Fiji Islands Marine Ecoregion

Fiji Islands Marine Ecoregion

The Fiji Islands Marine Ecoregion (view larger map) is considered the crossroads of the Pacific, by virtue of its geographical location. It is host to a unique ecological lattice threading and weaving together large expanses of coastal wetlands and mangroves; seagrass and algal beds, mudflats, lagoons; and a large diverse array of coral reefs. Encompassed within this vibrant ecological framework are over 390 coral species in a complex coral system housing over 1200 varieties of fish and a multitude of invertebrates.

Mangrove and seagrass habitats act as breeding and feeding grounds for the various species of fish, invertebrates, reptiles and seabirds of this ecoregion. The ecoregion is also home to some unique marine life, like an endemic seabird, the Fiji petrel. There are seven known endemic species of fish in the Fijian waters and it's also a spawning ground for the endangered humphead wrasse and the worlds largest parrot fish, the bumphead parrot fish.

Five of the seven species of marine turtle migrate through Fiji’s waters; the green, hawksbill, loggerhead, olive ridley , and leatherback turtle. Green and hawksbill turtles most commonly nest in Fiji, where the sea grass meadows are a critical foraging area for the green turtles.

Critically endangered turtles like the leatherbacks also use these waters as feeding and migratory paths. The warm waters are also important migratory routes for 12 species of whale. Four of these species, the blue whale musculus), sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis), the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), are considered to be endangered or vulnerable. In 2003, the Fiji government offered protection to these species by declaring Fiji’s territorial waters as a whale sanctuary.

Fiji's marine resources are important to its people from both a cultural perspective, and as a major source of food, minerals, pharmaceuticals, construction material and a vast range of useful products, as well as livelihoods and a source of cash income. The open seas within this region maintain viable offshore fisheries with great populations of tuna. Significantly, traditional patterns of community marine tenure, as well as indigenous ecological knowledge, can be incorporated into sustainably managing marine resources.

Good local management with full community involvement is a strength of FIME conservation efforts and will ultimately contribute to both the sustainable livelihoods and empowerment of the communities involved. The islands economy depends heavily on its foreign exchange earnings from Fisheries and Tourism and there are high hopes that within the next few years these industries would be earning the tiny islands over a billion dollars.

WWF launches 2 marine reports

9 February, 2007. Suva, Fiji Islands - The Fiji Islands Marine Ecoregion (FIME) and Great Sea Reef (GSR) Survey Reports were launched today at an evening function hosted by WWF’s Fiji Country Programme (WWF FCP). Mr. Tomasi Vakatora, Deputy Chairman of Vodafone’s ATH Fiji Foundation and guest speaker for the evening, officially made these 2 reports publicly available, thanking all partners for their contribution to the project.

Setting Priorities for Marine Conservation in the Fiji Islands Marine Ecoregion:

» Download the report
FIJI'S GREAT SEA REEF: The first marine biodiversity survey of Cakaulevu and associated coastal habitats

» Download the report

In December 2003, over 80 scientists, community members, non government organization (NGO) representatives and government administrators and decision makers, shared current scientific information on the biodiversity of and threats to Fiji’s marine environment. The report: Setting Priorities for Marine Conservation in the Fiji Islands Marine Ecoregion identifies 35 priority conservation areas which were agreed to by these stakeholders. The 35 areas attempt to capture the full range of marine biodiversity, species and communities that make FIME unique. If conserved, these areas contribute to maintaining the integrity of Fiji’s marine systems.

In 2004, Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation provided funding to WWF FCP and its partners to undertake a survey of the Great Sea Reef, the third longest barrier reef system in the world and one of the 35 priority conservation areas indentified. This survey is the first ever systematic effort to document the marine biodiversity of this reef known locally as Cakaulevu. Findings of the survey include the GSR having 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 Fiji’s endemic reef species. These and other remarkable findings are documented in the report: Fiji’s Great Sea Reef - The first marine biodiversity survey of Cakaulevu and associated coastal habitats.

The findings of the survey have provided part of the building block to the Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) initiative - a partnership between Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) as the lead, WWF FCP, Wetlands International - Oceania (WI-O), the University of the South Pacific (USP) and in association with the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Areas (FLMMA). The EBM area extends from Macuata through the Bua Peninsula to Kubulau. This initiative aims to protect the marine environment by addressing land-based threats to coral reefs and other marine habitats.

80% of Fiji’s population live within 5 kilometers of the coast and depend heavily on their reefs as a primary source of protein.

