Apia Convention: Convention on Conservation of Nature in the South Pacific

The Apia Convention is a regional agreement for the protection and sustainable use of natural resources. Parties agree to establish protected areas to represent natural ecosystems (including vulnerable or endangered species), as well as features and areas of high scenic, geological, historical, cultural and scientific value. It is still in force, although in practice many of the substantive commitments of the Apia Convention have effectively been overtaken by the global Convention on Biological Diversity. The body responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Apia Convention is the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The acronym SPREP originally stood for "South Pacific Environment Programme", but this changed to "Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme" to 2004. Today, SPREP functions as the Secretariat to three regional environmental conventions: the Noumea Convention and its Protocols, the Apia Convention and the Waigani Convention. As of 2026, SPREP has 26 Members, 6 of which are Parties or signatories to the Apia Convention.