Proposed Protected Areas Passed by Village Leaders

Village meetings (bose vakoro) are painful and important.

This year my birthday fell on village meeting day, which (most of the time) happens every month. The village meeting is where just about anything that’s happening in the village (and I mean anything!) gets discussed. But it’s also the forum where important decisions are made. For example, if we have an idea for a project to do in the community, it first needs to get passed in the Bose Vakoro. It is supposed to happen the first Monday of the month, but it depends on what is going on in the village. This month that date fell in the middle of building the new dam and water tank.

The Bose Vakoro is different in every village. Ours usually takes 4-6 hours (that's the painful part). It begins with someone from the Bose Vanua (the traditional council) giving a mini-lecture about how the village is falling to pieces because no one respects traditional protocols anymore, etc.  Then the minutes from the last village meeting are read and people can comment/ask questions about things that were brought up last time. This usually takes a lot of time because generally not much has been done about said previous issues, etc. Then each mini-committee in the village gives their report about what they have been doing for the last month or anything they are proposing to do. Followed again by questions/comments. Lastly, the meeting is opened up for anyone to raise miscellaneous issues concerning the community.

Before, I used to be my own special committee and have my own slot in which to talk. Now, most of the things I am involved in are brought up by the Development or Yaubula (Environment) Committees, since we work closely together. This makes me happy that others have taken ownership of projects and activities. I still give a short report sandwiched in there. For the greater part of this year, I’ve been preparing my report ahead of time in Fijian -- whereas before I used to just say it in English. 

This was a special Bose Vakoro because we were able to persuade the traditional council to sit down together the night before and discuss some important matters related to our fishing grounds.This is no easy task to get the village leader and the leaders of each clan to sit down together, but we requested them to let the Yaubula Committee do a presentation to them. Our environment committee has been working on creating environmental bylaws, management rules, and proposed protected areas for the past 6 months. One awesome and eloquent representative from our committee sat down with them to share our propositions and also explain background information on why we are proposing them. This was such a crucial step! Our traditional leaders don't have much scientific background, but they have a lot of traditional knowledge and are the key decision makers for what activities can take place on the land and in the sea. 

Last year they approved one small marine protected area for our village, but there wasn't much planning put into it. They said it was tabu, but we didn't talk about how long it would be protected, etc. But after our participation in the district workshops over the past few months, we were able give some solid suggestions for management guidelines that can protect our environment but also provide benefits to the local people.

Here is brief description of the 5 protected areas that were proposed and approved by our village leaders:

• Mata ni Wai Vuya/ Mata ni Wai Natwea: Two terrestrial protected areas, each extending 100m above our two main drinking water sources (dams) where farming, use of chemicals, cutting trees, and tying animals will be prohibited. This is to protect our drinking water from contamination.

• Natobu Tabu: Our current tabu fishing area, to be a 5 year ban on fishing and harvesting where we will grow and sustainably harvest sea cucumbers for sale to generate income for a village scholarship account. This area extends for the beach, including mangroves, out across the reef flat and After 5 years the tabu area will be reviewed. If the village is in favor of it and feels it is providing benefits, it can be extended or maybe moved to a new location. (Note: 5 years is the recommended minimum time limit in which to protect an area in order to see lasting improvements in habitat health and return of dwindling species.)

 

• Natarani Tabu: This is a small offshore reef that will be protected, but villagers will be allowed to fish there during special village functions such as funerals, weddings, etc with the permission of the Bose Vanua. This is called a periodically harvested protected area, and care can be given to limit the amount of time and/or gear used to fish here so as not to lose the benefits of protection in one quick raping of the reef.

• Kawakawa and Naitaga Tabu: This is the area between Natobu and Natarani and it will be permanently protected. It includes the edge of the reef flat and the deeper channel. Here we are hoping to be able to set up oyster spat collection nets and breed giant clams. It will also serve as a sanctuary for fish to breed. Fish do not stay inside the boundaries, obviously, and the "overflow" can support the local fisherfolk.

These proposed areas were also accepted by the Bose Vakoro. The next step is to get the support of those outside our village. We need the approval of the district chief and support from the other communities who share the same fishing ground. This will again involve traditional protocol and is  very important in order for this work to be sustainable and supported by all.

It might only be a small step forward but I am thankful for each little bit of progress we make. I can't think of anything else I could have wished for on my birthday than that.