Approximately 7,800 hectares of forest is on track to be legally protected in Solomon Islands' East Rennell Island, engaging 11 tribes—more than 1,200 Indigenous landowners—within a grouped forest carbon project.
East Rennell is famous as a UNESCO World Heritage Conservation Area for its unique landscape, culture and biodiversity.
It’s easy to see why. There is a tranquil, timeless quality to Lake Tegano and the village life that surrounds it. In the forest and watery landscapes, birds, reptiles and marine animals thrive in abundance. Traditional ecological knowledge and intangible culture are still passed down through generations.
However, despite its world-renowned status, income opportunities for landowners in East Rennell have remained limited over the past 28 years. This has created uncertainty about the future and increased the risk of logging to meet the growing need for income.
Threats to forests
The threats to East Rennell’s forests reflect wider challenges facing old-growth forests across Solomon Islands. Logging concessions operate in neighbouring West Rennell, bringing short-term jobs and income and widening the economic divide—in 2020, logging activities were just 200 metres from the World Heritage boundary.
East Rennell sits below 400 metres, meaning it can be legally logged under Solomon Islands law. World Heritage status can also be revoked by landowners at any time. In 2021, bauxite mining exploration licences were granted for parts of land within the UNESCO site.
The only mechanism to ensure formal protection from commercial logging and mining is declaring a legal protected area under the Solomon Islands Protected Area Act.
“Our environment is very vulnerable to any development such as logging and mining, which are currently going on right on the East Rennell boundary.”
— George Tauika, East Rennell Chairman
In a 2019 report, UNESCO identified limited local finance as a major threat, noting that without viable income alternatives to mining and logging, communities may struggle to support long-term conservation.
Climate change has also reduced food security and increased reliance on imported food, creating a greater need for cash income.
But with equitable access to sustainable income from forest carbon, landowners can protect the forests and biodiversity of East Rennell while maintaining World Heritage status, drawing global recognition and visitors seeking unique nature and cultural experiences.
Then to Now
A journey to sustainability for people, culture and nature
1998: East Rennell declared a UNESCO World Heritage Conservation Area.
2013: Some landowners expressed a desire to remove the UNESCO status for development, including logging and mining. World Heritage status does not provide legal protection or guarantee long-term forest protection. With no movement towards legal protection since 1998, East Rennell was categorised as a World Heritage site in danger.
2021: East Rennell joined the MFAT-funded Carbon Financed Forest Conservation Project (CFFC) in partnership with Nakau and Live and Learn. This created a pathway to protect forests while strengthening income opportunities through forest stewardship and management.
2023: Landowners established a Protected Area Committee with support from the Solomon Islands Ministry of Environment and the EREPA project. This provided a governance base to form a functional carbon project working group in 2024, including youth and women representatives for the first time.
2024–2025: Landowners signed a project development agreement with Nakau and Live and Learn Solomon Islands after carbon education workshops—a key step in the rest of their forest carbon journey.
The future of East Rennell is one where forest management can sustain the aspirations of communities in a way that upholds the natural beauty and significance Lake Tegano's ecosystem, society, economy, culture and way of life.
Working with Live and Learn Solomon Islands and Nakau, East Rennell landowners will continue to develop their forest carbon and conservation project as part of the Carbon Financed Forest Conservation Project—with support from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Photos thanks to Douglas Jnr Pikacha and Joan de la Malla, courtesy UNESCO
