As landowners are ultimately responsible for any activities
on their land, conservation areas and actions generally cannot
simply be implemented by the government or other organizations,
but require support and approval by landowning
communities. In addition, most rural landowning communities
in Pacific countries still possess extensive knowledge of
their environment that is extremely valuable for developing
appropriate and effective conservation approaches (Raynor
and Kostka 2003; Baines and Hviding 1992; Cox and
Elmqvist 1991). As a result, most successful conservation
programs/activities in the region involve community
co-management (Morrison and Buckley 2010; Hunnam 2002).