Hughes, Batiri and Aalbersberg, William G.L. and Ronadue, D. and Hale, L.
(2003)
Sustainable coastal resource management for Fiji: a background paper prepared for the Fiji National Workshop on Integrated Coastal Management.
[Professional and Technical Reports]
Abstract
There are a number of important initiatives to address the sustainable development and conservation of coastal resources throughout the island countries and provinces of the Western Pacific, including the South Pacific, the Philippines and Indonesia. Coastal managers based in
these sites unfortunately do not have the opportunity to share their lessons learned with each other, nor with government agencies at different levels. Yet such interaction is essential for the communication of ideas and lessons that can lead to the success of integrated coastal
management projects.
A practitioner learning network is emerging in the region, primarily incorporating managers of conservation sites. This network of site managers recognizes that for their ambitious effort to be sustainable, lessons must be effectively communicated and integrated into the mainstream of government activities and programs. The Institute of Applied Science (IAS) at the University of the South Pacific (USP) is working in partnership with the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center and the Government of Fiji to hold a workshop at the national level that will provide a valuable opportunity for exchanging information on lessons learned about successful site management to date. The meeting will also examine the potential for government and
citizen support for a sustainable and replicable coastal program, and whether such an initiative is appropriate at this time for Fiji.
The overall project, funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, incorporates an examination of experiences in two provinces in the central Philippines, and the nation of Fiji. This work will complement an on-going, similar initiative in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. All three locations have successful local site projects on-going and all recognize the need for more government involvement in linking together individual, site-based projects.
This paper provides important background information for the Sustainable Coastal Resources Management Workshop scheduled for April 9-11, 2002. Section I indicates the importance of
coastal resources in the past, present and future well-being of Fiji. Section II points out that there are some important early initiatives as well as pending legal and policy proposals that reveal how many different groups and government offices are coming to similar conclusions about important next steps in creating a framework and viable local programs to care for coastal areas and communities. Section III examines the special area of the Coral Coast in more detail, a region which shares many of the problems and concerns of other coastal areas, including small outlying islands. Several important initiatives are described as well as how coastal management might look in Fiji at this scale. The final section offers some reflections on possible directions for Fiji to consider taking in the near and medium term.
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