National Context and Purpose

The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2026–2030 (NBSAP) of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) sets out a practical, nationally grounded pathway to conserve biodiversity, sustain ecosystem services, and meet international obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and its Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) through 2030. It recognizes that the country’s long-standing, community-based conservation system—Reimaanlok (“Looking to the Future”)—already provides the foundation for effective biodiversity management across atolls and islands. The NBSAP formally aligns this national system with the KMGBF while incorporating elements not historically covered by Reimaanlok, including genetic resource governance, pollution management, private-sector engagement, biosafety, biodiversity finance, and biodiversity considerations across the Exclusive Economic Zone. Rather than creating a new conservation framework, the NBSAP documents how existing governance systems, sectoral management plans, and community stewardship already deliver biodiversity conservation in practice, and strengthens the institutional coordination, indicator alignment, and reporting systems required to meet global commitments.

Appendix A details the mapping between national sub-targets and KMGBF targets and indicators. Appendix B summarizes how actions are distributed across pathways, institutions, and implementation architecture. Appendix C synthesizes institutional lessons from preparation of the 7^th National Report (7NR) and outlines measures to strengthen monitoring and reporting systems toward the 8^th National Report (8NR). Together, these appendices reinforce that the NBSAP is both an implementation roadmap and a reporting instrument under the CBD.

Living Atolls, Living Sea

The Marshall Islands comprise 29 coral atolls and five islands without lagoons spread across more than two million square kilometres of ocean, with only 184 square kilometres of land. These low-lying atolls contain globally significant coral reef, lagoon, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems that sustain livelihoods, culture, food security, and water security. Ecosystems provide essential services, including fisheries production, shoreline protection, freshwater regulation, and cultural continuity. At the same time, the RMI faces acute environmental pressures, including sea-level rise, ocean warming and acidification, invasive species, pollution, land-use change, and the legacy of nuclear testing. Biodiversity conservation is therefore inseparable from national priorities related to climate adaptation, food and water security, economic resilience, and long-term survival.

Reimaanlok and the Protected Areas Network

For generations, Marshallese communities have practiced customary stewardship of land and sea through traditional governance systems. Since 2008, this stewardship has been strengthened through Reimaanlok, the participatory national conservation planning framework that enables communities to develop locally-led resource management plans recognized under national law through the Protected Areas Network (PAN). As of early 2026, PAN coverage is 34 percent for nearshore marine areas and 19 percent for terrestrial areas. There are 20 completed management plans across 18 atolls, with additional plans finalized and pending sign-off. The 2026 additions will result in 90 percent of rural communities having spatial management plans with PAN coverage. Reimaanlok and the PAN align with the Micronesia Challenge commitment to effectively conserve 50 percent of marine and 30 percent of terrestrial resources by 2030, ensuring conservation is implemented through community governance, national legal recognition, and long-term management systems.

Three National Targets Aligned with Global Targets

The KMGBF establishes 23 global action targets for biodiversity conservation through 2030. For clarity and institutional coherence, the RMI consolidates these into three national targets addressing Reducing threats to biodiversity; Meeting people’s needs through sustainable use and benefit-sharing; and Providing tools and solutions for implementation and mainstreaming.

Each national target contains sub-targets directly aligned with specific KMGBF targets, ensuring full global consistency while maintaining compatibility with national governance structures. This structure enables biodiversity conservation to be implemented through national institutions, sectoral plans, environmental permitting systems, and community-based management rather than through isolated initiatives. The NBSAP applies a systems-based implementation model in which biodiversity outcomes are delivered through routine governance mechanisms. This approach integrates biodiversity into the ongoing operation of institutions rather than treating it as a standalone environmental program.

Integration Across National Policies and Institutions

Biodiversity conservation in the RMI is implemented through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. The NBSAP demonstrates how biodiversity objectives are embedded across national policies and institutional frameworks, including the National Strategic Plan, National Adaptation Plan, Nationally Determined Contribution, National Invasive Species Strategy and Action Plan, aggregate sourcing policies, infrastructure safeguards, and environmental permitting systems. National coordination mechanisms, community governance systems, and participation in multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) strengthen institutional coherence and ensure alignment across sectors. By documenting these linkages, the NBSAP provides a unified framework connecting community conservation, national planning, and international reporting.

Actions, Indicators, and Reporting

The NBSAP identifies nationally-relevant actions organized into four implementation pathways: MEA participation and compliance; national strategies and projects; regional cooperation and resource mobilization; and community-identified priorities. Actions reflect the full range of institutional mechanisms through which biodiversity conservation is implemented, including regulatory systems, sectoral plans, research, financing, safeguards, and community governance. Indicators are aligned with the KMGBF headline, binary, and national framework. The experience of preparing the 7NR highlighted the need to strengthen national data organization, laboratory and technical capacity, biodiversity finance tracking, and interagency coordination. Appendix C outlines practical measures to address these constraints so that biodiversity implementation is measurable, coordinated, and progressively strengthened ahead of the 8NR in 2029.

Nature-Positive and Climate-Resilient Approaches

The NBSAP adopts nature-positive approaches that restore, maintain, and enhance ecosystem health while supporting climate resilience and sustainable development. These approaches emphasize ecological restoration, sustainable resource management, pollution reduction, invasive species control, and biodiversity-sensitive infrastructure planning. By aligning community stewardship, national governance systems, and global biodiversity commitments, the NBSAP provides a realistic and operational pathway for biodiversity conservation in the RMI through 2030. It establishes a coordinated framework for implementation, monitoring, learning, and reporting, ensuring that biodiversity conservation remains embedded in national decision-making and institutional practice beyond the current reporting cycle.