Every coastal nation controls the 244 miles of the ocean that extends from its shores. These “exclusive economic zones” give Pacific island states domain over huge swaths of the sea, with territorial waters that radiate in all directions from far-flung archipelagoes. Even as these countries face civilization-ending threats from rising tides, they’ve emerged as linchpins in protecting a biodiverse-rich region of the ocean from climate change, overfishing and pollution.
Some of the world’s largest marine sanctuaries come from the…
