Vava'u Ocean Initiative

The Vava’u Ocean Initiative (VOI) is a partnership between the Government of Tonga, namely the Department of Environment (MEIDECC), Ministry of Fisheries and Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Waitt Institute and Vava'u Environmental Protection Association (VEPA) to strengthen and further develop sustainable ocean management programs in Tonga. Included in this collection are large-area image datasets collected across Tonga used to understand the benthic reef community in support of the Government of Tonga's effort to sustainably manage their ocean. This data was collected in partnership with the Government of Tonga, the Waitt Institute, and the Sandin Lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography to support science-based sustainable ocean management.