Sovereignty Without Surveillance: Regulatory Voids and the Limits of Marine Governance in Bougainville

ABSTRACT This article investigates the regulatory voids that undermine sovereign marine governance in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, with a focus on the Pirung Wildlife Management Area (WMA). Based on fieldwork conducted in January 2025, including data collected from 50 community members and 25 government officials, the study reveals that despite Bougainville's policy commitments under the Green‐Blue Economic Policy (GBEP), marine conservation zones remain effectively unregulated. Currently there is no active licensing, surveillance, or enforcement; trade proceeds informally or via external provinces and the absence of state presence contributes to a growing legitimacy crisis. Communities perceive governance efforts as symbolic rather than functional and customary regulatory systems such as tambu are weakening in the absence of state recognition or support. This article conceptualizes this condition as “sovereignty without surveillance,” where legal autonomy is not matched by institutional enforcement capacity. The findings highlight how infrastructural absence fosters ecological degradation, economic leakage, and spatial inequality. To address these challenges, the article proposes five strategic reforms: marine patrol infrastructure, cold chain and port investment, institutionalized fisheries training, fiscal recognition of marine production zones, and formal integration of customary marine governance. Together, these reforms offer a roadmap for translating Bougainville's marine sovereignty from vision into practice.