"Draw the sea…": Children's representations of ocean connectivity in Fiji and New Caledonia.

In the South Pacific region, marine territories and resources play a crucial role for local communities. Children engage with these territories and resources from an early age onwards. As the next ocean stewards, they are a stakeholder group whose understandings of ocean connectivity and fisheries should be given serious consideration in decision-making processes towards the sustainable use and management of coastal seas.

The ridge-to-reef approach on Cicia Island, Fiji.

Many Pacific countries and territories embrace an officially recognized 'ridge-to-reef' approach to environmental management. This is the case of Fiji, where the Lau Seascape Strategy 2018-2030, led by Conservation International, aims for integrated natural resource management across 335 895 km. This area includes Cicia Island, which deserves particular attention since, years before the design of the Lau Seascape Strategy, its population developed its own informal ridge-to-reef scheme, involving a combination of certified organic agriculture and locally managed marine closures.