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French Polynesia leads global ocean conservation efforts: Tainui Atea, the planet's largest marine protected area, is established.
With the Treaty on the High Seas entering into force on January 17, 2026 is poised to be a crucial year for the ocean conservation at a global level. While the international community is struggling to find a balance between exploitation and protection of marine resources, the French Polynesia He decided to take action by charting a course that can serve as a guide for the rest of the world.
The establishment of Tainui Atea, the largest Marine Protected Area in the world, transforms the waters of the Pacific archipelago into the heart of a global strategy to protect the oceans capable of uniting scientific innovation and the ancestral wisdom of the peoples of the sea.
French Polynesia, the Ocean as Destiny: The Announcement to UNOC3
The announcement seems to have gone unnoticed, but it is one of those pieces of news that can give direction to the chaotic events that give shape and substance to international gatherings. During the first day of the Third United Nations Conference on Oceans (UNOC3), which was held over six months ago, French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson announced the establishment of Tainui Atea, the largest Marine Protected Area in the world.
The Polynesian model, which provides for the protection of all the territorial waters of the country, is the result of a concrete commitment shared by institutions and local communities: early last year, a survey involving 1.378 Polynesians found that 92% of the population supports the creation of new marine protected areas, which in the archipelagos of the French overseas collectivity are seen as a way to respect local cultural values and draw inspiration from traditional practices.
The Polynesians are the descendants of the greatest navigators in history, they are the ones who about a millennium ago learned to build coral traps for fish and who have been dedicatedly farming oysters since the 1960s. pinctada margaritifera, which allow him to cultivate the very precious black pearls of Tahiti.
State and community support the program in unison “Te Mana o Te Moana Nui a Hiva" (Uniting our actions to preserve the Mana of our ocean): an essential principle that has also materialized in a major initiative dedicated to the ocean. The first edition, in November 2024, served precisely to launch the roadmap towards UNOC3. The second edition, which will take place on January 28, 2026, will allow the Polynesian community to once again unite in one voice for the protection of the ocean – a voice strong enough to reach the other side of the world.
Tainui Atea, the largest Marine Protected Area in the world
In his speech at UNOC3, the President Moetai Brotherson announced that the new Marine Protected Area will cover the entire Exclusive Economic Zone of French Polynesia, 4,8 millions of square kilometersAn area of over 1 million square kilometers, about twice the size of France, will enjoy high or full protection. In the areas around the Society Islands and the Gambier Islands, approximately 900.000 square kilometers, industrial fishing and mining will be prohibited. Other areas will only allow traditional, artisanal fishing. And before World Ocean Day 2026, Brotherson said, another 500.000 square kilometers will be placed under high protection.
The Polynesian vision is structured around 5 fundamental pillars for ocean conservation: preserving coral reefs, strengthening our knowledge of deep-sea waters (in compliance with the moratorium on deep sea mining), promote the new AMP of Tainui Atea, placing the ocean at the center of the 2030 innovation strategy and developing efficient, large-scale marine renewable energy. This ambitious approach has garnered praise from environmental groups and contributed to the UNOC3 political declaration, "Our Ocean, Our Future: United for Urgent Action“, adopted by consensus by all 193 member states of the United Nations.
“This level of ambition is what the world needs to help turn the tide towards a healthy and productive ocean,”
said Razan Al Mubarak, president of IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature
The global impact of the Tainui Atea MPA
The waters of French Polynesia are home to 21 species of sharks, 176 species of coral, and over 1.000 species of fish, sea turtles, and cetaceans. Protecting this extraordinary biodiversity from destructive practices such as deep-sea mining and trawling means contribute to the health of the entire planetThe vast Polynesian protected area, in fact, will allow marine vitality to be restored in the surrounding ecosystems as well.
The global impact is also evident in purely quantitative terms: the designation of Tainui Atea increases global marine cover by 1,25%, bringing the total to 9,85%. This figure is still far from the 30% goal, but it is nevertheless a significant step forward in ocean conservation. As explained by M. Sanjayan , CEO of Conservation International,
This is an important issue, for French Polynesia and its people, and for the planet. President Brotherson and his team are committed to protecting one of the world's largest and most vital stretches of ocean. Protecting it means safeguarding a way of life and offering the world a powerful example of ocean leadership.
UNOC3's announcement has already been followed by concrete actions: 2026 will be a strategic year for the protection of the oceans, and French Polynesia intends to do its part. The campaign will be launched in the next few days. REMMOA 2 (Census of Marine Mammals and Other Pelagic Megafauna by Aerial Observation), conducted by the Pelagis Observatory (University of La Rochelle – CNRS), with the support of the French Biodiversity Office (OFB), in collaboration with the Government of French Polynesia and the French High Commissioner for the Republic. Fifteen years after the last census, the campaign aims to better understand the distribution and abundance of cetaceans, seabirds, sharks, rays, turtles, and other large marine species that frequent the waters of French Polynesia. And this is just the beginning.
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