Supporting community-based management & science-culture dialogue for enduring communities and sustainable coral reef ecosystems.
The Rāhui Center is a French Polynesian NGO supporting community-based coral reef ecosystems and resources management.
ABOUT US
Find out more about our approach, the people behind it and the partners who support us.
OUR ACTIONS
Learn more about our field activities in French Polynesia and across the Pacific.
RESSOURCES
Access a selection of resources on marine resource management in French Polynesia.
NEWS
Launch of the expedition
‘Āvei Moana – Ocean Science Voyage
📍 Monday 10 August 2026 at 10 am at the Fare pote’e Te mana o te Moana, InterContinental, Tahiti
📍 Wednesday 12 August 2026 at 5 pm at the Paopao townhall (mairie de Paopao), Moorea
Led by the Moananui Sanctuary Trust, the ‘Āvei Moana Voyage is an ocean expedition across the Pacific that aims to strengthen connections between local communities and promote a cultural, collective, and knowledge-based approach to ocean protection, grounded in traditional knowledge systems.
Inspired by the ara moana, the ancestral sea routes that connect the islands of the Pacific, the expedition brings together ocean guardians, researchers, Indigenous leaders, and local communities around a shared objective: deepening the understanding and recognition of the cultural, spiritual, and ecological relationships that connect Pacific peoples with the marine world.
After departing from the east coast of Aotearoa/New Zealand, the vessel Resilience and its team will arrive in the Society Islands, where they will make stops to share their approach and engage with local communities, before continuing their journey across the Pacific towards Tonga.
Upcoming broadcast of the documentary film Rahui, Shared Lagoonby Mélissa Constantinovitch and Thomas Yzèbe.
Wednesday 29/10 at 7:40 p.m. on Polynésie la 1ère and Monday 17/11 at 11:50 p.m. on France 3.
When fish become scarce and the lagoon begins to suffer, an ancient Polynesian wisdom resurfaces: the rahui, the art of temporarily prohibiting access to an area to allow nature to regenerate.
In Bora Bora, where tourism puts heavy pressure on the environment, a rahui could provide an urgent solution—provided everyone agrees to give up part of the lagoon.
In Tautira, it has already proven effective, but the question of reopening it to fishing brings new balances to be found.
Each rahui is built through discussion and compromise, shaping an inspiring model in the face of the ecological crisis.