Tonga

National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

PolynesiaApplies 2018–2030Source: National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2018–2030

1. Overview

Tonga's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2018–2030 succeeds the country's first NBSAP (2006) and is the document through which the Kingdom fulfils its obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity [§18]. The plan is organised around nine thematic areas — Forest Ecosystem; Marine and Coastal Ecosystem; Agro-Biodiversity; Species Conservation; Invasive Alien Species; Local Community and Civil Society; Access and Benefit Sharing from Genetic Resources and Traditional Ecological Knowledge; Mainstreaming Biodiversity Conservation; and Financial Resource Mechanisms — which serve as a structural scaffold for 35 numbered Strategies and the Actions that sit beneath them [§18].

The nine thematic areas are Tonga's organising device for the plan; they do not correspond to the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), and this page uses "thematic area" only in that structural sense.

Within each thematic area, Tonga sets 2–3 National Objectives and a family of dated National Targets, consolidated in Appendix D of the NBSAP and mapped to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the SAMOA Pathway [§134]. This page presents those National Targets as the country's national commitments. Because the NBSAP was finalised in 2018, its primary framework alignment is Aichi; the text references "the post-2020 global biodiversity framework" as a future update trigger rather than a settled crosswalk [§18], and no Target-by-Target KMGBF mapping is provided in the source. Named plans and acts cited as delivery instruments — for example NISSAP (the National Invasive Species Strategic and Action Plan), JNAP2 (the Joint National Action Plan 2 for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management), TSDF II (the Tonga Strategic Development Framework II), and the Malau Species Recovery Plan — are treated as instruments throughout.

The NBSAP is explicitly framed as a "living document" to be updated as more information becomes available, including for the post-2020 framework [§18]. It acknowledges that only 21% of activities under the 2006 NBSAP reached satisfactory implementation, attributing the gap to finance and capacity constraints [§112].

The 2018–2030 plan sets 17% terrestrial and 30% marine protected-area coverage, an Environment Trust Fund by 2030, a Biosecurity Bill by 2025, and Nagoya Protocol–aligned ABS legislation by 2030 — all delivered through a cross-ministerial Oceans7 architecture on the marine side and a national Coordinating Section at the Department of Environment on the land side. It is an openly transitional plan, written against Aichi and designed to be updated as the KMGBF lands.

Sources:

  • §18 — 2.0 Tonga's NBSAP > 2.1 NBSAP Focus
  • §112 — Thematic Area 9 > Causes and consequences
  • §134 — Appendix D: National Targets and Related Aichi Targets, SDGs, Samoa Pathway

2. Ecological Context

Tonga is a "small, but large ocean State": 176 islands (36 inhabited) covering roughly 700 km² of land but about 700,000 km² of Exclusive Economic Zone — an EEZ approximately 1,000 times the land area [§8, §11]. The archipelago sits on two parallel ridges running southwest to northwest, a non-volcanic Tonga Ridge of low coral islands (Tongatapu, Ha'apai, Vava'u) and a volcanic Tofua Ridge of high rugged islands ('Ata, Kao, Tofua, Late, the Niuas), bordered by the Tonga-Kermadec Trench — "one of the deepest locations on earth" [§8]. Volcanic andesite tephra soils on the Tonga Ridge support "a high-yield, short-fallow agricultural system and forestry" [§8].

The subtropical climate has a wet season from November to April and a dry season from May to October; on Tongatapu the annual temperature averages 23°C with rainfall of 1,700–2,970 mm [§9]. Cyclones occur on average 1.3 times per year, with serious-damage events approximately once every 10 years [§9]. The country sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and has recorded 115 tsunamis since 1900 [§9]. The January 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption affected an estimated 84% of the Tongan population, with the island of Mango losing all its homes [§9]. Projected sea-level rise may completely inundate specific villages — Kanokupolu-Ha'akili-'Ahau, Nukuleka-Talafo'ou-Navutoka-Manuka, areas east of Sopu and Siesia at Nukunukumotu Island, and Atata Island [§9]. In a typical disaster year, over 40% of the population is affected and economic losses equate to 14% of GDP; a 100-year return-period cyclone in the capital could inflict damage equivalent to 60% of GDP [§9].

Country-level ecosystem assessments rate terrestrial ecosystems as poor, with invasive species threatening native and endemic plant and bird species; marine ecosystems are rated fair but with species in decline [§11]. Forest cover is rated poor on both state and pressures/threats with a deteriorating trend; mangroves are fair in state but poor on pressures/threats; threatened species are poor across both state and pressures/threats [§11]. Approximately 15.9% of terrestrial areas and 30% of marine areas are currently protected [§11]. About 66% of the population's livelihood depends on seafood, and the value of goods and services from marine ecosystems is "larger than the country's total export of TOP 28M" [§11]. Sandalwood — 90% of forestry's contribution to national GDP — has declined drastically from over-harvesting of naturally grown trees [§31], and citrus production on 'Eua has fallen exponentially as rapid clearance of native forest exposed local trees to pest and disease [§31]. Invasive species have the highest impact on the largest number of terrestrial threatened species, followed by land-use change and exploitation [§69]; Merremia peltata smothers native forest on 'Eua and Vava'u [§78].

