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The Great Sea Reef Weaving Together Communities for Conservation

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The Great Sea Reef Weaving Together Communities for Conservation CASE STUDY FIJI 2017 THE GREAT SEA REEF WEAVING TOGETHER COMMUNITIES FOR CONSERVATION Weaving together communities for conservation page 1 WWF-PACIFIC VISION Our vision is for empowered and resilient Pacific island CONTENts communities living our unique culture to conserve and manage our ocean, forests and rivers for improved food security, human well-being and a sustainable future. CAKAULEVu – FIJI’S HIDDEN GEM 5 PROTECTING CAKAULEVu – eVERYONE’S BUSINESS 10 WWF MISSION WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to TOOLS AND AppROACHEs – 12 BEYOND SMALL TABU AREAS build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature by : • Conserving the world’s biological diversity; Marine Protected Areas – the tabu system 12 • Ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable; The Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area Network (FLMMA) 12 • Promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. ________________________________ Turtle Monitors – from hunter to guardian 14 Text compiled by Seema Deo. Sustainable Fisheries — setting smarter limits 15 Layout and Graphics by Kalo Williams. Raising the Fish Value — improving postharvest handling 16 SPECIAL THANKS TO WWF staff Kesaia Tabunakawai, Jackie Thomas, Qela Waqabitu, Tui Marseu, and Vilisite Tamani, for providing information for the report. Sustainable Seafood — a reef-to-resort approach 17 Exploring Alternatives to Fisheries — 18 Published in April 2017 by WWF-Pacific, World Wide Fund For Nature, Suva, Fiji. support through microfinancing Any reproduction in full or in part must mention the title and credit as the copyright owner. Women in Fisheries — building a business approach 18 © Text 2017 WWF Pacific. to small-scale fisheries All rights reserved. Greening Sugar Farming – trialling a ridge-to-reef-approach 19 _________________________________ LESSONS LEARNED 21 Building on Existing Systems of Governance — 21 The WWF-Pacific (Fiji) Great Sea Reef Programme is a multi-partner, multi-donor initiative the strength of culture and community and has funding support from the governments of Australia, New Zealand, and the United States of America, the Packard Foundation, Le Cordon Bleu NZ, Bacardi Ltd, and WWF Transparency and Clarity 21 offices in Austria, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Building Resilience and Preparing for Change 21 LOOKING TO THE FUTURE 22 This publication is made possible by support from the Coral Triangle Program. REFERENCES 24 Front cover: Cakaulevu, Fiji’s Great Sea Reef, as seen from the air. © Juergen Freund / WWF-Pacific Page 4: Corals of the Great Sea Reef. Page 8-9: Aerial view of the Ba River. Weaving together communities for conservation page 2 Weaving together WWF-INTcommunities Annual for conservation Review 2012 page page 3 © Juergen FREUND / WWF-Pacific Gleaming a vivid turquoise blue in aerial and satellite imagery, Cakaulevu, known more widely as the Great CAKAULEVU Sea Reef, winds along 200 km of Fiji’s northern region covering an area of 202,700 km2. This length of coral reef (the third longest reef in the Southern Hemisphere) runs along the island of Vanua Levu from Udu Point FijI’S HIDDEN GEM at its north eastern tip, to Bua on the north west edge, across the Vatuira passage, veering off along the way from the Bua, Ra, and Ba provinces coastline and into the Yasawas, where it hugs the coastline. The reef provides protection to Fiji’s northern coastal areas and hosts the marine biodiversity that has sustained communities in the area for hundreds of years. Today, it supplies almost 80% of fish that feeds the domestic markets, and is also a valuable tourist attraction for its diving, snorkelling, and pristine sandy beaches. The traditional owners of Cakaulevu Reef (i.e. those with customary rights to fish there) are the people of the Provinces of Macuata, Bua, Ba, and Ra. Despite its size, its spectacular biodiversity, and its commercial and traditional importance, Fiji’s Great Sea Reef had not been well documented until a scientific assessment was conducted in 2004. The survey, which was the first ever systematic effort to document the marine biodiversity of the Great Sea Reef, was undertaken by WWF, Wetlands International, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the University of the South Pacific (USP), local community members, and international experts. The 2004 survey found that the reef contains 55% of the known coral reef fish in Fiji, 74% of the known coral species in Fiji, 40% of all known marine flora in Fiji, and 44% of all Fiji’s endemic reef species1 . The number of species recorded was the highest of any other reef area in Fiji. Populations of at least 12 species listed in the IUCN Red List of threatened species were observed, including 10 species of fish, the IUCN endangered green turtle, and the spinner dolphin. Figure 1: Fiji’s Great Sea Reef 1Jenkins,A., et. al. (2006). Page 4 Weaving together communities for conservationPage page 5 5 Udu Point The Great Sea Reef stretches in a near continous chain over 200 kilometers from Great Sea Reef Udu Point to the Yasawa and Ba. Fiji Islands Fiji Islands Vanua Levu Yasawa Islands Economic Value of the Great Sea Reef 1 Great Sea Reef contributes between $12-16 million annually to Fiji’s economy through the inshore fisheries sector. Ba 2 Based solely on coastal communities located along the length of the Great Sea Reef within the provinces of Bua and Macuata, the GSR is directly responsible for the subsistence and income livelihoods of 1/10 of Fiji’s population 3 Proxy values determined for this system includes an estimate economic value of $47.5 million or roughly Viti Levu $1 million for every hectare of coral reef extension on the system. 