The ocean constitutes 98 per cent of Fiji’s total territory, and about 75 per cent of Fijians live within 5 kilometres of the ocean. Whether or not we are directly dependent on it for food and livelihoods, we are all tied to the ocean.
The tides mirror the comings and goings of life on our islands. The sound of waves crashing on the reefs, and lapping our shores are the drumbeat to our daily march, or the rhythmic swishing that we stroll to.
The 21st century challenges all Fijians, regardless of heritage, to preserve the gifts we have been given.
Everything we do on land affects the ocean, and changes in the ocean affect us greatly on land.
Our ocean is under pressure. Without action now, we risk the continued decline of marine ecosystems, fisheries collapse, worsening illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, decrease in tourism industry value, and loss of coastal protection and ecosystem services. When communities sustainably manage and safeguard their natural resources, the ocean rewards them through thriving fisheries, economic opportunities, and secure livelihoods that can sustain families today and into the future.
For generations, Fijians observed measures to ensure that no fishing ground was completely fished out. A tabu today ensures abundance tomorrow. Marine tenure arrangements are a critical part of Fijian culture and reflect a worldview in which our land and ocean are not just resources we own, but extensions of ourselves.
Our economy is a blue one. Tourism accounts for nearly 40 per cent of GDP and total employment. In any year, Fiji hosts visitors numbering almost our own population, the bulk of whom come to enjoy the splendour of our ocean. Whether they’re surfing our world class breaks, diving our vibrant reefs, encountering marine life closely tied with our culture, or just dipping in the pristine waters of our idyllic islands, people are drawn to the richness of the land, the culture, and the ocean.
Marine Spatial Planning and conservation can protect the underlying asset that is required for a thriving and resilient Blue Economy: a healthy ocean.
This year, the Fiji Blue Economy Framework 2025-2035 was launched, providing a strategic roadmap for sustainable ocean-based economic development to deliver prosperity for communities. Fiji is advancing a national Marine Spatial Plan to establish an integrated network of Marine Managed and Protected Areas, coordinate ocean uses, strengthen governance, and support Blue Economy growth, guided by the latest marine science and traditional knowledge, and developed together with government, communities, NGOs, and academia.
At the community level, this work is already taking shape. Vanua Navakavu completed an Ocean Use Survey to map how their community uses and values their ocean, and community leaders will soon begin a planning process to develop a nearshore Marine Spatial Plan for their waters.
The wellbeing of Fijians is inseparable from the health of our ocean. By strengthening sovereignty and stewardship over our ocean spaces, we can secure ecological, economic, cultural, and social benefits available to all Fijians.
About Blue Prosperity Fiji:
Blue Prosperity Fiji (BPF) is a Government of Fiji led partnership with the Waitt Institute, working to help achieve commitments made by the Government of Fiji for the continued prosperity of our ocean, our economy, and our people.
Learn more at www.blueprosperityfiji.org
The health of our ocean is a reflection of our health on land. Pictures: SUPPLIED
Right: A school of Mackerel.
Survival is possible if we allow each other to survive.
