Posted on October, 29 2002

Kadavu, Fiji - Community marine conservation efforts in Fiji were acknowledged during a government cabinet meeting in Kadavu last week. At the meeting, the Fijian Prime Minister, Honourable Laisenia Qarase, reaffirmed his government's commitment to protecting marine resources. This commitment includes providing assistance for rural communities to develop sustainable fisheries management plans for their traditional fishing grounds and also returning the legal ownership of community fishing grounds. The Prime Minister's announcement coincided with his government's gazetting of the Ulunikoro Marine Conservation Area — Fiji’s first gazetted marine conservation area. This gazetting allows the community to legally enforce their community resource conservation guidelines on both subsistence and commercial harvesters. By gazetting the marine conservation area, the government is accepting the community’s proposals that Nuburua be declared a marine reserve (where no fishing is allowed) and that the traditional fishing ground of Yavusa Ulunikoro is a Marine Conservation Area. Under this gazettal the government has endorsed under the Fisheries Act the guidelines set out by the Ulunikoro community which restrict harvesting in the conservation area and using harvesting guidelines that have been agreed to by community members. The Ulunikoro Marine Conservation Area is a fringing patch reef that forms part of the Great Astrolabe Reef, recognised as Fiji’s premier reef complex with high relative biodiversity. The customary right to fish in the 20 hectare conservation area belongs to the “Vanua o Ono” which comprises 7 villages of Waisomo, Vabea, Narikoso, Nabouwalu, Naqara, Bulia, and Dravuni. The Ulunikoro Marine Conservation Area is WWF’s pilot site for the Fiji Country Programme that trialed the conservation organization’s process of developing community-based marine conservation. This is the fourth year of the project, and to date WWF has been able to confirm community processes in developing resource management plans, establishing community monitoring (biological and management actions), and policy and legislative support for community managed marine areas. The Waisomo community has been an example of a community dedicated to their vision to establish the first marine reserve in Fiji. According to Etika Rupeni, Project Officer at WWF's Fiji Country Programme, “‘the key to sustainable community conservation is facilitating the community to develop their own conservation goals, actions, and monitoring framework so that they take full responsibility of ensuring sufficient resources are available for their needs today and ensuring the same for their community’s future generations". An economic benefit of the new marine conservation area is that the communities could charge tourists who would like to enter the reserve, which can also attract operational funding for the management of their conservation efforts. The government has shown its support towards the conservation efforts of the Ono communities by donating a boat to assist the communities police their reserve. The Ulunikoro Marine Conservation Area is also a Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area(FLMMA) which is part of the FLMMA network that was recognised at the World Summit for Sustainable Development and awarded the Equator award for community-based projects that address the eradication of poverty. For further information: Kesaia Tabunakawai Manager, WWF Fiji Country Programme Tel.: +679 3315 533 Bernadette Masianini Communications Manager, WWF South Pacific Programme Tel.: +679 3315 533