Fiji

Consevation Opportunity


Fiji’s coral reefs are justifiably renowned worldwide, and are among the most diverse and intact coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean. The country’s strong traditions and system of traditional tenure over reef management, coupled with the national government commitment to increasing Fiji’s marine protected areas, offer outstanding opportunities for conservation.  The Bligh Waters – Vatu-i-Ra Seascape, off the southwest of the island of Vanua Levu, features outstanding hard and soft corals, abundant fish, sharks and other top predators, and a history of conservation commitment and action by local communities. Here WCS is working with a team of dedicated young Fijians and ten villages in the Kubulau district to establish an ecosystem-based approach to coral reef conservation.

Fiji’s traditional approach to fishing has included ‘tabu’ areas (sites temporarily closed to fishing) for millennia. With modern fishing methods, growing coastal populations, and increasing threats to coral reefs from human activities on both land and sea, tabu areas are no longer sufficient to safeguard fish stocks and protect habitats and ecological functions. However, combining the tabu approach and tradition with modern conservation approaches allows socially and culturally appropriate and effective conservation. In addition, the villages own the adjacent land as well as the sea, which greatly facilitates integrated conservation efforts addressing both land- and sea-based threats.

Challenges 

Overfishing has been the principal adverse influence on these reef systems to date, and ecologically insensitive land-use practices such as logging, road building, forest clearing for villages and agriculture, coastal development also pose a threat.  

Conservation Action

Within the Kubulau qoliqoli (the traditional sea tenure area owned and managed to a large extent by the Kubulau villages), WCS and partners WWF and Wetlands International conducted basic ecological and socioeconomic assessments and worked with the communities to map fishing patterns and needs and develop Fiji’s first marine protected areas network.  The 13 individual marine protected areas in the network have been selected and designed to work together to form an interconnected system of which three areas are fished only occasionally and the remaining ten areas are closed entirely.  This network forms the backbone of the conservation initiative, and covers more than 80 square kilometers (31%) of the 260 square kilometers of the qoliqoli.

Looking forward, it is essential to ensure that the marine protected areas are indeed functioning as a network, with adequate ecological connectivity. WCS is conducting research to assess the network’s effectiveness and to advise villages on how management approaches may need to be refined.  For instance, we are evaluating the current and potential future impact on the reefs of river runoff to ensure reefs will not be smothered by excess sediment loads. We are also evaluating the effects of conservation on key socioeconomic indicators, such as amount and value of fish catches, to help sustain and build on local enthusiasm for conservation efforts.

The future of reef conservation in Fiji lies with the talented Fijians who are building their professional and technical skills in this area.  WCS is deeply committed to building Fijian leadership of national marine conservation efforts, and has trained a dedicated team of Fijians in socioeconomic and reef, fish, and invertebrate surveys, as well as other essential skills such as community consultation and negotiation. We have supported the communities in establishing a Marine Protected Areas Management Committee, providing training in marine protected area management, including enforcement techniques and community-based monitoring. And we have worked with our partners to develop a training and certification program for community fish wardens.  We also support promising young scientists at the University of the South Pacific through a scholarships program. 

WCS welcomes your support and engagement in helping us save Fiji’s wild places and wildlife.  To learn more or contribute to our effort, please visit:  www.wcs.org/marine