Sources:

  • §8 — 1.1.1 Geographical and geological context
  • §9 — 1.1.2 Climate, climate change and disaster risk
  • §11 — 1.1.4 Overview of biodiversity importance and status
  • §31 — Thematic Area 1: Forest Ecosystems
  • §69 — Thematic Area 4: Species Conservation > Causes and consequences of species loss
  • §78 — Thematic Area 5: Invasive Alien Species > Causes and consequences

3. National Commitments and GBF Alignment

Tonga's national commitments are the dated National Targets set out in Appendix D of the NBSAP [§134]. They are organised below by thematic area and grouped with the GBF Targets they most directly address.

Forest ecosystems — GBF Targets 1, 3, 10, 20, 22

The NBSAP commits to increasing terrestrial protected areas to 17% of land space by 2030 [§134]; to completing the National Land Use Plan/Policy by 2030 with watershed management strategies formulated by 2025 [§134]; and to completing GIS and Lidar surveys for all outer islands by 2027 alongside hydrological surveys by 2027 [§134]. The Forest Act, National Forest Policy, and Forest Regulations are to be revised by 2025, with the Code of Practice for forest harvesting enforced by 2026 [§134]. Implementation targets include 20% of communities leading forestry replenishment and 10% of schools engaged in reforestation projects by 2030 [§134], at least 10 formal degree programmes in biodiversity conservation by 2025, and biodiversity values mainstreamed into the school syllabus by 2030 [§134].

Measurability: Measurable commitments — each carries a quantitative threshold and a deadline. Directional aspirations — the National Land Use Plan/Policy, where a deliverable is named without scope threshold.

Marine and coastal ecosystems — GBF Targets 1, 3, 11, 20, 21

The NBSAP commits to "Maintain 30% of MMAs [Marine Management Areas], with no further reduction" [§134], to develop or review site management plans for Marine Management Areas by 2030, and to establish an ocean-wide policy and marine and coastal spatial planning framework by 2025 [§134]. Capacity and data commitments set a 30% overall increase in environmental skills and knowledge and at least 50% improvement in target-sector capacity by 2030 [§134], and commit that 60% of coastal/inshore ecosystems are monitored with depletion status identified by 2025 [§134]. Community-level delivery is tracked through a Citizen Programme Framework (2025), 20% of communities/schools registered (2025), and a 20% increase in Special Management Area effectiveness from a 2020 baseline by 2030 [§134].

Measurability: Measurable commitments for coverage, skills, monitoring, and SMA effectiveness; directional aspiration for marine valuation of goods and services by 2030 [§134].

Agrobiodiversity — GBF Target 10

Agrobiodiversity is uniquely committed in annual-percentage form: +2% annual resilience of agricultural ecosystem services; +2% annual biodiversity of agricultural landscapes; and +3% annual increase in on-farm genetic diversity, each sustained through 2030 [§134]. Supporting commitments establish a National Database for Agricultural Genetic Resources by 2030, an improved land-use and land-cover GIS system by 2025, and an institutional framework for agriculture with monitoring of sustainability parameters by 2025 [§134]. The National Agriculture Sector Plan is to be established with an interim review before 2025 [§134].

Measurability: Measurable commitments for the annual-rate and database targets; directional aspiration for the National Agriculture Sector Plan interim review.

Species conservation — GBF Target 4

The NBSAP commits to completing the Malau Species Recovery Plan by 2024, to full implementation and enforcement of CITES by 2025, to recovery of 60% of threatened trees by 2030, and to a 50% increase in seedling production for priority species by 2020 [§134]. A national botanical garden is targeted for 2030, an environment portal and biodiversity information management system for 2025, baseline surveys covering the whole of Tonga by 2025, and BIORAP rapid assessment surveys for Ha'apai, 'Eua, Niuas, and Tongatapu by 2030 [§134]. Awareness commitments include 80% public understanding of rare and endemic species as Tongan heritage by 2030 and ERIC (the Environment Resource Interactive Centre) operational to the public by 2030 [§134]. 80% of local staff are to be trained by regional/national expertise by 2030, with at least one graduate-level programme annually [§134].

Measurability: Measurable commitments throughout.

Invasive alien species — GBF Target 6

The NBSAP commits to drafting and enacting a Biosecurity Bill by 2025, to reviewing laws on invasive species by 2025, to revising NISSAP as a 2021–2026 plan, to a national IAS activity network by 2020, to trained quarantine staff by 2025, and to an Emergency Response Plan endorsed by 2022 [§134]. Inter-agency cooperation is targeted for 2020 and baseline studies with native-species management actions at selected sites for 2024 [§134].

Measurability: Measurable commitments for dated legislative and operational deliverables. Interim commitment for NISSAP, which Tonga explicitly frames as under review as a bridging plan [§79, §134].

Local communities, civil society and private sector — GBF Targets 22, 23

Commitments include establishing green payments from public funds that reward producers for good conservation practices by 2030, market-based environmental standards and certifications by 2030, and percentage-achievement targets by 2030 of 60% for gender-equality policy implementation, 60% for services to the elderly and vulnerable, 50% for youth development programmes, and 80% for cultural awareness/environmental sustainability integration into all planning and implementation [§134].

