WWF - WWF in Fiji & the Southern Pacific

Turtle Nests in Evans Wake

2013-05-22

The status of turtle nesting sites destroyed by Cyclone Evan will be determined at the 2nd bi-annual Dau Ni Vonu meeting for 2013 underway on Yaqaga Island in Bua province.

Cyclone Evan had adversely affected all nesting sites located within the 12 areas of the Dau Ni Vonu network however the worst impacted was Yadua Island.

"At the first meeting held in January there was zero nesting data recovered from Yadua Island because all the nests were destroyed either by heavy wave action, sand inundation or coastal erosion," said WWF South Pacific Marine Species Coordinator Laitia Tamata.

Turtle nesting areas includes Katawaqa Island, Yadua Island, Kia Island, Nakalou in Dreketi district, Sasa district, Raviravi in Macuata district, Mali Island, Yaqaga andGaloa Islands in Bua and Koroinasolo and Naivaka also in Bua.

Since Cyclone Evan, turtle monitors with the help of their communities have been replanting native trees on nesting beaches, to halt the course of coastal erosion and protect nesting areas, in preparation for the upcoming nesting season to start in September.

Midway into the last nesting season, Cyclone Evan struck. However, there is hope that the rehabilitative efforts carried out by turtle monitors would have helped save thousands of turtle eggs, allowing them to hatch normally and return to sea.

"We will determine all this with the data to be provided by the turtle monitors, for instance the increasing number of nests, empty shell counts and so forth," Tamata said.

The meeting that is to be held for the first time on Yaqaga Island also involves multiple stakeholder participation to strengthen the turtle monitoring effort.

"For the first time we will have a representative from the Police Force to report on cases of illegal turtle harvesting, the Environment and Fisheries department, as well as representatives from the Provincial Office to talk about the cultural importance of conserving turtles," Tamata said.

"It's important for turtle monitors to know that the hard work they are putting in is being augmented by the efforts of these various enforcement and compliance agencies.

"Over the years of meetings we have moved the venue around to the various turtle monitoring sites within the network which is one way of ensuring that this is a community effort and that the communities and not WWF South Pacific, own the Dau Ni Vonu network.

"It's their time, passion and hard work that keep this network alive and the population of marine turtles growing," Tamata said.

At the end of the two day meet, Dau Ni Vonu's (turtle monitors) will come up with an action plan for the next six months of monitoring.

WWF South Pacific with the help of partners setup the Dau Ni Vonu network in 2010 to support the Fiji Sea Turtle Recovery Plan to grow sea turtle numbers.

Reclaiming their Beach

2013-05-11

The fight to reclaim their beach from the sea at Nacula village in the Yasawa Group, made another breakthrough when villagers recently planted 2700 mangrove seedlings.

Both young and old took to the village foreshore to plant mangroves, united by a fervent desire to protect their village from the encroaching tide.

Nacula is one of four villages on Nacula Island that share similar experiences with coastal erosion.

Though a beautiful tourist hotspot, the beach on Nacula Island has literally been chomped up by the sea, exposing hard beach rock as occasional large waves hit against the fencing enclosing the Health Center and break ever closer to the church.

Testament to the ruthless power of the ocean, uprooted trees litter the beach area and as Sakarai Navunisinu, the Chairman of the Nacula Yaubula (Natural Resources) Committee said, "Even towering coconut trees started falling!"

"The sea is now around five meters past where it once rested."

But Navunisinu concedes that the ocean isn't entirely to blame for their battered sandy beach. Villagers are at fault as well for extracting tons of sand for village building construction over the years and harvesting mangroves that once offered them coastal protection.

In August 2012, as an ecosystem-based climate adaptation measure, the WWF South Pacific AusAID Building Resilience team, worked with the Nacula villagers in planting mangrove seedlings along their foreshore and setting up a mangrove nursery to supply future planting efforts.

Unfortunately, those seedlings were washed away by strong waves brought on by Cyclone Evan in late December, 2012 but villagers are determined not to be deterred from their quest.

"It's more than just saving the beach, we are also protecting our food security for we know that once we plant mangroves, we are helping build a nursery for fish to give birth," Navunisinu said.

Copra used to be the mainstay for villagers, but more effort is now being placed on earnings from tourism with the women making handicraft.

"Although our people are employed at nearby resorts and we are making ends meet, the most important thing to consider is that we don't go under the waves and that our children's children will have food security in the future as well," Navunisinu said.

AusAID Building Resilience National Coordinator, Stephanie Robinson said that the most important element in implementing climate adaptation measures at the community level is the people.

"They have to support it and take ownership of it and this is something that we can witness in Nacula as the village recognised the problem, approached us for assistance and is now actively involved in a replanting program to protect their foreshore.the replanting program, especially the elders who understand the importance of seeing mangrove trees grow tall on their foreshore," she said.

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Turtle Monitors Network Expansion

2013-05-11

The Dau Ni Vonu (DnV) or Turtle Monitors network, first trialed by WWF South Pacific in the provinces of Macuata and Bua, has now expanded to Lomaiviti.

Nature conservation enthusiasts in the Sawaieke district on Gau island have observed with interest the growth of the turtle monitoring network championed by their 'tauvu's(traditional kinsmen) from Vanua Levu and have been inspired by the testimonies of one time turtle hunters.

"They have been going to turtle workshops and have been so motivated to be more actively involved in turtle monitoring work, to complement the setup of their marine protected areas," said LaitiaTamata, the Marine Species Coordinator at WWF South Pacific.

