati fishing licenses may compensate for the reduction in the number of its VDS days.
20.
The opening-up of the marine reserves may have broad implications for the region,
particularly for the environment and fishing sustainability. In the short-run, Kiribati's fisheries
sector may receive a boost and fiscal revenues are likely to increase as more licenses are likely to be
sold (although the price per VDS license could go down). However, if not properly managed and
monitored, there could be longer-term economic and environmental costs for the region as PIPA's
location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean makes it a breeding and feeding ground for tuna, which
contributes to the health of the oceans and global food security. In this regard, the PIPA is expected
to act as an insurance policy for fishing effort more widely in Kiribati and the region. Besides the
effects on fish stocks, the PIPA also had beneficial effects for the restoration of atolls and coral reef
affected by record levels of ocean warming during the 2015-2016 El Niño. Sala (2022) finds that the
abundance of reef fish-fully protected in the PIPA from fishing-helped the 'dead' coral recover, as
the fish was eating the algae that smothered the coral, allowing it to come back.
21.
Overall, the Kiribati authorities have taken sustainability concerns into consideration
in laws, regulations and development plans, but better inter-ministerial coordination would
be desirable. Actions to protect the environment include the Fisheries Ordinance (1979), with Line
and Phoenix Islands Prohibited Fishing (Bonefish) Regulations, established to regulate and protect
the bonefish species population within the waters of Kiritimati Island. Major legislation to protect
biodiversity came from the Environment Act (1999), which included legal provisions for conservation,
and prescribed coral reefs, mangroves, and sea grass as protected ecosystems. The Phoenix Islands
Protected Area (PIPA) Regulations (2007) of the Environment Act 1999 (as amended 2007 and 2021)
provided the legal framework for the designation of PIPA. The 2021 amended Environment Act
added the shoal ecosystem to the protected ecosystems list and on management of biodiversity and
the accompanying regulations will be finalized by end 2023. In addition, management plans for
major coastal fish species and island-based management plans (with restrictions on catching certain
fish) were established, following the adoption of Regulations for the Conservation and Management
of Coastal Marine Resources in 2019. As such, Kiribati has made significant progress in
mainstreaming the environment over the years. However, it remains to be seen how Kiribati will
balance sustainability against development, growth and recently enlarged fishing access in the PIPA.
A more coordinated and holistic approach involving the ministries of environment and fisheries
could go a long way to better weigh the trade-offs between conservation, sustainability, and
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