Marovo Lagoon

Marovo Lagoon is the largest double-barrier enclosed lagoon in the world.^[1] Located in the New Georgia Islands, Western Province, Solomon Islands, between Vangunu and Nggatokae islands, both extinct volcanic islands, at 8.48°S 158.07°E / -8.48; 158.07. It covers 700 km² (270 sq mi) and is protected by a double barrier reef system. The Marovo Lagoon World Heritage Area is considered an area of high biodiversity and conservation value. ^[2] The name Marovo is derived from the island of Marovo in the centre of the lagoon.

Vangunu Island seen from space. Marovo lagoon can be seen north of the island.

Reef sites at the edge of the lagoon were surveyed in 2014.^[3] The sites with the highest Live Coral Cover (LCC) in the Western Province and second highest in the Solomons were on the exposed side of the fringing reef near Marovo Lagoon measuring an average of 49% LCC. The exposed side of the fringing reef of Marovo Lagoon had an average of 38% LCC. The sites with the lowest live coral cover were found near Munda with an average of 18% LCC.^[3]

Sightings of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) have been confirmed in the lagoon.^[4]

There are many islands in the lagoon, some of which are inhabited. The people speak the Marovo language and live mainly by subsistence agriculture and are skilled at fishing.^[5] The men from Marovo Lagoon are known to be skilled carvers, creating and designing beautiful wooded carvings made from ebony, hardwood and kerosene wood.

The lagoon is a popular destination for diving and is a tourism hub for travelers from Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the United States.

It is possible to travel to the Lagoon from the capital city of Solomon Islands, Honiara by 1 hour on a twin otter plane or 10 hours on a weekly ferry.

References

1. "Marovo - Tetepare Complex". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
2. Ceccarelli DM, Wini-Simeon, Sullivan, Wendt, Vave-Karamui, Masu, Nicolay-Grosse Hokamp, Davey, Fernandes (2018). Biophysically Special, Unique Marine Areas of the Solomon Islands (PDF) (Report). MACBIO, (GIZ, IUCN, SPREP), Suva. ISBN 978-0-9975451-6-6. Retrieved 31 March 2021.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. Carlton, R., Dempsey, A., Lubarsky, K., Akao, I., Faisal, M., and Purkis, S. (2020). Global Reef Expedition: Solomon Islands (Final Report) (Report). The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. ISBN 978-0-9975451-6-6. Retrieved 31 March 2021.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. "Tursiops aduncus, Ehrenberg, 1833: Solomon Islands, Delphinidae, Indian Ocean Bottlenose Dolphin, Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin". Review of Significant Trade: Species selected by the CITES Animals Committee following CoP14 and retained in the review following AC25 (PDF). CITES Project No. S-380: Prepared for the CITES Secretariat by United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre. 2012. pp. 2–10. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
5. Robert E. Johannes and Edvard Hviding (2000). Traditional knowledge possessed by the fishers of Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands, concerning fish aggregating behaviour (PDF). SPC Traditional Marine Resource Management and Knowledge Information Bulletin No. 12. pp. 22–29. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04.