Through Congress and Inter-Congress meetings, and ongoing scientific Working Groups, PSA provides an interdisciplinary platform for scientists to discuss and review common concerns and priorities in the region.
PSA facilitates research initiatives on critical emerging issues for the region, such as biodiversity loss, climate change, infectious diseases, and the social implications of globalization, in which science can provide crucial information in a way that is required by both society and policymakers to make sound and informed decisions.
There have been 23 Congresses and 12 Inter-Congresses held since 1920, at venue ranging from Tokyo, Honolulu, Vancouver, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Tahiti, Fiji, Khabarovsk, and Valparaiso.
The PSA structure consists of an executive board, Pacific Science Council, a secretariat, and national committees.
This definition thus includes many Asian and American countries as well, but specifically in the respect that some part of their territories exists in the Pacific region.