4 Based on a compensation mangrove study carried out in the 1990s, the mangrove related fisheries annual production is estimated at 3,711 tons for the entire mangrove covered areas within the GSR boundary, translating into $19.2 million annually. This infographic is based on an analysis on the Economic Value of the Great Sea Reef compiled by WWF-Pacific. The report provides an overview of the estimated contribution made by the Great Sea Reef to Fiji’s national economy. Design by Kalo Williams / WWF-Pacific Figure 2: Economic value of the Great Sea Reef © Shiri RAM / WWF-Pacific The findings of the survey highlighted the value of the reef, not just for those with direct Several threats were identified by the survey team and communities: access to it, but for the people of Fiji, who rely on marine resources and productive • Over-fishing and poaching by illegal fishers. fisheries as sources of food, income, employment, foreign exchange, and cultures. The reef, with its high biodiversity count, serves as the nurturing grounds for unique • The use of small-mesh fishing nets (regulated three inch mesh size). marine biodiversity found only in Fiji. • Fish poisoning – an old fishing technique which uses the root of a coastal plant A subsequent desktop study in 2014 by WWF2 found that, in fact, the Great Sea ‘duva’ (derris plant). Reef is responsible for the subsistence and income livelihoods of one-tenth of Fiji’s • Use of hookah for beche-de-mer collection. populations. Furthermore, it contributes between $FJ12—16 million annually to the • Siltation of near-shore environment caused by erosion and upland activities, country’s economy through the inshore fisheries sector (see Figure 2). especially near Malau timber factory. However, as far back as 2004 and, despite the relative intactness of the reef and high • Dredging of sand for construction purposes at Mali Passage. levels of biodiversity, there was growing evidence of threats to the health and integrity • Development activities such as drainage of ballast water by large vessels in Nadamu of the reef. The Great Sea Reef fringes coastal areas of many sugar cane and pine Passage. plantations as well as the growing townships of Labasa, Rakiraki, Tavua, and Ba. Four of the six major rivers in Fiji (Labasa, Dreketi, Ba, and Nadi) drain into the Great Sea • Untreated waste water from factories and Labasa town. Reef. Parts of the reef were also fished commercially for live reef fish, beche-de-mer, On learning of the size and significance of the reef, the then Tui Macuata, Ratu Aisea and trochus. The most damaged sites in terms of siltation, rubbish, and high fishing Katonivere, Paramount Chief of Macuata Province, determined that immediate pressures were observed around Labasa. Commercially important fish were found in action was needed to protect and conserve Cakaulevu. Already a marine conservation very low numbers and considered to be small in size. advocate, and having noted concerns about diminishing fish catches, Ratu Aisea 2WWF (draft 2013). requested WWF, USP, and the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas network (FLMMA) for assistance. Threats to the Great Sea Reef include not only direct Given the diversity of stakeholders and the types of threats identified, it followed threats from unsustainable fishing practices, but that multi-pronged management approaches would be needed. PROTECTING other land-based threats such as soil erosion from From the earliest stages, there was clear recognition of the imperative role that unsustainable land use and pollution from farm run-off customary governance would play in the success, or otherwise, of the management and from urban and industrial waste. These issues must initiative. These pre-existing structures and relationships were the binding force CAKAULEVU be addressed together if real change is to be made. in decision-making and the qoliqoli owners were able to appreciate the value Ecosystem-based management emphasises the in working together as one unit when it came to conservation of their collective connectivity between people and their natural marine resources. environment and works across all components of the The initial management focus was thus on building capacities of communities to EVERYONE’S system, including forests, freshwater, and marine understand the systems and processes and to make their own decisions on natural environments.
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