Measurability: Measurable commitments in the sense that each names a percentage and deadline; the substantive criteria for what counts as "achievement" rest on the referenced government policies rather than on NBSAP-internal definitions.

Access and benefit sharing — GBF Target 13

The NBSAP commits to a legislative review for safeguarding Tonga's genetic resources by 2025 "as a process to ratify the Nagoya Protocol" and to Nagoya-aligned legislation in place by 2030, with companion measures to protect traditional ecological knowledge and intellectual property rights and to ensure equitable benefit sharing from commercial use [§134]. A system to capture, document, and store traditional ecological knowledge is targeted for 2030, with TEK mainstreamed into school curriculums by 2030 and a facility to store traditional artifacts and genetic resources established by 2030 [§134]. The NBSAP records that ownership of Tongan genetic resources currently resides with outside interests and that "almost none" of the benefits from their use has returned to traditional scientists or to the country [§97].

Measurability: Measurable commitments for the deadlines; directional aspirations for the substantive content of the legislation and the TEK documentation system, which the NBSAP describes as to-be-developed.

Mainstreaming conservation — GBF Target 14

The NBSAP commits to being effectively implemented across relevant sectors by 2027, to mainstreaming biodiversity conservation into TSDF II by 2025, to a Coordinating Section at the Department of Environment by 2025, to a Trust Fund (possibly jointly with the Climate Change Trust Fund) by 2030, to a 20% increase in financial and human resources for government institutions from a 2020 baseline, and — distinctively — to doubling the number of politicians publicly advocating biodiversity conservation from the 2020 baseline by 2030, with "biodiversity or forest conservation supported activities…planned into constituency budgets" [§134].

Measurability: Measurable commitments across the dated, percentage, and doubling targets.

Financial resources and mechanisms — GBF Target 19

By 2025, a National Capacity Self-Assessment tool is in use; a donor database is established; a dedicated forum with major donor organisations is convened; and Tonga implements at least two biodiversity conservation projects as a donor-funded recipient [§134]. By 2030, an Environment Trust Fund "or the like" is established to sustainably support eco-projects [§134].

Measurability: Measurable commitments for the dated deliverables.

International framework alignment

Each National Target in Appendix D is mapped to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, relevant Sustainable Development Goals, and SAMOA Pathway priorities [§134]. The NBSAP cites Aichi Strategic Goals A–E across its thematic areas [§35, §49, §64, §73, §90, §100, §107]. "Post-2020" targets are referenced alongside Aichi in Appendix D [§134] but no Target-by-Target KMGBF crosswalk is provided.

Sources:

  • §35, §49, §64, §73, §90, §100, §107 — Thematic-area Aichi Strategic Goals citations
  • §79 — Thematic Area 5 > National constitutional, legal and institutional framework (NISSAP under review)
  • §97 — Thematic Area 7 > Basis for Action
  • §134 — Appendix D: National Targets and Related Aichi Targets, SDGs, Samoa Pathway

4. Delivery Architecture

International and regional instruments

Tonga ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1998 and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in 2003, and is "in the process of becoming a Party to the Nagoya Protocol" [§12]. The NBSAP is the national vehicle for CBD obligations and also covers CMS, CITES, Ramsar, and the Noumea Convention, noting that Tonga "is not a Party to some of these conventions but intends to carry out activities through the NBSAP that address these conventions" [§14]. A PoWPA (Programme of Work on Protected Areas) Action Plan was submitted in 2011 [§12]. NBSAP strategic actions are also "included as part of Tonga's National Determined Contributions" under the UNFCCC [§14]. Regional reference frameworks include the Pacific Islands Framework for Nature Conservation and Protected Areas 2021–2025, Cleaner Pacific 2025, the Framework for a Pacific Oceanscape, the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific, and the Pacific Roadmap for Sustainable Development, coordinated through the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP) Working Groups [§15].

Cross-cutting legislation

Principal domestic statutes include the Environment Management Act 2010, the Environment Impact Assessment Act 2003 and its Regulations, the Biosafety Act 2009, the Parks and Reserves Act 1989, the Land Act 1927, the National Spatial Planning and Management Act 2012, and the Hazardous Wastes and Chemicals Act 2010 [§133]. The Tonga Climate Change Fund Act 2021 is designed "to assist Tonga to achieve the goals of the three RIO Conventions (UNFCCC, UNCBD, UNCCD)" [§17]. Implementation is anchored in the Tonga Strategic Development Framework II (TSDF II) 2015–2025, into which biodiversity is to be mainstreamed by 2025 [§12, §109].

Forest and terrestrial instruments

The Forest Act (revised 1988) is described as "the key legal document" on forestry biodiversity, covering forest reserves, forest produce, and town and village forest areas [§33]. Supporting instruments include the National Forest Policy for Tonga (2009), the Code of Practice for the Sustainable Management of the Forests and Trees Resources of Tonga (2010), the Sandalwood Regulations (2016), the Management Plan for Forest and Tree Resources of Tonga 2017, and the Toloa Forest Operation Plan 2014–2020 [§33, §120]. A management committee and zonation for the 'Eua Forest Plantation are targeted by 2025 to prevent encroachment into neighbouring 'Eua National Park [§37, §43].