Yadua island Dau Ni Vonu (turtle monitor) Pita Qarau, who accompanied the marine species team for awareness and monitoring training workshop to Gau island recently also shared the experiences from the far flung island in Bua province.

His remarkable transformation, from a one time champion turtle hunter who decimated the marine turtle population by the hundreds but now saves them by the hundreds more - stirred hearts and urged the setup of the turtle monitoring network on Gau Island.

A team of eight new DnVs, also serving the role of fish wardens were chosen and as part of their initiation into turtle monitoring work, drew up the nesting and foraging sites of the charismatic megafauna within their district.

"That marks the start of turtle monitoring work on Gau Island and it has been motivating as a conservationist to observe the enthusiasm and interest of islanders in helping protect turtles," Tamata said.

"This breakthrough in Gau also marks one of the successes of the Macuata and Bua turtle monitoring program, in that, one time turtle hunters are now championing the cause of growing marine turtle populations and through peer sharing able to inspire others to do the same.

"It might not have brought a complete halt to turtle harvesting, and yes there is some illegal turtle harvesting still going on, but the situation has greatly improved with the start of the Dau Ni Vonu Program in Vanua Levu compared to times when there was an unbridled passion to decimate.

"What we are hopefully witnessing is a greater awareness about the importance of the marine turtle population and people are thinking twice before harvesting them willynilly and that is progress at a level of the sustainable management of marine turtle populations."

The DnV program on Vanua Levu was setup in 2010 and supports national efforts through the Fiji Sea Turtle Recovery Plan and the Turtle Moratorium to grow the marine turtle population.

The eight new DnV's on Gau Island has been presented to the Takala-i-Gau and has been endorsed in the recent Island council meeting.

They will also undergo turtle monitoring work refresher training before the start of the 2013 turtle nesting season. The nesting season that will officially commence turtle monitoring work on Gau Island begins in September through to April 2014.

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Ocean Soaps Greener Pacific

2013-05-07

Ocean Soaps Limited has called on the public and corporates to support green habits, citing the crucial need for a healthy and viable environment for sustainable economies and livelihoods.

The subsidiary of Fijian retail giants Punjas Group of company's practices greening habits as part of its corporate social responsibility and commitment to sustainability.

Company spokesperson Jagdish Punja committed to supporting Earth Hour for the fifth year running, acknowledging the importance of protecting the environment.

"This is the core of our emerging corporate culture that as much as possible, our processes, our products, our employee culture must strive to engage measures and mindsets that contribute to the bigger picture," he said.

"For Oceans Soaps Limited, the bigger picture is our home Fiji, our surrounding the Pacific Ocean, our Pacific neighbors and the future of our generations."

Punja said this vision permeates the various levels of the organizations and inspires the manufacture of 'green' products that undergo rigorous testing.

The company has also invested in human resource, research and technology to help produce their green products.

"Over the years we have directed our energies and focus towards becoming an environmentally friendly company, manufacturing products which are harmless to our surroundings," he said.

"As with all our Pacific neighbors we are surrounded by water which we are so reliant on as a food source, and the underground aquifer of pure drinking water, which need protecting from pollution.

"We have countless generations to consider, it is no longer just about us. When you look at it its not just a small picture, it's a bigger picture."

Punjas said a common environmental nuisance that many can easily deal with is the problem of litter.

"Beach cleanups, let's not throw plastic in the water, why don't we put up extra bins," he said.

"Awareness needs to be created and sometimes the activities that we decided to take up for the good of the environment is very basic but lets start from somewhere.

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Legacy of Love

2013-04-29

Ratu Aisea Cavunailoa Katonivere had a dream – that the seas of Macuata province will be richly blessed with fish and marine resources, full to overflowing, that his people would always have enough to eat and the fruits of their qoliqoli will in turn bless many others.

In an interview shortly before his passing Ratu Aisea remarked, "Our greatest success with the marine protected areas is that we have been able to feed ourselves.

"It all started with a dream, we pursued conservation and now that dream is a reality," he said.

"It was our most important and best decision yet for it addressed our food problems now and ensured food security for the future as well.

"We had to protect Cakaulevu because our lives are intimately linked with it; it is our heritage, our culture, our very livelihood."

Cakaulevu or the Great Sea Reef is the third longest barrier reef system in the world, home to a high density of biodiversity and unique species, traversing the Macuata coastline for over 200 kilometers from the north eastern tip of Udu Point in Vanua Levu to Bua, across the Vatuira Passage, veering off along the way to hug the coastline of Ra and Ba Provinces and into the Yasawas.

In 2004, Ratu Aisea invited the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas network to facilitate a consultation that would lead to the reef protection.

More than 80 clan leaders, chiefs from the four districts of Mali, Sasa, Macuata and Dreketi converged at Naduri village and set aside a network of protected areas for replenishing and sustaining their traditional fishing grounds and the passion for conservation, dreamt by a high chief, was born.

This meeting also resulted in the commencement of an enduring relationship with the World Wide Fund for Nature and partners.

In 2005, in a momentous event, marked with rich Macuata traditions and passion, the Macuata Network of Marine Protected Areas was launched. Ratu Aisea had sufficiently challenged his people to rise to the war cry 'Sigadamu A Vanua'.

It wasn't easy getting to this day and only the strength, leadership and visionary passion of Tui Macuata served as a uniting force behind his people – the dream wasn't just about those living now, but for hundreds more generations of Macuata people.

He shared his dream with the world – in 2006 Ratu Aisea was awarded the Global Ocean Conservation Award for his outstanding leadership and commitment to marine conservation.

