• Valuing Reef Passages in the South Pacific Region

NEWS & ACTIVITIES

October 2026: Fieldwork in Beqa, Fiji

In October 2026, Dr. Salanieta Kitolelei conducted fieldwork…

October 2026: SOCPacific2R at USP Open Day

On the 2nd of October 2026, The University of the South Pacific…

July 2026: Fieldwork in Moturiki, Fiji

As part of her postdoctoral research in SOCPacific2R, Dr. Salanieta…
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Through its empirical focus on New Caledonia and Fiji, SOCPacific2R studies reef passages, which connect coastal waters and the open ocean. Although they are known as outstanding hotspots of biodiversity and productivity, these social-ecological ‘keystone places’ and ‘communication zones’ have hardly been investigated by natural and social sciences to date.

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Project summary and factsheet
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SOCPacific2R has emerged from – and is therefore a logical extension of – the interdisciplinary research project ‘A Sea of Connections: Contextualizing Fisheries in the South Pacific Region’ (SOCPacific, 2018-2022).

Project history

OUR TEAM

SOCPacific2R is based on a trusted and interdisciplinary French-German-Pacific partnership.
Here are the three co-PIs who will be coordinating the project and who can be contacted for further information:

  • Amanda Ford

    The Fijian crew:

    PI: Amanda Ford
    Kelly Brown
    Jasha Dehm
    Simon Harding
    Jokim Kitolelei
    Andreas Kopf
    Isoa Korovulavula
    Cherie Morris
    Brian Stockwell
    Malakai Waqa-Kaitani

  • Annette Breckwoldt

    The German crew:

    PI: Annette Breckwoldt
    Patrick Christie
    Sebastian Ferse
    Philipp Gies
    Marion Glaser
    Salanieta Kitolelei
    Rebecca Lahl
    Nils Moosdorf
    Alexandra Nozik
    Arno Pascht

  • Elodie Fache

    The French crew:

    PI: Elodie Fache
    Stéphanie Carrière
    Pierre-Yves Lemeur
    Simonne Pauwels
    Dominique Pelletier
    Auréa Pottier
    Estienne Rodary
    Catherine Sabinot

All the team

OUTCOMES

The team has already started looking closer at these remarkable features of the land-ocean continuum. On the one hand, we have developed a working typology for reef passages, employing GIS-based visual interpretations of satellite imagery across nine Pacific Islands (in Fiji, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu). On the other, drawing from qualitative interviews with fishers, scuba divers, and surfers in New Caledonia, we have illustrated that reef passages can play a multitude of socio-cultural and ecological roles for the islands and Islanders.

Discover our factsheet on reef passages!

In English: Reef passages: Watery gateways of life between lagoons and the ocean

In French: Les passes récifales : Chemins de vie entre lagons et océan

To all divers: please contribute to the project by completing our questionnaire!

In English: Divers and reef passages in the South Pacific region

In French: Plongeurs et passes dans le Pacifique Sud

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Reef passages are important for healthy reef and lagoon habitats.

Reef passages attract life.

Reef passages are the only gateways into and out of the vanua.

Reef passages are important foraging grounds and migratory routes for sea turtles.

Knowledge on reef passages especially the ecological knowledge should be added to the existing traditional knowledge of the locals.

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