Species conservation instruments

The Threatened Species Recovery Plan for the Polynesian Megapode (Megapodius pritchardii) 2014–2024 — the Malau Species Recovery Plan — is the flagship species-recovery instrument [§71, §75]. A national botanical garden and a national herbarium at Toloa rainforest are targeted for 2030, together with the Environment Resource Interactive Centre (ERIC) for public education [§75, §76]. Existing supporting legislation includes the Birds Preservation Act and the Fisheries Management (Conservation) Regulations; the NBSAP notes that "there is no specific legislation dealing with endangered species in Tonga" [§70].

Invasive species instruments

The National Invasive Species Strategic and Action Plan (NISSAP) 2013–2020 is structured around a two-pronged approach of preventing new arrivals and taking action against existing priority invasives [§79], and the NBSAP treats it as a living document currently under review and targeted for revision as a 2021–2026 plan [§79, §82]. A Biosecurity Bill is to be drafted and enacted by 2025, and an Emergency Response Plan adapted from the SPC generic template is to be endorsed by 2022 [§82, §85].

Climate, disaster risk, and cross-sectoral linkages

Complementary plans cited as integral to delivery include the Tonga Joint National Action Plan 2 for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management (JNAP2) 2018–2028, the Tonga Climate Change Policy "A resilient Tonga by 2035", the Tonga National Infrastructure Investment Plan 2013–2023, the Tonga Low Emission Development Strategy, the Second Nationally Determined Contribution, and the Tonga Tourism Sector Roadmap [§120]. JNAP2 Target 7 commits "30% of land in Tonga utilized for agroforestry or forestry" under MAFF [§129], and JNAP2 Target 4 covers resilient fisheries and marine and coastal ecosystems under the Ministry of Fisheries and the Department of Environment [§130].

Market and finance instruments

The NBSAP commits to establishing green payments from public funds and market-based environmental standards and certifications by 2030 [§93], and to exploring "permit and access fees for bio-prospecting, eco tourism fees, EIA related levies, national lotteries, and other gaming revenues" [§119]. A donor database is targeted by 2025 and an annual "Environment Conservation" award during Environment Week [§117]. By 2030, "a well established set of economic guidelines and procedures, such as payment for environmental services," is to be applied nationally for managing Marine Conservation and Protected Areas [§52].

Sources:

  • §12 — Acronyms > 1.2.1 CBD and NBSAP
  • §14, §15 — Synergy / Regional Frameworks
  • §17 — Supporting legislation
  • §33, §37, §43 — Forest Strategy 1 and Strategy 4
  • §52, §93, §117, §119 — Market and finance instruments
  • §70, §71, §75, §76 — Species conservation instruments
  • §79, §82, §85 — Invasives instruments
  • §109 — Strategy 26 / Strategy 27
  • §120, §129, §130, §133 — Complementary plans / Appendix B / Appendix C

4a. Ocean governance and the Oceans7 architecture

The marine portfolio is the most structurally distinctive component of Tonga's NBSAP. Tonga's EEZ is roughly 1,000 times its land area [§8, §11], and marine ecosystem goods and services are valued as "larger than the country's total export of TOP 28M" [§11]. The NBSAP's marine protected-area target — maintain 30% of Marine Management Areas with no further reduction [§134] — matches the KMGBF benchmark, while the terrestrial counterpart sits at 17% by 2030 [§134].

Governance runs through a multi-ministry body known as Oceans7, comprising the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Marine & Ports, the Ports Authority, and the lead conservation ministries MEIDECC (the Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications), MLNR (the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources), and Fisheries [§51, §55]. A dedicated Secretariat to coordinate implementation, monitoring and reporting of ocean management areas is targeted for establishment under Oceans7 by 2025 [§51, §55], alongside an ocean-wide policy and marine and coastal spatial planning framework by 2025 and a Marine and Coastal Implementation and Investment Plan by 2025 [§51, §55].

The marine portfolio is supported by a dedicated fleet of fisheries management plans — the Tonga National Tuna Fishery Management and Development Plan 2018–2022, the Tonga National Sea Cucumber Fishery Management and Development Plan, the Tonga Deep Water Snapper Fisheries Management Plan 2020–2023, the Tonga National Action Plan for Shark (2014–2016, revised 2018–2022), the Marine Aquarium Fishery Management Plans, the Tonga National Marine Seaweed Fisheries Management and Development Plan, and the Tonga National Aquaculture Management and Development Plan — together with the Tonga Fisheries Sector Plan 2016–2024, the Fanga'uta Stewardship Action Plan 2017–2021, and the Maninita, Taula and Lualoli Park Management Plan [§120, §133].

Marine capacity and data commitments are quantified: a 30% overall increase in environmental skills and knowledge of the target group, at least 50% improvement in target-sector capacity, and 50% improvement in negotiation skills for sectors implementing multilateral environmental agreements, all by 2030 [§55]. 60% of coastal/inshore ecosystems are to be monitored with depletion status identified by 2025, a GIS system for mapping coastal habitats (seaweeds, coral reefs, mangroves) is to be established by 2025, and government GIS hardware and software upgraded to international standards by 2030 [§57]. By 2030, payment for environmental services is to be the economic tool for managing Marine Conservation and Protected Areas [§52], and by 2030 the NBSAP commits to meeting international hydrographic mapping requirements [§55]. Special Management Areas (SMAs) — community-managed fisheries adjacent to their communities, each including a Fish Habitat Reserve as a no-take area — are the delivery mechanism at community scale, and the NBSAP notes that "many only allocate about 5% of the SMA area as FHR" [§47].