With Ratu Aisea's support the partnership with WWF South Pacific has seen diverse efforts in taking conservation to an integrated level; from the reconfigured network of effective protected areas through an EBM approach, financial literacy for the communities, sustainable land use management practices, sustainable financing and to the current formulation of district development plans and the first provincial Natural Resources Management strategy. He often said that development must not compromise or destroy the myriad gifts of nature.

His commitment to the environment is his greatest legacy of love for his people that must live on in the years to
come because it will benefit not just the people of Macuata but Fiji and the world as well.

WWF and its conservation partners all hail Ratu Aisea, a giant, an outstanding leader and father!!

A Saqamoli Tyre Difference

2013-04-28

A 'saqamoli', 500 trees and the green sense of a motoring company has afforded villagers of Nakanacagi on Vanua Levu future income and food security.

Additionally, the Asco Motors tree replanting project will now help protect the villager's only protein source, a winding river that snakes its way along the village outskirts where they fish.

More than 200 villagers, ASCO Motors officials, field officers of the Department of Forestry and WWF South Pacific united in planting trees along the village river banks recently.

The tree planting project was funded through Asco Motors 'One Tyre One Good Deed Campaign' that ran for three months in 2012.

ASCO Motors forked out one dollar from the sale of each Bridgestone tyre during the campaign, the sum of which exceeded $4,000, directed at reforestation as part of the company's commitment to Earth Hour.

The riparian buffer zone or the riverbank of the Nakanacagi River was rehabilitated by re-vegetating it with 530 trees of the variety Vesi, Damanu, Tavola, Irimasei, Dakua, Makadre, Cevua, Kavika, Yasi, Mandarin, Moli Tahiti, Marasa and Cau Kuro.

Planting the trees protects the river from sedimentation, polluted surface runoffs and soil erosion thereby improving the river water quality which is a prerequisite for maintaining healthy fish stocks.

Healthy fish stocks signify a good protein source for villagers.

Fruit bearing trees like the Mandarin, Kavika the Moli ni Tahiti and the valuable Yasi or sandalwood tree hold the promise of future income.

WWF South Pacific Sustainable Landuse and Livelihoods Officer Unaisi Malani said the initiative by ASCO Motors to raise finance for reforestation is wonderful because of the manifold benefits it brings, not just for Nakanacagi villagers but the country as a whole.

"Trees are the lungs of the earth and a major reason for our existence. The more we plant them the better our chances are of sustaining ourselves and our future generations," she said.

"A great initiative that ASCO Motors has taken, in trying to give back to "mother earth" and I hope that more initiatives like this will be undertaken, for the betterment of our communities."

ASCO Motors National Tyres and Batteries Manager, Gyanen Prasad, said contributing towards the well-being of the environment leaves a good feeling with the 260 odd Asco staff, within its five branches throughout the country.

"Tyres are made from rubber trees so we are giving back to the environment, by planting local tree species to contribute to the well-being of Fijian forests and ensure they continue to serve their ecological functions and keep nature balanced," Prasad said.

"We are helping the environment for current and future generations and this is something that unites us all as ASCO staff – the environment."

Forestry Officer Emitai Rakuro who led the planting activity said it is good that the issue of riverbank erosion is being practically addressed with the tree planting activity.

"Frequent flooding has often caused erosion and it is an issue that villager raise time and again."

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Fiji Mangrove Campaign

2013-04-28

Fiji's first National Awareness Campaign on mangroves launched recently will push for the adoption of a national policy on mangroves and the declaration of mangrove protected areas.

Minister for Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment Colonel Samuela Saumatua who launched the campaign led a mangrove replanting activity on the banks of the Lami creek, joined by children, council staff, officials from various government departments, academics and non government organisations.

"For too long we have viewed mangroves as just a useless swamp, emitting a not so pleasant smell and not really attractive to look at for instance like a beautiful rose bush," he said.

"But let me tell you this – mangroves are more than just a swamp. They are an important national and natural resource that we must work together to protect and sustainably manage.

Colonel Saumataua said there has been a notable increase in the destruction of mangroves from development pressures and natural disasters amongst other threats and it has become increasingly imperative to implement sustainable management measures.

He added that though some mangrove sites will still have to be developed for the sake of the country's economic and social development, principles of equity and sustainable development will be paramount.

The six months campaign with the theme "My Mangrove, My Livelihood, Noqu Dogo, Noqu Bula" specifically
targets mangrove delta communities, urban communities and government to raise awareness on the ecological, communal and social importance of mangrove forests.

Mangroves are dubbed the nursery of the seas, and are the important basis of a complicated food chain, are home to different types of fish and crustaceans, shelters young fish before they grow big enough for the reefs.

Mangrove forests are thus a food source for coastal communities, has special medicinal attributes, also serve as an important buffer protecting coasts from eroding under the force of ocean waves and filter sediments washing off land thus helping keep reefs clean.

An extremely valuable function of mangrove forests is their long term carbon sequestration capacity. As an important carbon sink they suck carbon out of the atmosphere.

The build-up of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere, contributes greatly to the thickening blanket of gases and global warming.

The campaign is an initiative of WWF South Pacific AusAid Building Resilience Program, MESCAL Fiji, supported by the Mangrove Management Committee, the Department of Environment and the Department of Lands.

Activities like school outreach, public outreach through the mass media and featuring Tiri the mascot to raise the profile of mangrove forests.

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A True Champion and Friend of the Environment

2013-04-25

Fiji and the world have lost a true champion for the environment with the tragic loss of the Turaga na Tui Macuata Ratu Aisea Cavunailoa Katonivere.

