11 December 2025, Suva - The urgency of ambition and action to address the impacts of the triple planetary crises of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss took centre stage during the Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation (PIRT) Annual Meeting 2025.
Held from 1–3 December in Suva at the Conservation International Office, the three-day event brought together PIRT member organisations, the Pacific Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN Pacific), coordinators for the 11th Pacific Islands Nature Conference, and stakeholders contributing to the development of the Framework for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas 2026–2030.
PIRT is a coalition of nature conservation and development organisations, governments, inter-governmental organisations, donor agencies, and community groups created to increase effective conservation action in the Pacific Islands region.
The 2025 Annual Meeting was made possible through the generous support of the Pacific BioScapes Programme, a European Union–funded action managed and implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).
In his opening remarks, Mr Amenatave Yauvoli, Director of Biodiversity and Conservation ProgrammeSPREP, highlighted the urgency of addressing the triple planetary crises and stressed the need for stronger collaboration.
“We keep hearing about the crisis but seem not to have solved how to actually address these at the rate we need and hence working together is key if we are to bring about positive change and sustainable impacts,” said Mr Yauvoli.
Sixteen of PIRT’s 19 member organisations attended, alongside youth representatives from the Pacific Chapter of GYBN. Participants were from regional organisations, partner agencies, and local conservation groups in Fiji.
It was a hybrid format which allowed both in-person and virtual participation.
Conservation International’s Vice President for the Pacific Islands and Oceans Programme, Ms Susana Waqainabete-Tuisese, further emphasised the role of partners in connecting communities to solutions that address pressing environmental challenges.
The Annual Meeting provided an important platform for advancing preparations for the 11th Pacific Islands Nature Conference, co-hosted by SPREP, PIRT and the Government of New Caledonia, and is proposed for the second half of 2026 in New Caledonia.
The conference will have a strong focus on Indigenous knowledge, youth engagement, terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and sustainable financing for biodiversity conservation.
Participants also contributed to the ongoing review of the Framework for Nature Conservation 2026–2030, which is aligning regional priorities with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Another key session centred on planning discussions led by the Pacific Chapter of GYBN, where stakeholders worked together to strengthen the Chapter’s role in the region and lay solid foundations for its future growth and engagement.
PIRT operates through six thematic Working Groups with SPREP as the Permanent Secretariat: Nature–Culture Working Group, Nature-based Solutions Working Group, Pacific Area-based Conservation Network, Pacific Network for Environmental Law, Species Working Group and Pacific Invasives Partnership.
These Working Groups acknowledged a need to strengthen engagement with government counterparts and encourage collaboration to make use of the technical expertise within each group.
PIRT’s current members are BirdLife International, Conservation International, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Global Island Partnership (GLIPSA), Island Conservation, International Union for Conservation of Nature Oceania (IUCN-ORO), International Union for Conservation of Nature France (IUCN-FR), Live and Learn Pacific Network, OceanEarth Foundation, Society for Conservation Biology Oceania, The Pacific Community (SPC), Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), The University of the South Pacific (USP), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), World Wildlife Fund Pacific (WWF Pacific)
Further information can be found on the website (https://www.pacificislandsroundtable.com/) or by contacting the PIRT Secretariat: [email protected]