Sources:

  • §8, §11 — Marine scale and value
  • §47 — SMAs and Fish Habitat Reserves
  • §51, §55 — Strategies 5 / 7–8 (Oceans7, Secretariat, spatial planning)
  • §52 — Strategy 6 (payment for environmental services)
  • §57 — Strategies 9–12 (citizen science, GIS, monitoring)
  • §120, §133 — Complementary plans, Appendix C
  • §134 — Appendix D (30% MMA, 17% terrestrial targets)

5. Monitoring and Accountability

The Department of Environment is the focal point and NBSAP Secretariat, sitting under the Islands and Ocean Ecosystems Management Programme within MEIDECC — the ministry responsible for the environment, which provides "high level oversight, policy guidance, and direction" [§29]. Oversight is layered: a Parliament Climate Change Standing Committee considers "any matters relating to climate change, environment and sustainability issues"; a Cabinet Committee is responsible for "endorsement and approval of revised NBSAPs and its donor funded projects"; and the National Environment Coordinating Committee (NECC) provides high-level oversight and reviews NBSAP implementation progress [§29]. The NECC and the NBSAP Technical Team both include representatives from the private sector, youth groups, church groups, and NGOs [§29]. The NBSAP Technical Team is mandated to "liaise with all Ministries to ensure that all mainstreaming, data and information management, capacity building, and resilience building actions are fully implemented" [§29].

Reporting to the UNCBD takes place "every four years," and these reports "are used to report against the TSDFII, JNAP2, NDCs, SDGs, and so forth by other government agencies" [§29]. Baseline figures from Tonga's Sixth National Report show that "about 72% of the plan is actively being implemented with 3% completed," 25% is at "planning stage or early implementation," and 1% is "not yet started" [§19]. Lessons learned documented in the NBSAP include "land ownership issues," "fragmented legislation that requires a taskforce to ensure compliance," "high turnover of staff," "unclear responsibilities and overlapping jurisdictions," "revolving financial priorities at national level," and "limited coordination in documenting traditional knowledge" [§19].

The NBSAP does not consolidate a single national monitoring and evaluation (M&E) instrument; instead, "it is through the sector plans at national level that the sector agencies have identified a monitoring and evaluation framework unique to their needs" [§121]. Section 4.0 of the NBSAP maps existing sector-specific M&E instruments by thematic area — the Fanga'uta Lagoon Catchment Monitoring Manual; the JNAP2 Monitoring & Evaluation System Guide; the Pacific Islands National Forest Inventory for REDD+; the Framework for Strengthening development of Implementation Plan for MPAs in Tonga; the HNC remote Water Quality Monitoring System; the Integrated Island Biodiversity Project Marine Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program; the State of Tonga's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture; the IUCN Summary Species List for Tonga and the Monitoring Report of Polynesian Megapode; the Tonga SMA Report 2020; and the Climate Financing and Risk Governance Assessment [§121]. The NBSAP explicitly states that Thematic Area 7 (Access and Benefit Sharing) is the only thematic area "where there is poor data collection and an undeveloped M&E framework" [§121]. A National Clearing House mechanism and a national environmental database for multiple users are targeted for 2025 [§134], with an environment portal and information management system for biodiversity by 2025 and baseline surveys covering the whole of Tonga by 2025 [§74].

Sources:

  • §19 — 2.2 Lessons Learned
  • §29 — 2.4 NBSAP Management Structure
  • §74 — Strategy 15
  • §121 — 4.0 Institutional Monitoring and Reporting
  • §134 — Appendix D

6. Finance and Resource Mobilisation

The NBSAP attributes the limited progress of the 2006 NBSAP — under which only 21% of activities reached satisfactory implementation — largely to "significantly limited financial resources afforded to biodiversity conservation and management, and the lack of human resources and capacity development" [§112]. Government and donor finances are named as "currently the most important sources of resources for biodiversity conservation in the country" [§111]. As a Small Island Developing State, Tonga identifies Overseas Development Aid as "the main source of funding", and the NBSAP states that "substantial new and additional funding for sustainable development and implementation of the NBSAP will be required" [§112]. The NBSAP frames its core finance strategy as a shift from "piecemeal project-by-project" funding to "a more systemic support model" [§113].

Named finance instruments and targets. Under Strategy 35, Tonga commits by 2025 to a review of existing economic instruments and a report with recommendations on a sustainable financing mechanism, and by 2030 to establish an Environment Trust Fund "or the like" to sustainably support eco-projects [§119]. A companion target under Strategy 26 commits by 2030 to establish a "trust fund (maybe in close collaboration or jointly with related schemes such as 'Climate Change Trust Fund')" [§109]. Instruments identified for exploration and review include "permit and access fees for bio-prospecting, eco tourism fees, EIA related levies, national lotteries, and other gaming revenues" [§119]. The Tonga Climate Change Fund Act 2021 is cited as the existing domestic climate-finance instrument aimed at the three Rio Conventions [§17], with payments for environmental services and climate finance — "carbon payments being dominant" — identified as sources Tonga "is currently exploring" [§114].