WWF South Pacific Representative Kesaia Tabunakawai said Ratu Aisea was a mover and shaker in the world of conservation, inspiring his people to be passionate about protecting natural resources for the good of all.

"He had a dream; that the seas of Macuata will be richly blessed with fish and marine resources, full to overflowing, that his people would always have enough to eat and the fruits of their qoliqoli will in turn bless many others," Tabunakawai said.

"And in his heart, he knew that ensuring the future livelihoods of his people was crucially linked to the sustainable management of marine resources."

Ratu Aisea's dream instilled in him a desire to pursue the setup of marine protected areas within his traditional fishing grounds.

He persuaded the chiefs of the three other districts of Mali, Sasa, and Dreketi to join him in establishing the 59 square kilometers of the Macuata Marine Protected Areas Network, within the collective 1,344km2 fishing ground.

With the technical advice and guidance of WWF South Pacific the network, along with a management plan was setup.

The marine protected area, considered a model for the world, is the high chief's legacy of love to his people that challenged not only the region but the world as well.

These marine protected areas in Macuata were the first of a series of MPAs or Locally Managed Marine Areas that was offered to contribute to the national commitment of protecting 30 percent of Fiji's oceans by 2020, at the time (2005) one of the world's largest commitment of networks of underwater sanctuaries.

Fiji's commitment and Ratu Aisea's outstanding chiefly leadership in the area of marine conservation also inspired other Pacific Island nations including Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands to protect 30 percent of their near shore marine resources and 20 percent of their terrestrial resources by 2020.

For his outstanding leadership and commitment to marine conservation Ratu Aisea won the Global Ocean Conservation Award in 2006.

In Ratu Aisea's words - "Our greatest success with the marine protected areas is that we have been able to feed ourselves.

"We started off with a dream, we pursued conservation and now that dream is a reality," he said.

"It was our most important and best decision yet for it addressed our food problems now and ensured food security for the future as well."

It is that devotedness and single mindedness about the protection of natural resources that WWF South Pacific and other environment conservation organisations that Ratu Aisea worked with, will miss.

"In a time when the world is devouring natural resources at a faster pace than the earth has to replenish, leadership to inspire changed behaviors and attitudes towards a sustainable environment is needed " Tabunakawai said.

"Ratu Aisea had that style of leadership and his greatest legacy is that he has inspired his people to carry on the work of conservation, even after he has gone."

WWF South Pacific and its staff greatly miss Ratu Aisea and are one with his family in this time of sorrow, for the people of his district, province and the conservation world!

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ASCO Commits To Reforestation

2013-03-19

ASCO Motors has recommitted to contributing thousands of dollars towards reforestation, for a second year going.

National Tyres and Batteries Manager, Gyanen Prasad, said contributing towards the well-being of the environment leaves a good feeling with the 260 odd Asco staff, within its five branches throughout the country.

ASCO contributes $1 from every Bridgestone tyre sold, during its One Tyre One Good Deed campaign, as its eco-plan commitment for Earth Hour.

The campaign runs for three months and more than $4,000 from the 2012 campaign has been diverted towards tree planting in Dreketi, Vanua Levu, coordinated by WWF South Pacific.

"Tyres are made from rubber trees so we are giving back to the environment, by planting local tree species to contribute to the well-being of Fijian forests and ensure they continue to serve their ecological functions and keep nature balanced,"Prasad said.

"We are helping the environment for current and future generations and this is something that unites us all as ASCO staff – the environment."

Prasad encouraged all corporate bodies in Fiji to join the cause.

"It's a good cause that all corporates can take up as part of their corporate social responsibilities," he said.

"We all need to consider the climatic changes that we are witnessing, extreme weather conditions, news about the relocation of villages because if rising sea level and so forth and realise that our Planet needs our help.

"In fact we need to help ourselves and other corporate organisations in Fiji can support national efforts considering corporates have that financial power that can secure investments for the well-being of the environment."

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Commitment to Manage GSR Made

2013-03-14

Two provincial offices, a local municipality and the head of the Government in the Western Division have signed commitments to contribute to the protection of the third longest continuous barrier reef system in the world, the Great Sea Reef.

Senior assistant Roko Tui Ra Mosese Nakoroi, the Roko Tui Ba Tupou Tukana, Commissioner Western Joeli Cawaki and the Rakiraki Town Council have formally committed to leading the development of a management strategy for the Great Sea Reef over the next 15 months.

As part of their commitment they also plan to be a member of the GSR Plan of Action Committee that will see to the implementation of the management strategy.

The management strategy helps ensure the sustainable management of natural resources that abound within the reef system and will bear an influence on issues like the number of fishing licenses issued.

It will also address developments, agricultural activities, and other anthropogenic influences that potentially present harm to the GSR.

The 200 kilometer long GSR that stretches from Bua to the Yasawas, is home to a myriad of marine life that supports the livelihoods of thousands of people.

Although conservation activities that help protect the GSR are underway in Macuata and Bua, what is needed is a united approach and commitment from all provinces located parallel to it from Bua to Yasawa.

Discussions to secure formal commitments to protect the GSR have also commenced with Bua and Macuata provincial offices.

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Lomaiviti Gears Up for Launch

2013-03-12

The Lomaiviti Natural Resource Management Strategy (NRMS) will be launched in June this year making it the second in Fiji.

The NRMS development for all of the 14 provinces is in line with the strategic plan of the iTaukei Affairs Board that has a plan to improve on natural resource management for all of the provinces.

