Tetepare Island is conserved and managed by the Tetepare Descendants Association (TDA). The entire 120 square km island is protected from commercial resource extraction but low levels of artisanal resource use (fish, clams, trochus, sea cucumber) by local villagers are allowed in some areas. TDA employs rangers to patrol the island and the Marine Protected Area. TDA runs numerous monitoring programs to inform conservation management including for turtles, seagrass, coconut crabs, reef check, forest, fish and trochus. Learn more about these research and monitoring programs below.
TDA have established a 13km-long Marine Protected Area (MPA) which is a permanent closed area protecting Tetepare’s reefs, lagoons and coastal waters from all harvesting. This MPA extends from Mbo Point to Soe Island along the southern weather coast and includes the area around the Ecolodge. The protected area also includes the land area from the low water mark to 500m inland and forms the largest contiguous Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Solomon Islands. The aim of this MPA is to provide a protected nursery ground for marine species and preserve an area of Tetepare’s pristine ecosystem adjacent to the research station and ecolodge.
Local women monitoring the seagrass on Tetepare Island in the Solomon Islands.
Trochus and beche-de-mer monitoring in the Solomon Islands conducted by local marine monitors.
TDA welcomes researchers to visit Tetepare to conduct field work. In recent years, TDA has hosted researchers studying fish, bats, turtles, vertebrates, butterflies, ants, scorpions, forests, rivers and cultural sites. TDA rangers and guides are available to assist researchers with data collection and are keen to learn new skills from such visitors. We ask that all researchers who wish to work on Tetepare sign a memorandum of understanding with TDA, and arrange their visit with TDA management in writing, prior to their arrival. All researchers must also obtain proper authorisation from the government of the Solomon Islands. TDA can provide assistance in obtaining research permits through the Solomon Islands Department of Education, if needed. For more information, please contact the Tetepare Ecolodge, Tetepare Conservation Coordinator or TDA patrons John Read and Katherine Moseby ([email protected] or [email protected]).
The TDA rangers make regular patrols of Tetepare to monitor user activity on the island. They collect information directly from the local people fishing or hunting on the island, including the resources they have taken, the harvest location and the frequency and purpose of the visits they make to Tetepare. The TDA rangers also use these encounters to discuss conservation and ensure that relevant harvest regulations are followed. Resource use data collection is the main information source used to guide TDA management decisions. You can assist rangers with searching for invasive species such as cane toads, Indian Myna, house sparrows or water hyacinth that are found on neighbouring islands but not found on Tetepare. We are determined to keep these invasives Tetepare so please inform staff if you sight any of these species.
TDA’s marine monitoring crew participates in the Global Reef Check initiative by performing surveys of Tetepare’s surrounding reefs. Data are collected on the number and sizes of several fish species, the abundance of several invertebrate species and the health and coverage of coral. The aim of this monitoring activity is to gather data on the overall health of the coral reef ecosystems which surround Tetepare Island and to partner with global organizations with similar objectives.Â
A crew of all-women monitors are employed to monitor the sea grass and clams on Tetepare to gather data on their diversity, coverage and health. Sea grass is an indicator of the overall health of the lagoon ecosystems surrounding Tetepare Island. The local women perform an annual survey of the species, types and coverage of sea grasses. The information they collect is sent to an Australian sea grass database (Seagrass Watch) and used to assess the health of marine ecosystems globally.Â
The coconut crab is the world’s largest invertebrate and is in decline in most areas of the Pacific. It is harvested by locals for its meat which can also be sold for income. To ensure sustainable harvesting rates are implements, data on the number and size of crabs are collected by two means. First, regular dedicated surveys are undertaken using the ‘baited trail’ method at sites both inside and outside the protected area. Second, resource use data, including size, numbers collected and location harvested, are collected by rangers during regular patrols of Tetepare. Unfortunately, the data suggests that the coconut crab populations outside the MPA are low.
Trochus is a pearl inlaid shell sold to international buyers to make buttons. It is harvested from the reefs surrounding Tetepare Island. TDA’s marine monitoring crew perform timed surveys at reef sites inside and outside the MPA to count the number and size of trochus found. Any Beche-de-mer (sea cucumber) found are recorded as well. The aim of this activity is to assess how the populations of Trochus and Beche-de-mer are reacting to harvest pressure. Size limits have been set for Trochus and are enforced by TDA rangers.Â
Local canoe trees are harvested by villagers and carved to make wooden canoes. The forest survey has been focusing on completing an inventory of available canoe trees and setting harvest limits for this species. Local communities now need to apply through a formal process to harvest them.