The Pacific Biosphere Reserve Network – PacMAB – was established in December 2006 in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, and comprises the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga. The network serves as a vehicle for exchange and cooperation among new and emerging Biosphere Reserves and national MAB focal points in the Pacific.

The successful nomination of the region’s first two Biosphere Reserves – Utwe in the Federated States of Micronesia and Ngaremeduu in the Republic of Palau – in 2005 was the spark to establish PacMAB. This promising start led to the notable nomination of And Atoll in Federated States of Micronesia as the third biosphere reserve in the Pacific in 2007.

Small islands in the Asia-Pacific region, are highly vulnerable to climate change, the impacts of which cause poverty, natural disasters, depopulation, loss of traditional culture and the detrimental effect of invasive species. Biosphere reserves have an enormous potential in addressing climate change, particularly as places for learning about sustainable development and also for experimenting on mitigation and adaptation measures on climate change.