80% of Fiji’s population live within 5 kilometers of the coast and depend heavily on their reefs as a primary source of protein. Functioning marine systems and productive fisheries are vitally important - they are the key source of food, income, employment, foreign exchange and cultures. WWF FCP’s March/April 2006 socio economic survey in the Dreketi, Macuata, Sasa and Mali districts - part of the EBM initiative - showed that 100% of households earn income from their natural resources (marine, freshwater, forest and agriculture). Of these households, 75% depend on these natural resource harvests as their main source of income. Local community residents of these districts traditionally fish two thirds of the Vanua Levu portion of the GSR. The Reef is therefore a major part of living their life and sourcing their livelihood. The survey will contribute to better use planning of these collective inshore marine resources.

Information from this survey has also influenced the management of the GSR system. A number of community-based marine protected areas have been set up in a portion of the surveyed area. These areas provide for the restocking of the wider coastal marine area in the Macuata waters for fishing.

“These reports contribute to the larger knowledge base of the nation’s marine and coral reef systems and add further insights into these nature treasures. This will guide us to better management for the benefit of people relying on marine resources in these waters.”

- Ms Kesaia Tabunakawai, WWF FCP Manager

For further information:
Kesaia Tabunakawai, Manager WWF FCP, (t) +679 331 5533
Aaron Jenkins, Senior Programme Officer, Wetlands International - Oceania Office, (t) +679 332 2413
Kathy Walls, Director WCS-South Pacific Country Programme, (t) +679 331 5174

---

Editor’s notes:
Fiji’s marine and reef system is relatively unknown. Records show that Fiji holds an enormous wealth in coral reef habitats, covering an estimated 10,020 sq km of the archipelago representing 9% of the coral reef systems of the Pacific and 3.5% of the total area of tropical coral reefs in the world.
Further findings and observations of the GSR survey include:

• Populations of 12 species listed on the 2004 IUCN(World Conservation Union) Red List of Threatened Species, including 10 species of fish, the IUCN threatened green turtle and the spinner dolphin.
• Populations of the nationally endangered species of Bumphead Parrotfish (Kalia), previously presumed locally extinct; one new fish species and one presumed new record, previously known from the Indian ocean, 44% of the endemic coral fish species were observed.
• Within the hard corals, 43 new records were documented for Fiji. Of these, two were new genera, and three are believed to be geographic range extensions.
• Sixteen species were found to be new additions to the flora of the Fiji archipelago. Two possible new species were also recorded.
• Unusual distant offshore mangrove island fringing reef habitats were found to be of surprisingly high diversity and productivity. These highly dynamic, tidally influenced systems are considered to be “keystone habitats” of crucial importance to maintaining the ecological integrity of the entire coastline.
• Overall, commercially important fish were found in very low numbers and small sizes. Fish important to local subsistence were found in higher numbers, but this varied greatly from site to site. Fishing pressure, as indicated by discarded fishing lines, was greatest around the vicinity of Labasa.

Source: WWF Fiji

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

"Safeguarding our natural environment is central to safeguarding our valued way of life"

Many fishing communities around Fiji have shifted from subsistence living to a cash economy. Local commercial fishers frequently use diving equipment and spear guns, and until recently even poison, to catch fish and earn cash. However, some communities have decided to stop the decline of their marine environment. With WWF's help, villagers have come together to create a community-based management system that makes the most of their customary ownership rights. Through the Fiji Islands Locally Managed Marine Areas Network (FLMMA), communities can learn how to manage their own marine resources. FLMMA, of which WWF Fiji is a key member, is a partnership based on a social contract to work together : communities, NGOs and government agencies are members of the network and it continues to increase its community membership.

By working with the community to identify the best strategies for local resource owners to better manage their reef and increase their capacity to manage income-generating activities, some communities have turned to the traditional practice of reserving a fishing ground to increase fish population for a traditional ceremony. Several villages have now declared lagoons off limits to fishing, diving and other damaging activities. Elders in the community, who have watched the changes in fishing methods, have noticed an increase in fish stocks.

Also working with the government is a key factor to successful protection and through the Ministry of Fisheries, WWF and FLMMA works to ensure management plans are in place for communities to manage their fishing grounds.

In 2003, The National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (NBSAP) identified priority marine areas for protection, as well as recommends the establishment of a representative netowrk of MPAs in ecological and biological sites. WWF Fiji was part of the coalition of national stakeholders that produced the NBSAP. It is through these recommendations that, in January of 2005, at the World Summit on Small Islands Developing Nations in Mauritus, the Fiji government declared a committment to protect 30% of its waters by 2020. Once established, this would be the largest marine network in the world.

New fish species found by divers in Fiji

A new species of fish has been discovered on Fiji's Great Sea Reef. The new species of damselfish (Pomacentrus sp.) was found during a 12-day expedition of the reefs by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) divers.

Read the article at DIVE UK magazine...

Download the whole pdf science report from WWF Fiji...