Abstract
As we are facing the urgency of safeguarding biodiversity, protected areas address the need to apply a precautionary principle (option value) to living things and their evolution at a global scale. In Oceania, for effective, socially and politically sustainable conservation of biodiversity, it is essential to reconcile the global agenda, designed to prevent the collapse of biodiversity, with the preservation of local lifestyles and the services that people get from biodiversity. Preserving biodiversity and ecosystem services using protected areas must consolidate Nature's contribution to the well-being of Oceanians.