A Sea of Connections: Valuing Reef Passages in the South Pacific Region (SOCPacific2R)

As an international, inter- and transdisciplinary project, SOCPacific2R brings together and integrates expertise across the social and natural sciences to investigate the multifaceted significance of reef passages, with a particular focus on New Caledonia and Fiji.

Lead institutions:

IRD in France (Co-PI Dr. Elodie Fache)

USP in Fiji (Co-PI Dr. Amanda Ford)

ZMT in Germany (Co-PI Annette Breckwoldt)

The reef passages connecting coastal communities and waters with the open ocean are known as vital yet under-researched “keystone places”, as outstanding hotspots of biodiversity and productivity. Hence, they are of multifaceted significance for the overall health of both coral reef ecosystems and the people who depend on the latter and their resources to survive. Through a collaborative partnership between the University of the South Pacific (Fiji), IRD (France), and the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT, Germany), the project aims to:

Conduct transdisciplinary research into the ecological, cultural, and social roles of reef passages.
Document management and conservation practices used by local and Indigenous communities.
Facilitate inclusive science-society-policy dialogues that center local knowledge, Oceanian socio-cosmologies, and co-produced solutions for sustainable governance.

SOCPacific2R actively supports the vision of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development by providing evidence-based insights, building stakeholder capacity, and supporting the integration of cultural heritage and customary governance into ocean policy and practice for the benefit of Pacific peoples and global ocean health.