A Pacific Blueprint for the Ocean: Moananui Calls for Indigenous-Led Conservation Finance
By Melino Maka, Tonga Independent News
Nice, France – 11 June 2025
A bold new vision for ocean conservation finance has been launched — and it is being steered by Indigenous leaders from the Pacific.
From the deck of the Norwegian tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl during the Moananui Ocean Summit in Nice, France, the Moananui Sanctuary Trust and the Pacific Whale Fund officially unveiled the Moananui Blueprint — a radical new framework that challenges the global community to restructure nature finance by placing Indigenous values and leadership at its heart.
Reclaiming the Narrative
The Moananui Blueprint emerges at a time of growing disillusionment with traditional conservation finance. Billions of dollars are invested globally into nature-based solutions, yet only a fraction reaches the communities who live closest to — and depend on — the ecosystems being conserved.
Dr. Ralph Chami, Co-Convenor of the Summit and CEO of Blue Green Future, was clear in his criticism:
“The current nature finance system is failing our planet and perpetuating Indigenous inequalities. The Moananui Blueprint charts a clear path forward, where Indigenous leadership restores credibility in nature markets and tackles historic injustices.”
The blueprint specifically calls out financial models that result in what it terms “carbon piracy” — the creation of unaccountable carbon credits that displace Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) from their ancestral waters and lands.
A Pacific Solution to a Global Crisis
At the centre of this initiative is a call for justice, not charity.
“This is a demand for a just and equitable system — one that recognises Indigenous peoples as the original and enduring custodians of biodiversity and climate solutions,” said Rahui Papa, Chair of the Moananui Sanctuary Trust and Host of the Summit.
With a strong Pacific voice leading the charge, the Blueprint is backed by a €100 million financial commitment and proposes a blended finance model that includes high-integrity nature credits and long-term environmental and social investments rooted in Indigenous governance.
Why This Matters for Tonga
For Tonga and its Pacific neighbours, the stakes could not be higher. As small island states on the frontline of climate change and marine degradation, the region is rich in biodiversity but often excluded from decision-making in global conservation finance.
The Moananui Blueprint is a direct response to that imbalance — and an opportunity for countries like Tonga to reclaim leadership over their own ocean resources and traditional knowledge systems.
By advocating for Indigenous-led Nature-based Solutions (NbS), the Blueprint offers a model where Tongan communities and cultural values are placed at the centre of environmental planning, rather than at the margins.
Charting a New Course
The Moananui Summit has not only sent a message to the world — it has planted a flag in the waters of conservation finance. It demands accountability, respect for sovereignty, and the redirection of capital flows toward those who have protected nature for generations.
As global climate negotiations continue and the search for credible biodiversity solutions grows, the Pacific is no longer waiting to be invited to the table. It is building its own — and bringing a vision that may just be the most honest and effective path forward.
For Tonga, this is more than a policy document. It is a reminder that true leadership — ocean leadership — has always come from these islands.
