Throughout our planet’s history, mass extinction events, wherein over half of earth’s diversity is lost in a short period of time, are uncommon, perhaps even rare. It has happened only five times in the past 500 million years, the last of which resulted in the extinction of dinosaurs. Today, our planet is experiencing its 6th mass extinction event, and, for the first time, a single species, humans, is responsible for these catastrophic losses. 

So, what can we do to stop these losses? One of the most effective ways to slow this mass extinction event is by setting aside habitats that sustain our planet’s biological diversity. However, these programs can often fail, as they require long-term and sustained stewardship of already fragile ecosystems. To develop more sustainable strategies, we use a capacity-building approach by partnering directly with indigenous communities who can more effectively steward their land. Such an approach is often slow, but is ultimately a better long-term strategy, as it provides local stakeholders with the means to establish then maintain their own conservation areas. 

After nearly a decade of work, and with support from Conservation International’s Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, private donors like the Constable Foundation and the University of Rochester, we are proud to announce that the Yato Protected Area was officially declared by the Solomon Islands government as a federally protected conservation area this November (2025). The designation of a federally protected area prevents the encroachment of any commercial logging or mining within the preserve. The Yato Protected Area is located on Makira Island, a remote island in the Solomon Islands. It covers nearly 25,000 acres of pristine rainforest and cloud forest, making it the largest protected forest in the entire country. It will protect scores of endemic plants and animals, including at least a dozen bird species found only on Makira. Importantly, the people of Yato, three communities numbering a little over a thousand, have now partnered with two organizations, Nakau and Live & Learn, in a carbon trade program that will provide the funding to maintain the protected area in perpetuity.