Island and Ocean Ecosystems
6 December 2016, CBD COP13, Cancun Mexico - There are 20 Aichi Targets in all, endorsed at the tenth Conference of the Parties to the CBD in Nagoya, Japan in 2010. They help to meet five different strategic goals which aim to reduce the loss of biodiversity by the year 2020. Each day during the CBD COP13 we'll be sharing one of the Targets with you and examples of how the Pacific islands are meeting these. – #PacificProtectedAreas

                                                                         AT3

Strategic Goal A: Address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across government and society.
Target 3: By 2020, at the latest, incentives, including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity are eliminated, phased out or reformed in order to minimise or avoid negative impacts, and positive incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are developed and applied, consistent and in harmony with the Convention and other relevant international obligations, taking into account national socio economic conditions.

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"In 2008 when Palau introduced a sustainable financing mechanism for its Protected Areas Network (PAN) through the creation of the Protected Areas Network Fund and the implementation of the Green Fee it brought about real change in our communities and our environment. Palau's Green Fee strengthened community stewardship of natural resources across the entire archipelago. For the first time, Palauan communities had access to dedicated funding support to assist them in ensuring that their fishing grounds remained productive and nearby forests and wetlands continued to be a source of medicines and food. Additionally, participating in the Protected Areas Network, communities were better positioned to enhance their livelihoods. Employment as a conservation ranger in the Network, eco-tourism businesses focused on sites within the network and access to resource management and decision making support via the Network are some of the obvious benefits associated with the Palau PAN.

Since its inception, Palau's Green Fee has generated over $4,000,000 in funds that have gone directly to communities participating in the network. These funds have been used to manage marine protected areas, terrestrial conservation areas and important cultural sites. And along the way to doing that they've also ensured that fishing grounds, key plant and animal species, and a way of life for the Palauan people continues to be viable today and all the tomorrows to come." – Ms Gwen Sisior, senior projects manager, Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment & Tourism, Palau

The Palau Protected Areas Network is a national level initiative that exists because of local level participation and excels because of multilevel (local, national, regional, and international) collaboration. - Palau PAN Report 2016