Welcome to the Arnavon Islands
The Arnavon Islands consist of four small islands located in the Manning Strait between Isabel and Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands. The Islands are home to the largest rookery of the critically endangered hawksbill turtles in the South Pacific region. This rookery was heavily exploited from the 1800s, and by the early 1990s populations here were in dramatic decline. In 1995 the Arnavon Community Marine Conservation area was established in partnership with government and the communities of Kia, Katupika and Waghena to protect the remaining hawksbill turtle population and the areas unique flora and fauna. This was the first protected area to be established in Solomon Islands and it encompasses 40,000 acres of land and sea.
In 2017, through hard work and commitment by the community management team, supported by The Nature Conservancy, the Arnavons were recently declared the country’s first nationally protected area - The Arnavon Community Marine Park.