The project in Pitcairn

The Pitcairn Island group consists of four virtually untouched islands with a surface area of 47 sq. km (Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno) located in between French Polynesia and Easter Island. Only the island of Pitcairn is inhabited by about 50 people, making it one of the least populated island territories in the world. The community is made up, in part, of the descendants of HMS Bounty, a British Royal Navy armed vessel, who found refuge on this isolated island in 1790 to escape hanging following the wellknown mutiny.

These islands host a remarkable natural heritage, particularly in terms of marine biodiversity, which is still very well preserved. However, Pitcairn is at risk from human activities such as logging and from invasive species, most especially wild goats that cause watershed erosion. A scientific study in 2017 revealed that Henderson Island had the world's highest density of plastic waste at 671 pieces per square metre. 

Integrated coastal management is about using the coast sustainably by reconciling social and economic development with biological, environmental and cultural conservation for the good of current and future generations.

INTEGRE's action plan for Pitcairn was developed in close collaboration with the inhabitants, who are concerned about preserving their environment and heritage, as well as with the island council and the Natural Resource Division's management.

The various activities carried out with local stakeholders during the four years of project implementation are designed to :

• Improve waste management
• Limit erosion
• Better manage fisheries resources
• Control invasive species
• Promote commercial development

Download our Brochure on Pitcairn Islands

INTEGRE is working to promote the integrated management of this exceptional coastal area and to adapt to the difficulties of this very sparsely populated territory.

Objectives :

Consultations with the community and official revealed that the main issues.

• Improving waste management (particularly hazardous waste)
• Controlling erosion
• Preserving and promoting Pitcairn through sustainable environmental management and use.

Implementation of this action plan will have to take into consideration several constraints :

• The availability of labour, which is not only limited but also involved in port construction
• The high costs of transport due to the island's remote location
• Travel-related difficulties. First you have to go to Tahiti and then Mangareva, the main island in the Gambiers. From there, three times a year (May, August and November), a series of three return sea trips are organised over a period of two weeks. It takes two days by ship to go from Mangareva to Pitcairn
• Control of the wild goat population was a vital prerequisite for implementing erosion prevention actions

The INTEGRE action plan for Pitcairn was developed in close collaboration with the local community. During a trip to Pitcairn from 5 to 8 June 2014, two INTEGRE coordinators met with the Council, the Division Manager of Natural Resources, the President of the Pitcairn Island Producers Cooperative (PIPCO) and other members of the local community. They were able to visit the Tedside Alternate Harbour site, gauge erosion issues (particularly at St Paul's) and note the existence of invasive species. They provided explanations about INTEGRE and the participatory ICM approach. 

Several members of the local community displayed strong interest in the project and proposed some complementary activities over a several-week-long consultative process (public meeting discussions, approval by Pitcairn's Territorial Authorising Officer and the INTEGRE steering committee in 2014). This led to increasing the project's funding contribution to NZD 580,625, i.e. EUR 371,600. Committees and procedures were developed for implementing the project as shown below :

Key Figures :