Ministry of iTaukei Affairs Deputy Permanent Secretary Colonel Apakuki Kurusiga said the iTaukei is intrinsically linked to his natural resources and therefore the need to sustainably manage it.

"The focus of the board has now moved to conservation and sustainable management of natural resources because our identities, culture and traditions are linked to natural resources," he said.

"Even food security, our livelihoods come into the picture.

"Macuata is the first to develop an NRMS and all provinces will follow suit."

Working as a guide and blueprint for sustainable development, the strategy will advise those that make decisions on development in the province, the areas that can be developed without causing severe or irrevocable detriment to the natural environment.

Some areas of significant biodiversity and ancestral value that will be protected in the strategy include - offshore areas in Lomaiviti that are important cetacean migratory routes, the Vatu-i-Ra seascape that contains globally significant biodiversity hotspots, reef systems, the Gau shark spawning area, heritage sites on Ovalau island, turtle nesting beaches and ancestral village sites.

WWF South Pacific Policy Officer Alfred Ralifo said the strategy has been developed in line with international conventions that Fiji has ratified that include Convention on International Trades in Endangered Species (CITES), Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Framework on Climate Change and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

It also adheres to the objectives of local policies like the National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan, Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan and Fiji's Climate Change Framework.

"An action plan for the strategy will be drawn in the next workshop we will have with stakeholders from the province before the NRMS is finalized," he said.

The Lomaiviti Environment Committee that reports to the provincial office will monitor the implementation of the strategy.
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Photographic Expedition to Uncover Jewel of the South Seas

2013-03-12

One of the greatest mysteries of the South Seas will soon be unveiled with a professional photographic expedition by international award winning duos, the Freunds, who will capture in detail the third longest continuous barrier reef system in the world – the Great Sea Reef.

Wildlife and nature photographer Jurgen Freund and his wife Stella have been commissioned by WWF South Pacific to photograph the wild beauty of the GSR from Bua to the Yasawas, its rich biodiversity and the lives that depend on it.

The photojournalistic expedition will commence on March 25 to finish about a month later on April 28.

A vast, majestic and colorful nursery, the GSR is home to thousands of whales, dolphins, tuna, reef fish, rays, sharks and turtles.

"It's a true Eden of the seas, supporting a spectacular diversity of fish and coral species representing 74 percent of coral species and a predicted 80 percent of reef fishes found in Fiji," said Patricia Mallam, Communications Manager WWF South Pacific.

"The GSR is one of WWF's priority ecosystems for marine conservation and this expedition will take people on a journey into the Macuata Province and the GSR, to discover wildlife, the people and how they are connected, the threats and challenges they face and how they can be overcome.

"Apart from documenting WWF's work on the ground through stories and pictures, the aim of this expedition is to put the GSR on the map and into people's hearts and minds," Mallam said.

"This is an area of global significance, something that all Fijians can be proud of and help support conservation efforts to protect it.

"The cultures, traditions and livelihoods of thousands of people, local economies are linked to this important reef system and that needs to be highlighted to engender more support for its protection."

The GSR or Cakaulevu stretches some 200 kilometers from the north eastern tip of Udu point in Macuata province to Bua province at the north west end of Vanua Levu, across the Vatu-i-ra passage, and hugs the coastlines of Ba and Ra province into the Yasawas.

WWF South Pacific focuses on one third of the reef complex, the portion that runs parallel to the Vanua Levu coastline and covers the qoliqoli of the four districts of Dreketi, Macuata, Sasa and Mali.

The stories and pictures will be used globally to create more awareness about the reef system.

The expedition is funded by WWF Austria.

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Fiji Video - UK Nature Connection

2013-03-11

A documentary shot entirely in Fiji will help consumers of United Kingdom's retail giant Marks and Spencer reconnect with nature.

Marks and Spencer, WWF United Kingdom and WWF South Pacific pooled resources to make the documentary aimed at bringing people in the UK closer to their food sources – both at sea and land.

Shot by Australian Free Range Media in several locations in Suva and Vanua Levu, the video features the turtle nesting island of Katawaqa, an outlier north of Vanua Levu, marine biodiversity, turtle tagging activities, turtle monitors, tuna processing, the Labasa Sugar Mill and cane farmers.

Marks and Spencer Sustainability Manager Fiona Wheatley said with the growth of cities and urbanization, people in the UK are increasingly becoming disconnected with their natural environment.

"The aim is to bring people close to the area that services their food needs. People are very distanced from agriculture and fisheries in the UK. This brings them closer because it makes them understand," she said.

"The big challenge is as more and more people live in cities they lose the context of production, they forget how much you rely on water and how much biodiversity in its wider sense contributes to growing carrots, plantains, sheep farming or tuna production.

"And it's actually really valuable to help people understand that.

"It also makes them understand the value of the Forever Fish Program which is a Marks and Spencer- WWF partnership around nature conservation and how important the whole environment and ecosystem is."

She visited the turtle nesting site on Katawaqa Island to view turtle conservation work, the Labasa sugar mill to have an idea about where part of the sugar consumed in the UK comes from and the Solander Tuna Processing outlet in Suva, as part of the video production.

Nature conservation investments made by Marks and Spencer through WWK UK, helps fund the Marine Species Program at WWF South Pacific which coordinates turtle conservation work.

"We are doing it to protect turtles, but actually if we are protecting the turtles habitats we are also protecting a lot of other species as well," Wheatley said.

"Turtles are really iconic, great, valued, and important and by protecting their habitats we are also protecting the habitats of thousands other species.