Strategy 26 finance milestones. By 2025: establish and properly resource a Coordinating Section at the Department of Environment; secure short- and long-term external funding sources; secure funding from government recurrent budgets annually with relevant line Ministries; and establish a financial mechanism and legal framework to support enforcement and compliance for protected areas [§109]. A 20% increase in financial and human resources for government institutions is targeted from a 2020 baseline for conservation, protection and sustainable use of natural resources [§134].

Donor-engagement architecture. Strategies 32–34 commit by 2025 to a National Capacity Self-Assessment tool, a donor database listing all donor organisations active in environmental projects in Tonga and other Pacific Islands, at least two biodiversity conservation projects implemented as a donor-funded recipient, a dedicated forum for meeting major donor organisations, two information-sharing workshops on accessing external environmental funds, and an annual Environment Conservation award during Environment Week [§116, §117]. Annual proposal-writing training for NGOs, government, and the private sector began from 2020 [§117].

JNAP2 finance alignment. The NBSAP's finance commitments are mapped to JNAP2 Target 20 (Climate Finance) under the Department of Climate Change (MEIDECC) [§132], with aligned actions including implementing "the Tonga 'no objection procedure' for the Green Climate Fund (GCF)" with accredited entities working with the National Designated Authority, and analysing suitable institutions for accreditation to Direct Access funds including the Adaptation Fund and Green Climate Fund [§132]. External funding partners referenced for Thematic Area 9 include GEF and Implementing Agencies, GCF, USAID, JICA, IUCN, the World Bank, ADB, and — regionally — New Zealand, Australia, and CROP agencies [§133].

The NBSAP does not contain an aggregate national biodiversity spend figure or a costed implementation budget.

Sources:

  • §17 — Supporting legislation (Tonga Climate Change Fund Act 2021)
  • §109 — Strategy 26 finance milestones
  • §111–§114 — Thematic Area 9 framing
  • §116, §117 — Strategies 32–34
  • §119 — Strategy 35 / Environment Trust Fund
  • §132 — Appendix B (NBSAP-JNAP2 finance alignment)
  • §133 — Appendix C (Thematic Area 9 funding partners)
  • §134 — Appendix D (20% resources target)

7. GBF Target Coverage

GBF Target 1 — Spatial planning — Addressed

Tonga sets two complementary spatial-planning tracks: a terrestrial National Land Use Plan/Policy by 2030 under MLNR, with watershed management strategies formulated by 2025 and GIS and Lidar surveys for all outer islands by 2027 and hydrological surveys by 2027; and an ocean-wide policy and marine and coastal spatial planning framework by 2025 under MEIDECC, MLNR, and Fisheries with Oceans7 partners. By 2025, planning by all sectors is to apply the ridge-to-reef approach and consider nature-based solutions. Community engagement in all planning, implementation, and monitoring was targeted from 2020.

GBF Target 2 — Ecosystem restoration — Mentioned

No aggregate restoration area target is set. Restoration commitments sit across thematic areas: recover 60% of threatened trees by 2030 (Strategy 17), 50% increase in priority-species seedling production by 2020, enrichment planting around the fringes of National Parks and Reserves by 2025, identification of at least 50% of important damaged marine habitats needing rehabilitation by 2025, and coastal management plans referencing ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction by 2027.

GBF Target 3 — Protected areas (30×30) — Addressed

Tonga commits to maintain 30% of Marine Management Areas with no further reduction and to increase terrestrial protected areas to 17% of land space by 2030 — an asymmetric 30×30 posture in which the marine coverage matches the KMGBF benchmark while the terrestrial coverage falls below it. The NBSAP commits by 2030 to expand the protected area network to be representative of Tonga's ecosystem types "with functional corridors," by 2025 to develop and fully implement management plans for all protected areas, by 2024 to ensure a biosecurity plan is developed for protected areas, and by 2025 to establish a financial mechanism and legal framework to support enforcement and compliance for protected areas. Monitoring reports measuring MMA effectiveness are produced every five years, and National Park Management plans are to be developed or revised by 2026.

GBF Target 4 — Species recovery — Addressed

Species conservation is a dedicated thematic area anchored to the IUCN Red List (2021-3) rather than to a national red list. Flagship commitments are to complete the Malau Species Recovery Plan by 2024, fully implement and enforce CITES by 2025, recover 60% of threatened trees by 2030, complete BIORAP rapid assessment surveys for Ha'apai, 'Eua, Niuas, and Tongatapu by 2030, and deliver baseline surveys for the whole of Tonga by 2025. An ex-situ safety net is explicit: a national herbarium at Toloa rainforest by 2030, a national botanical garden by 2030, and an operational genetic-modification research lab by 2030. Awareness commitments target 80% public understanding of rare and endemic species as Tongan heritage by 2030.

GBF Target 5 — Sustainable harvest — Mentioned

Sustainable harvest is treated through CITES enforcement by 2025, a forestry Code of Practice enforced by 2026 with accredited Forest Practices Officers, and an agricultural institutional framework with sustainability-parameter monitoring by 2025. No wild-species trade quotas or species-specific harvest sustainability numbers are provided.

