French Polynesia will expand the most tightly protected portion of its vast marine reserve to 1.6 million square kilometers (about 617,000 square miles) beginning in 2026, President Moetai Brotherson told AFP.
The move strengthens protections inside French Polynesia’s exclusive economic zone, which has been classified as a marine protected area since 2025 and spans roughly 4.8 million square kilometers (about 1.85 million square miles)—described as the largest marine protected area in the world.
Until now, only part of that area had the highest level of protection: 1.1 million square kilometers (about 425,000 square miles) in categories 1 and 2—so-called “no-take” zones where only sustainable tourism and certain forms of traditional fishing are allowed. The expansion would raise that strict-protection footprint to 1.6 million square kilometers.
Brotherson frames the plan as a regional responsibility—and a challenge for fishing
Brotherson cast the decision as part of a broader Pacific duty. “It’s our mission as Oceanians. And we also hope it can inspire other countries, especially the biggest ones, in the way they manage their relationship with the ocean,” he told AFP.
But the push comes with tensions. In recent months, the French Navy has stepped up counternarcotics operations in French Polynesia, carrying out three seizures involving several tons of drugs. The narcotics were later dumped at sea, outside the exclusive economic zone, according to the military.
The practice has drawn criticism from many Polynesians. Brotherson said that “in principle, one can prefer that this drug be destroyed in another way than by ocean dumping,” while downplaying the impact given the ocean’s sheer volume.
The Assembly of French Polynesia is expected to consider a measure in the coming weeks that would ban these sea dumpings.
New maritime resources planned to police a massive area
Enforcing strict protections across 1.6 million square kilometers will require significant monitoring capacity. A joint maritime commission meeting in January 2026 approved the deployment of additional resources to French Polynesia this year, including the French Navy’s Coastal Reserve Squad, along with reinforcements for France’s Office for Biodiversity and the state maritime affairs service.
Authorities say surveillance will focus on four priorities: protecting the marine environment, fisheries enforcement, safety at sea, and hydrography—an approach designed for an expanse that on its own represents one of the Pacific’s largest marine biodiversity reserves.
