There is a perception in much of the Pacific that environmental issues are going off the agenda. There may be many reasons, with over-governance, over-commitment, too much money, too little money, lack of indigenous community involvement, misunderstanding of local needs being just some of the ones given. Some feel that such a failure of environmental governance could lead to a type of anarchy or ‘panarchy’, but such a belief ignores positive instances of indigenous communities taking control, alone or in tandem with appropriate experts, demonstrating that national and local community projects can have very successful outcomes. More shared understanding of local knowledge and a willingness to engage by donors, communities and regional organizations could, if factored into Pacific environmental management, lead to more productive outcomes. These possibilities are outlined with reference to examples from environmental projects in Fiji and the Republic of the Marshall Islands that demonstrate the range of indigenous community and national responses to large-scale environmental projects.