GBF Target 6 — Invasive alien species — Addressed

Invasive alien species are a dedicated thematic area implemented through the National Invasive Species Strategic and Action Plan (NISSAP), to be revised as a 2021–2026 plan. The NBSAP commits to drafting and enacting a Biosecurity Bill by 2025, reviewing IAS laws by 2025, coordinating IAS activity through a national network by 2020, training quarantine staff by 2025, and endorsing an Emergency Response Plan by 2022. Priority invasives named include Merremia peltata and the "tisaipale" plant in 'Eua and Vava'u, and a community-identified ranked list of most-damaging species: grasshopper, rats, ants, pigs, dove, kutu, snails, chicken, cow, and cockroaches. No numeric "50% reduction in IAS introduction" equivalent is set.

GBF Target 7 — Pollution reduction — Mentioned

Pollution is framed as a cross-cutting pressure on forest, marine, and agricultural ecosystems. The principal commitment is to develop an implementation plan for the waste and pollution sector to address threats to biodiversity by 2025 under Marine Strategy 10, with annual pollution-source surveys recommended. No quantified nutrient, pesticide, or plastic-pollution reduction targets are set.

GBF Target 8 — Climate and biodiversity — Addressed

Climate-biodiversity linkages are delivered through explicit NBSAP–JNAP2 alignment so that national reporting covers NBSAP, JNAP, and NDC targets [§129, §130]. Strategy 29 commits to a State of the Coast report by 2022, coastal management plans (including ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction) by 2027, and ridge-to-reef planning by all sectors by 2025. Strategy 30 commits to an operational biodiversity and climate-change early warning system using earth observation by 2025, directed at high-biodiversity sites (including ocean sites) and high climate-risk sites. Named at-risk villages for sea-level-rise inundation give the vulnerability assessment geographic specificity.

GBF Target 9 — Wild species use — Mentioned

Wild-species use is addressed under the Local Community thematic area rather than as a standalone target. Delivery runs through Special Management Areas as community-led fisheries and through rural-development programmes applying nature-based solutions by 2025, green payments from public funds by 2030, and market-based environmental standards and certifications by 2030.

GBF Target 10 — Agriculture, forestry, fisheries — Addressed

Agrobiodiversity is committed in annual-percentage form: +2% annual resilience of agricultural ecosystem services; +2% annual biodiversity of agricultural landscapes; +3% annual increase in on-farm genetic diversity, each through 2030 [§134]. A National Database for Agricultural Genetic Resources by 2030, an improved land-use and land-cover GIS system by 2025, and an institutional framework for agriculture monitoring sustainability parameters by 2025 support these [§134]. Forestry commitments run on a 2022–2026 policy cycle — Forest Act revision by 2022, policy/act/regulations revised by 2025, Code of Practice for forest harvesting enforced by 2026. Traditional Tongan farming systems with minimum mechanisation and agri-chemical use are to be promoted in rural and vulnerable communities by 2022. JNAP2 Target 7 — 30% of Tonga's land used for agroforestry or forestry — is cross-referenced [§129].

GBF Target 11 — Ecosystem services (nature-based solutions) — Addressed

The ridge-to-reef approach is the cross-sector planning lens for nature-based solutions from 2025. Payment for environmental services is named as the NbS financing mechanism for Marine Conservation and Protected Areas by 2030, alongside well-established studies to assess and assign value to goods and services of biodiversity and ecosystems by 2030 and mainstreaming of marine and coastal ecosystems into the National Strategic Development Plan by 2020. An eco-park showcasing nature-based solutions is targeted for 2030, and outer-island and rural-development programmes applying NbS run through local communities by 2025.

GBF Target 12 — Urban biodiversity — Not identified

Content addressing GBF Target 12 was not identified in this NBSAP.

GBF Target 13 — Genetic resources and ABS — Addressed

Access and benefit sharing (ABS) is a dedicated thematic area framed in reparative terms: the NBSAP records that ownership of Tongan genetic resources currently resides with foreign interests and that "almost none" of the benefits from their use has returned [§97]. Strategy 24 commits to a legislative review by 2025 "as a process to ratify the Nagoya Protocol" and Nagoya-aligned legislation by 2030 regulating access for bioprospecting, research, and other forms of exploitation, alongside measures to protect traditional ecological knowledge and intellectual property rights. Strategy 25 commits by 2030 to a system to register and monitor research requests, a system to capture, document, and store traditional ecological knowledge, mainstreaming of TEK in school curriculums, and a facility to store traditional artifacts and genetic resources. The NBSAP identifies ABS as the only thematic area lacking an M&E framework.

GBF Target 14 — Mainstreaming — Addressed

Strategy 26 commits to effective NBSAP implementation across relevant sectors by 2027, mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation into TSDF II by 2025, and a Coordinating Section at the Department of Environment by 2025. NGO and private-sector representation on the National Environment Coordinating Committees was targeted for 2018. Strategy 28 commits to a National Clearing House mechanism and a national environmental database for multiple users by 2025 and to synergistic MEA reporting through the NBSAP by 2027. Strategy 31 commits by 2030 to doubling the number of politicians publicly advocating biodiversity conservation from the 2020 baseline and to planning biodiversity and forest conservation activities into constituency budgets — an explicitly political mainstreaming tactic. A 20% increase in financial and human resources for government institutions is targeted from a 2020 baseline.

