CLIMATE activist Anne Marie Raduva presented a formal submission at public consultations on Friday, voicing opposition to the proposed SPL-1495 Kulukulu Cell Sigatoka Iron Sands project.
Ms Raduva made her submissions on behalf of 10,083 petitioners across 61 countries alongside residents from the Suva-Nausori corridor and Kulukulu.
Addressing the Ministry for Lands and Mineral Resources, Ms Raduva called for the immediate revocation of the exploration licence to safeguard the Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park and surrounding traditional land.
“I stand with the vanua Jubaniwai and the Kulukulu community and say no to this SPL-1495 proposed mining project for environmental, historical, cultural, traditional and archaeological reasons,” she said.
The submission followed an examination of the 427-page environmental impact assessment (EIA) report. Ms Raduva highlighted critical gaps in the document, noting that ambiguous messaging regarding mining permissions near the river and Karua Island made assessing real environmental damage impossible.
Ms Raduva cautioned that a project spanning 15 to 20 years poses significant, unquantified risks to local water tables, ecosystems, and sacred cultural grounds.
While acknowledging baseline studies on dust, waste, and water management, Ms Raduva maintained that the assessment failed to address long-term risks or demonstrate that extraction could occur without unacceptable consequences.
Commending the Fiji Museum and the Department of Culture and National Heritage for raising similar concerns, Ms Raduva stressed the urgent need to protect the site’s heritage.
“The dunes are a connection to our past and hold historical and archaeological pieces that we must protect,” Ms Raduva said. “It is our responsibility to protect the dunes and protect these sites.”
