Pacific island nations have obligations for the conservation and sustainable use of critical marine habitats and species under a number of legally and non-legally binding international instruments. Foremost among these are the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and Apia Conventions. These instruments emphasise the linkages between the protection of the marine environment,