"The point of this video is to give them inspiration and help them value this program," she said.

Demonstrating the close kinship turtle monitors, fishermen, islanders have with nature showcases the interconnectedness and dependence humans have on their natural resources.

"Everyone has a responsibility to conservation, because if we don't look after our natural food systems we will not be able to continue living on it – that's the bottom line."

In accepting this responsibility, the documentary is expected to inspire and motivate UK consumers to willingly invest towards the work of nature conservation just as turtle monitors in Fiji and qoliqoli owners are working to protect their natural resources.

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Katawaqa Nest Spike

2013-03-11

Nest surveys on Katawaqa Island have recorded more than a 100 percent increase in the number of turtle nests.

From just about two nests observed on the island a decade ago, the number now exceeds 20.

Turtle monitor Emosi Time who is a member of WWF South Pacific's Dau Ni Vonu(DnV) programmesaid the success is largely due to the protective stance neighboring Kavewa islanders have taken in guarding the island and keeping turtle nests safe from harm.

Time said that although Katawaqa nestles within their iqoliqoli, islanders have sworn to protect it.

The change in the islanders' attitudes towards the ancient mariner came about after successive awareness campaigns Time carried out with his fellow islanders.

"Since I became a turtle monitor in 2010, I have been carrying out awareness within Nadogo district, around the tanoa, village meetings, church, functions, any time I was given an opportunity I spoke out," he said.

"It was too important a subject to keep quiet about. If turtles were to survive I needed to be forthright because turtle meat consumption, even raiding turtle nests for their eggs is a practice that has been going on since my forefathers.

"So the change is really something big."

Time said Katawaqa used to be an adventure island, where children and adults alike came for the vakatakakana(picnic) and playing treasure hunt, with turtle eggs of course as the treasure.

Unlike before when turtle harvesting happened haphazardly, islanders only harvest and consume turtles with permits given by the Fisheries Department for the celebration of important traditional functions.

He said that the situation has changed and the islanders are now avid supporters for growing the marine turtle population.

Katawaqa is off limits and can only be visited with prior permission of a turtle monitor.

Islanders also participate in planting coconut and casuarinatrees on the island to improve vegetation that serves to both protect turtle's nests and prevent coastal erosion.

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Bounties of Marine Protected Areas

2013-03-10

Attesting to the benefits of marine protected areas, Kavewa islanders are encouraging other qoliqoli owners who haven't signed up yet, to take a crack atthis form of marine conservation.

Kavewa is an outlier to the north of Vanua Levu that lies within the district of Nadogo.

The headman of the only village on the island, Emosi Time, said when Kavewa-i-lau, a fishing ground behind the island opened provisionally after five years of tabu, villagers were shocked at what they discovered.

"The fish abundance and the size of the fish, whoa, it was a nice surprise," Time said.

"Curry fish were big and beach-de-mer littered the ocean floor. Before the tabu we would find them meters apart, but this time they were all just touching each other because there was so many of them.

"The tabu has brought the island untold joy. We are also seeing some type of fish we haven't seen for many years."

Time said before Kavewa-i-Lau was declared a marine protected area, fish supply was already a concern.

"The sea provides us with everything – a source of food, income, supports the education of our children, meets our health needs; the sea is our closest ally," he said.

"Over the years we saw the decline in our catch and fish size so implementing the tabu gave us some hope that the situation would change."

Already discussions and plans are circulating amongst islanders about the creation of another tabuarea, this time to also help protect Katawaqa Island.

Katawaqa is a turtle nesting sanctuary near Kavewa Island and is critical to the growth of the sea turtle population and the work of WWF South Pacific's Dau Ni Vonu (DnV or turtle monitors) programme.

Time also belongs to the network of 20 odd turtle monitors that the DnV programme works with at 10 locations in the Macuata and Bua provinces.

"We are also protecting the island because we want sea turtle numbers to grow again. Just as we want the seas around the island to be rich with all kinds of fish species," he said.

"Our ocean is our life, if we protect it, it will protect us."

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Beyond Borders

2013-03-10

The turtle message needs to be carried beyond the borders of turtle conservation sites to strengthen conservation measures.

This is the resolution of turtle monitors that gathered at the Dau ni Vonu bi-annual meeting held in Labasa recently.

The meeting agreed that limiting awareness on the importance of sea turtles to conservation sites isn't pragmatic because the charismatic mega-fauna is migratory by nature.

WWF South Pacific Marine Species Coordinator, Laitia Tamata said for conservation measures to be effective, people that live beyond the conservation areas must also be reached and encouraged to support the growth of the marine turtle population.

"They travel widely so awareness must be carried out on an expansive scale so that everyone is on the same agenda," he said.

"It's counterproductive really to just focus on communities near conservation sites for instance in Macuata and Bua because once the turtle moves out of the safe haven of protection in these sites, they are exposed to harvesting outside."

The Dau ni Vonu program covers Kia, Mali, Nakalou, Raviravi, Kavewa and Druadrua islands in the Macuata province and Yaqaga, Yadua and Naivaka in the Bua province.

Awareness that will include a mix of Dau ni Vonu and Fisheries Department outreach programs, will be extended to Udu and Namuka districts in Macuata, and Cakaudrove province.

Turtle nesting sites have also been identified in these places and need protection.

Divisional Fisheries Officer Northern, Joji Vakawaletabua applauded the Dau ni Vonu program saying it has made major inroads in the protection of turtles and the achievement of goals set out in Fiji National Sea Turtles Recovery Plan.

