In Polynesia, the ocean is not a boundary. It is a living space that connects islands, sustains livelihoods, and carries knowledge passed down through generations. For more than a decade, Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy (PBOL) has supported the Polynesian people in strengthening ocean protection as a foundation for cultural heritage, food security, and long-term resilience, while accompanying the designation of an ambitious marine protected area (MPA).
In 2025, French Polynesia took a defining step by announcing one of the largest MPA in the world, Tainui Ātea, of which nearly 1,1 million square kilometers are highly and fully protected, including 900,000 square kilometers fully protected and 186,00 square kilometers highly protected artisanal fishing zones, signaling a long-term approach to conservation rooted in both ecological integrity and community needs.
As important as the designation itself is the implementation phase, which PBOL will support in continuity with its long-standing partnership with local authorities. With this objective in mind, Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy helped facilitate the creation of, and is an active member of the Te Moana Collective, an international coalition of organizations established in June 2025, alongside the Becht Foundation, Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Marine Foundation, the Blue Nature Alliance, Oceans 5, and the Wyss Foundation. Its purpose is to mobilize the financing needed to turn these commitments into action, ensuring that impact is felt where it matters most: in the ocean and for the direct benefit of Polynesians.
On 23 January 2026, this coalition met with French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson and representatives of the government in Papeete to exchange on the effective implementation of the highly and fully protected MPAs around the Society and Gambier Islands, while advancing the designation and implementation of at least 500,000 square kilometers of additional highly and fully protected areas around the Austral and Marquesas Islands.
During this meeting, partners confirmed a joint commitment of USD 15 million to support this new phase through the Te Moana Collective. Crucially, these resources will be channeled through locally led financial mechanisms, allowing priorities to be defined by the country itself and adapted to the realities of each archipelago.
The funding will support a range of practical actions identified in close dialogue with ministries and local stakeholders. These include strengthening maritime surveillance and enforcement capacity, reinforcing community-based governance structures, integrating traditional management practices such as rāhui into conservation strategies, supporting sustainable artisanal and offshore fishing to advance food sovereignty, and backing biodiversity and science through conservation programmes, reef resilience monitoring, and the development of local scientific capacity.
For Dona Bertarelli, the role of international philanthropy in this context is clear. “We are here to help and to ensure that the commitment that has been made can become a reality for all stakeholders and all Polynesians”, she said during the press conference.
As work continues on the ground, including ongoing dialogue with local communities across the archipelagos, the focus remains on implementation that is locally led, culturally grounded and capable of delivering lasting outcomes. By aligning international support with national priorities, French Polynesia is advancing an approach to ocean protection that strengthens sovereignty, supports livelihoods and reflects a long-term vision for its ocean.
President Moetai Brotherson welcomed the commitment as an expression of trust in the path French Polynesia has chosen:
“We welcome this international financial commitment as support for the path that Mā’ohi Nui – French Polynesia is determined to pursue: that of a Great Ocean State, capable of bringing together modern science and the ancestral wisdom of rāhui.
These USD 15 million will be invested through our own financial mechanisms to strengthen food sovereignty, secure our waters against illegal exploitation, and offer a sustainable future for our youth. By caring for Tainui Ātea and our archipelagos, Mā’ohi Nui – French Polynesia is equipping itself to safeguard its heritage and to present to the world a model of conservation aligned with Oceanian values, capable of protecting Moana Nui a Hiva, a shared heritage of humanity and a vital regulator of the global climate.”