GBF Target 15 — Business disclosure — Mentioned

Private-sector engagement is framed through partnership and voluntary certification rather than disclosure mandates: market-based environmental standards and certifications by 2030, awareness on product standards and quality by 2025, and NGO/private-sector representation on the National Environment Coordinating Committees from 2018. No monitoring, assessment, or disclosure requirements on businesses for impacts, dependencies, risks, or subsidies are set.

GBF Target 16 — Sustainable consumption — Not identified

Content addressing GBF Target 16 was not identified in this NBSAP.

GBF Target 17 — Biosafety — Mentioned

Tonga ratified the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in 2003, and the existing Biosafety Act 2009 sits alongside IAS-related statutes. The operative new commitment is to draft and enact a Biosecurity Bill by 2025 under Strategy 20, with a review of IAS legislation by 2025 and quarantine-staff training in biosecurity, entomology, conservation biology, and botany by 2025. No LMO-specific risk assessment, liability, or benefit-distribution provisions are present.

GBF Target 18 — Harmful subsidies — Not identified

Content addressing GBF Target 18 was not identified in this NBSAP.

GBF Target 19 — Finance mobilisation — Addressed

Financial mechanisms are a dedicated thematic area (Thematic Area 9). The NBSAP acknowledges that only 21% of 2006 NBSAP activities reached satisfactory implementation and frames the shift from "project-by-project" to "a more systemic support model." Headline instruments are the Environment Trust Fund by 2030 (possibly jointly with the Climate Change Trust Fund), a donor database by 2025, at least two donor-funded biodiversity projects by 2025, a National Capacity Self-Assessment tool by 2025, a financial mechanism and legal framework for protected-area enforcement by 2025, and payment for environmental services for Marine Conservation and Protected Areas by 2030. The Tonga Climate Change Fund Act 2021 is the existing domestic finance instrument. The Green Climate Fund, the Adaptation Fund, and GEF Small Grants Programme are flagged as the operating external-finance environment.

GBF Target 20 — Capacity and technology — Addressed

Capacity commitments are quantified: 80% of local staff trained by regional/national expertise by 2030, at least 10 formal degree programmes (including post-graduate) in biodiversity conservation by 2025, at least one graduate-level programme annually from 2020, a 30% overall increase in environmental skills and knowledge of target-group professional staff in coastal and marine sectors by 2030, at least 50% improvement in target-sector capacity by 2030, and 50% improvement in negotiation skills for MEA-implementing sectors by 2030. The Environment Resource Interactive Centre (ERIC) is to be operational by 2030, a programme of work for teacher training by 2025, and a citizen-science programme funded from 2022 with registered communities/schools by 2025. SPREP, SPC, UNEP, IUCN, and FAO are named as primary regional/international capacity-building partners.

GBF Target 21 — Data and information — Addressed

Guiding Principle 8 (Transparency and Accountability) commits that biodiversity information "should be collected, analysed, and made accessible to all sectors and society." Data commitments include an environment portal and information management system for biodiversity by 2025, baseline surveys for the whole of Tonga by 2025, a National Clearing House mechanism and a national environmental database for multiple users by 2025, GIS and Lidar surveys for all outer islands by 2027, an improved land-use/land-cover GIS system by 2025, a GIS system for coastal habitat mapping by 2025, 60% of coastal/inshore ecosystems monitored with depletion status identified by 2025, government GIS hardware and software upgraded to international standards by 2030, and an earth-observation-based biodiversity and climate-change early warning system by 2025. Section 4.0 of the NBSAP catalogues existing sector M&E instruments by thematic area and identifies Thematic Area 7 (ABS) as the only area lacking an M&E framework.

GBF Target 22 — Inclusive participation — Addressed

Strategy 23 commits by 2030 to 60% achievement of the government's gender development policy, 60% improvement in services for the elderly and other vulnerable groups, 50% achievement of youth development programmes (including consideration of a National Youth Service), and 80% integration of cultural awareness, environmental sustainability, disaster risk management, and climate change adaptation into all planning and implementation. Local leaders — district officers, town officers, estate owners, church leaders, and youth and women group leaders — are explicitly named for engagement by 2025. 20% of communities are to lead forestry replenishment and 10% of schools to be engaged in reforestation projects by 2030. NGO and private-sector representation on the National Environment Coordinating Committees was targeted for 2018, and community engagement across all NBSAP planning, implementation, and monitoring from 2020. The NBSAP itself was developed through six months of island-by-island consultation.

GBF Target 23 — Gender equality — Mentioned

Gender equality is delegated to implementation of the government's separate gender development policy, with a 60% achievement target by 2030 under Strategy 23. Women and youth are to be engaged in forest-ecosystem planning, implementation, and monitoring (Appendix B, 4.3.4). No gender-disaggregated indicators are provided across other thematic areas and no dedicated gender-equality strategy sits inside the NBSAP beyond the policy reference.

KMGBF Targets Referenced