"I believe the Dau ni Vonu network has achieved a lot in changing the attitudes and perception of communities towards turtle conservation," he said.

"Communities that have been hunting turtles and destroying their eggs and nesting sites for many generations are becoming turtle friendly.

"Fisheries officers in the north will also be doing a lot of awareness on turtle conservation to complement the work of the Dau ni Vonu.

"It's not just enough to tell people that it is against the law to kill, sell or eat a turtle of any size without a permit, we need to show them why so that with understanding we can encourage change and grow sea turtle numbers."

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Signboards Support Turtle Conservation

2013-03-10

Turtle conservation awareness has taken the next level in the form of lasting roadside campaigns or billboards that scream the turtle truth.

The first signboard was erected near Nabouwalu jetty to capture as many as possible the thousands of eyes and minds thatpass through the port, either departing or arriving on Vanua Levu shores.

A communications initiative of the WWF Swiss funded WWF South Pacific Marine Species Programme, the boards have been placed in areas of high population density to maximise awareness.

"This is a way of extending turtle conservation awareness outside the usual conservation audiences, to everybody because we are all responsible for turtles, not just the fishermen or the qoliqoli owners," said Marine Species Coordinator Laitia Tamata.

"We need to inform the public clearly and succinctly the law and its breaches so that none can claim ignorance of it."

Written in the iTaukei, the signboards clearly spell out the turtle moratorium that forbids and criminalises the molesting, taking or killing of any turtle species, selling, offering or exposure for sale or exporting of any turtle flesh or shell.

It is also illegal to dig up, use or destroy turtle eggs of any species.

Furthermore, the signboards outline the penalties of breaching the moratorium - $500 fine, a three-months prison term or both.

For killing inordinately large numbers of turtles, an offender may be punished under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna or CITES that quotes a five years prison term, $20,000 fine or both.

The Nabouwalu signboard declares support for turtle conservation happening at Yadua Island, the main conservation site for Bua province.

The second signboard is erected near the Nakadrudru jetty in Lekutu district, which is a meet and greet and exit point for residents from the outliers of Bua province – Yaqaga, Galoa and Naivaka.

This board declares support for the turtle conservation site at Yaqaga Island.

The final board in Labasa Town declares support for turtle conservation work in Kavewa, north of Vanua Levu.

"In promoting awareness of turtle laws, the boards help the work of turtle conservation and habitat protection, not just for turtles but for thousands of other marine species that we are saving through the turtle protection programme," Tamata said.

Ocean Legionary

2013-03-05

"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch – we are going back from whence we came..." – John F. Kennedy

His mother told him he would be 'better off with gills than lungs' because he spent so much time out on the water – swimming, fishing, and exploring the coasts with his friends and family.

From the coasts of Texas and Alaska to the South Pacific Islands, 'Bubba's' love for the wide, deep blue is inspiring.

His family, from his father, grandfather and well before that have a long standing connection to the coastal environment including a brief history in commercial fishing in the warm Texas waters of the United States.

So it was practically written in the stars, that Alfred Cook, or Bubba as we fondly call him, would one day be an ocean expert.

His area of expertise is fisheries management and aquaculture production.

"During and shortly after high school I worked on fishing boats and even a large pleasure yacht but always knew I wanted to do more" said, Bubba.

When he turned 18, he joined the U.S. Navy's Naval Nuclear Power Programme where he was trained to operate nuclear reactors on U.S. warships. Aftertwo years of training, he joined the USS California (CGN-36), the last of the nuclear powered surface warships known as "cruisers", where his job entailed operating and maintaining all the electrical equipment associated with the ship's nuclear reactors.

Just being at sea wasn't enough though, and a commitment to protect the ocean he had grown to love beckoned.

So he returned to college and acquired a Bachelor of Science degree in fisheries and aquaculture. Although he had a keen interest and aptitude in science, over time his fascination and interest in ocean policy and law grew.
Therefore, he enrolled in Lewis and Clark Law School, a highly respected law school for environmental and natural resource law in the U.S., where he received a Juris Doctorate in Environmental Law.

He worked for a while in environment law for the non-profit law firm Trustees of Alaska before taking a position with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service, the U.S. government agency charged with conserving and managing fisheries in the U.S. While with NOAA, Bubba was responsible for managing and regulating fisheries such as the North Pacific halibut and king crab fisheries. During that time, he also worked very closely with the indigenous Alaskans to protect the rights of the Alaskan natives to access and control their resources.

Through this experience, he discovered the oceans he loved dearly were changing, but in most cases not for the better.

"There was a decline of fisheries in different places and oceans were changing which made me want to try and fix things and that's what brought me to the conservation community," he said.

He decided he wanted to work with communities to reverse the trend of dying oceans.
Bubba soon joined WWF in Alaska as a Senior Fisheries Programme Officer for eco-region based conservation in both Russia and Alaska. However, after several years of working on large conservation projects in that region, he wanted to get back to ground-level conservation work. The South Pacific was always a dream destination and he and his wife, Michelle, applied to join the U.S. Peace Corps with the South Pacific as their first choice for assignment.

In 2010, the U.S. Peace Corps decided to assign Bubba and Michelle to Fiji where they would serve as Peace Corp volunteers. Bubba was assigned to the Peace Corps' Integrated Environmental Resource Management (IERM) Programme.

Over two years Bubba lived and worked closely with the people of Wailevu Village in the Cakaudrove province, helping establish marine tabu(protected) areas to help replenish the village's iqoliqoli(traditional fishing ground) with rich biodiversity. Among other community development projects, he also assisted the villagers in constructing a tree nursery designed to grow high value yasi (sandalwood) trees as an income generating project.

