Hoffmaister, J.

Tawake, Alifereti

English

University of the South Pacific Electronic Research Repository

On small islands, adaptive management andplanning is the cornerstone for survival. Cli-mate change is putting additional stress onislands’ limited resources, thereby threaten-ing livelihoods. The need for local solutionsthat are flexible and responsive to the localcontext is paramount.The Republic of Fiji has recently gainedvaluable experience with local adaptive man-agement. In an archipelago of more than300 islands in the South Pacific Ocean, Fiji-ans have learned to coexist with the oceanfor centuries and to make a living throughthe management of limited resources.As the sea level rises and severe stormsbecome more frequent and damaging due tothe changing climate, this management isbeing put to the test.Over the past decade, more than 300communities in Fiji have adopted a manage-ment model tailored to the needs of thecommunity: the locally managed marinearea (LMMA). The LMMA Network waslaunched in August 2000 as a learning net-work after a series of workshops to provideguidance on community-based managementof marine areas. Promoting models of adap-tive governance and knowledge-sharingnetworks, the network now has membersin Indonesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea,the Philippines, Micronesia, the SolomonIslands, and Fiji.1As an alternative to conventional cen-tralized resource management or typicalgovernment approaches, the LMMAapproach is a local community-driven effortto design, manage, and monitor marineresources through co-management bycommunity members, with the supportof traditional leaders, government agenciesor ministries, nongovernmental organiza-tions (NGOs), and educational institutions,in collaboration with other stakeholderssuch as businesses. LMMAs do not neces-sarily exclude government or other institu-tions; they engage them as partners ratherthan as commanders. It is an inclusive gov-ernance model for resource management,integrating different stakeholders in thedecisionmaking process.Communities are empowered to decidehow to best use their resources in light ofthe predicted effects of climate change. Thestrategies created by the communities havemultiple benefits, including community-based risk reduction, protection of endan-gered resources that are critical for foodsecurity, community engagement and capac-ity building, and enhanced disaster riskmanagement. In Fiji, improvement in theintegrity of the marine ecosystem is meas-ured by monitoring reefs with the help ofNGOs, the University of the South Pacific,and trained members of the community.Many communities using the LMMAAdaptation in Locally Managed Marine Areas in FijiAlifereti Tawake and Juan HoffmaisterAlifereti Tawake is the national coordinator for theFij LMMA Network. Juan Hoffmaister is a WatsonFellow 2007–08 researching community-basedadaptation.90 WWW.WORLDWATCH.ORGClimate Connections STATE OF THE WORLD 2009WWW.WORLDWATCH.ORG 91model have found practical solutions toemerging problems by reviving traditionalknowledge, which can then be combined withmodern tools. To decide the best combina-tion, communities use an adaptive manage-ment approach, which the LMMA Networkdefines as “the integration of design, man-agement, and monitoring of a project tosystematically test assumptions in order toadapt, learn, and improve the results of theirefforts.” With the help of the Network, prac-titioners increase the effectiveness and effi-ciency of local strategies over time.2The community engagement processinvolves initial awareness-raising aboutmarine issues and dialogue with stakehold-ers to engage them in the goals of the LMMAconcept and ensure that the community is inharmony with the process of developingtheir local plans. This is followed by a work-shop in which the community develops amarine resource management plan, whichmight include:• declaration of a tabu (no-catch area) areaand other traditional management practices,• reduction in the number of fishing licenses,• banning the use of duva (fish poisoning)and destructive fishing measures,• restoration of economically importantspecies such as clams,• reduction of marine pollution,• replanting of mangroves and coastal treesto reduce coastal and riverside erosion,• marine awareness raising, and• alternative livelihood options.LMMAs and tabu areas are set up not justfor conservation but to improve the yield ofmarine resources that people use for subsis-tence and trade. The tabu is implementedby the communities, led by a local headmanwhom the community trusts to decideon implementation. A community with ademonstrated sustainable and secure sourceof food and livelihood is better prepared toaddress and adapt to climate change. Acommon Fijian saying is that “a hungrycommunity will be handicapped in makingand acting on good decisions.”Communities are trained to do biologicaland socioeconomic monitoring to monitorthe effects of their management actions.Meetings are held regularly to review pro-gress and see if changes in the action planare needed.Drama is an important component ofcommunity education and awareness in Fiji,as many elders who are key decisionmakersin villages find reading to be very challenging.Drama provides an interactive and innova-tive means of translating complex technicalconcepts such as climate change, and it canalso paint a picture of its likely impacts.More than 200 different localities in Fijiare using the LMMA model. The results vary,but most groups have found that effectiveimplementation of this strategy can helprecover marine resources through improvedhabitat quality (coral cover, seagrass, andmangroves) and increased fish populations.By being engaged in the LMMA, communi-ties are also better prepared to implementpractical solutions to emerging externalthreats such as climate changeThe key element of the LMMA work in Fijiis that the communities are in control. Infor-mation on management options is providedby co-managers to help make decisions, butthe community members make all decisions,such as location of the tabus. Thus the goalof informed decisionmaking on resourcemanagement is as important as the actualresource improvement. This will be increas-ingly valuable in a warming world. For whileLMMAs initially focused on food securityissues and resource depletion, Fijian com-munities are learning important lessons aboutmanaging the impacts of climate change.STATE OF THE WORLD 2009 Climate Connections2 0 0 9STATE OF THE WORLDInto aWarmingWorldTo purchase the complete State of theWorld 2009 reportwith endnotes and resources, please visitwww.worldwatch.org/stateoftheworld.To purchase bulk copies, contact Patricia Shyne at 202-452-1992,ext. 520, or pshyne@worldwatch.org.www.worldwatch.org

Adaptation in Locally Managed Marine Areas in Fiji

http://repository.usp.ac.fj/5584/1/SOW09_CC_Fiji.pdf

Adaptation in Locally Managed Marine Areas in Fiji

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