Living in Wailevu Village, learning the lifestyle, customs, and the challenges the people faced, Bubba came to respect their close kinship with nature, resourcefulness, and resilience. As a result, the South Pacific became home.

These days, he continues advocating for the ocean environment and works tirelessly to keep the source of livelihoods for millions of Pacific islanders alive.

Bubba was hired in April 2012 as WWF's Western Central Pacific Tuna Programme Officer based in the South Pacific Programme Office in Suva. His special focus is the sustainable management of tuna throughout the region, including the lucrative skipjack, albacore, Yellowfin, Bigeye, and Bluefin tuna stocks. The core of Bubba's work with WWF involves advocating for and promoting sustainable management of the tuna fisheries and requires close engagement with the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and its subsidiary bodies: the Northern Committee; Technical and Compliance Committee; and Scientific Committee. The position also requires close contact and coordination with the fisheries ministries of several South Pacific countries like Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, and Tokelau.

"Tuna fisheries are worth 4-5 billion dollars and represent one of the primary sources of income to the Pacific region. Furthermore, tuna is an incredibly important protein source for many developing countries, making it critical for us to advocate improving and sustainably managing tuna fisheries in the region," he said.

"We must take action soon to protect tuna stocks and the livelihoods that depend on them. As it is, Bigeye tuna are already a serious concern and Yellowfin are on an equally bad trajectory." he added.

Forever hopeful about the future of our oceans and the resources they provide, Bubba continues to work with communities and the fishing industry throughout the South Pacific to find sustainable solutions for the management of the incredibly important fishery resources in the region.

Written by Zehra Zawawi while working as an international volunteer at WWF South Pacific Programme Office

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From Pollutants to Commodities - Tourism Sector

2013-03-04

WWF South Pacific has embarked on a journey to transform the tourism sector with the development of a Project Design Document (PDD) that serves as a manual for the protection of the environment and sustainable development.

The manual was developed by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) after WWF South Pacific's Tourism Energy Efficiency Investment Programme (TEEIP) conducted a feasibility study.

The study was aimed at establishing baseline data on emissions, the possibilities of reduction in energy consumption through the use of energy efficient technology transfer and building of capacity to accommodate for a United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Clean Development Mechanism.

The manual defines project activities that contribute towards sustainable development along with the technology and the measures to put in place to achieve this.

For example the TEEIP PDD will concentrate on removing inefficient technology such as lighting, chillers and refrigeration units.

It will also focus on directing the revenue generated from energy savings to be invested into community led conservation agreements.

It prescribes the method that must be strictly adopted in order to achieve emissions reductions from TEEIP.

TEEIP Programme Coordinator Monica Patel said following on from the development of the PDD, WWF South Pacific will engage a third party independent body to evaluate the project activity against the requirements of the CDM.

"Thereafter registration, which is the formal acceptance of the validated project as a CDM project activity, will occur with UNFCCC," she said.

"TEEIP aims to foster public, private, partnerships geared towards transforming the private sector business practices reducing their footprint and by extension the nation's footprint on the environment.

"Through the CDM process pollutants can become a resourceful trading commodity generating a sustained source of national income to help communities protect the environment and adapt to climate change.

"It also decreases the burden the Government bears through the importation of fossil fuels."

TEEIP is aligned to Fiji's National Climate Change Policy, proposed Low Carbon Tourism Strategy and WWF's deliverable's on footprint and biodiversity.

Thai PM Vows to End Ivory Trade

2013-03-04

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra today pledged to end ivory trade in Thailand, seizing a key opportunity to stem global wildlife trafficking. Her statement came after the call of nearly 1.5 million WWF and Avaaz supporters.

Prime Minister Shinawatra said at the opening of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Bangkok that Thailand would take steps to end ivory trade – the first time the Thai government has said this publicly.

"As a next step we will forward amending the national legislation with the goal of putting an end on ivory trade and to be in line with international norms," Prime Minster Shinawatra said. "This will help protect all forms of elephants including Thailand's wild and domestic elephants and those from Africa."

Ending ivory trade in Thailand – currently the world's largest unregulated ivory market – will go a long way in stemming a global poaching crisis that is leading to the slaughter of tens of thousands of elephants each year and fuelling a global criminal trade in animal parts.

"We're thrilled to hear that Prime Minister Shinawatra took this opportunity to seize the global spotlight and pledge to end ivory trade in her country. But the fight to stop wildlife crime and shut down Thailand's ivory markets is not over. Prime Minister Shinawatra now needs to provide a timeline for this ban and ensure that it takes place as a matter of urgency, because the slaughter of elephants continues," said Carlos Drews head of WWF's delegation to CITES.

Thailand is currently the largest illegal ivory market behind China. Officials have certified 67 authorized ivory vendors. However, market surveys have found ivory in more than 250 shops. Much of this ivory is purchased by foreign tourists.

The prime minister's decision comes as WWF and TRAFFIC continue asking CITES governments to sanction countries fuelling the global illegal wildlife trade. Poaching has escalated to crisis levels in recent years, and is a major threat to iconic species such as elephants, rhinos and tigers.

Thailand, Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo have failed repeatedly to address their rampant domestic ivory markets despite CITES rules that outlaw the unregulated sale of ivory. Under treaty rules, CITES member states can recommend that parties stop trading with non-compliant countries in the 35,000 species covered under the convention, from timbers to crocodile skins.