News Blog
FOCUS IS ON THE PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT
Fiji will host the 9th Pacific Islands Conference on nature conservation and protected areas this December. Department of Environment director, Mr Jope Davetanivalu said Fiji had existing environmental laws at national level that would be reviewed through the progress of programmes. “We need to review the mangrove, bird and wildlife and forests conservations action plans which are built in the National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan,” Mr Davetanivalu said. “One area the department focuses on is the progress on awareness, for...
read moreBECOME GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDS: PRESIDENT
Faith-based organizations and various non-governmental organizations have been challenged to design innovative ideas towards protecting our environment from the impacts of climate change. His Excellency the President Ratu Epeli Nailaitkau raised the challenge during Fiji’s first National Faith-Based Environment Stewardship Summit held in Sigatoka on April 2nd. “The global environment is in a crisis. The messages are clear. Climate change is a reality. It is humanity’s greatest challenge today,” Ratu Epeli said. “There is a...
read moreWe welcome Marica to our team
We are thrilled to have Marica Rokosawa Vakacola joining our staff as Assistant Project Manager. Marica graduated with a Marine Science Degree and Post Graduate Diploma in Climate Change with a Post Graduate Diploma in Bio Diversity and Conservation. She is currently doing her Masters of Science major in Environmental Science at the University of the South Pacific. A teacher by profession, she was a lecturer in Marine Environmental Science at Fiji Institute of Technology now Fiji National University. She also taught in secondary school at...
read moreWorkshop offers valuable insight
DISCUSSIONS at the Pacific Islands climate forum will bring about valuable insight into how climate and weather forecasting can help Fiji prepare for considerable challenges in the future. This was stated by the Minister for Local Government and Environment Colonel Samuela Saumatua during his address at the Pacific Islands climate forum at the Japan-Pacific ICT centre in USP on January 24. Col. Saumatua said Fiji welcomed co-operation from the international community, the Pacific region and from friends and colleagues from the US, Australia,...
read moreTurtles Rescued off Vuda
It was a lucky day for two large Hawksbill Turtles stuck in a turtle net off the coast of Viti Levu near Vuda Marina, Fiji. On December 30th, Tony Koens – director/owner of Subsurface Fiji Adventure Diving and Watersportsand his partner Carina Bjers, also with Subsurface Fiji, decided to take their SUP (Standup Paddle Board) out for a leisurely afternoon paddle. They left the beach and were headed towards Naisoso when a few hundred metres down the coast they spotted a large turtle net that had 250mm square mesh and was about 200 metres in...
read moreToo much seaweed
Saturday, January 19, 2013 THERE is growing concern about the recurrence of abundant seaweed blooms on Viti Levu which are defacing beaches and impacting the environment, probably as a result of climate change. According to a statement, the knowledge-sharing forum Pacific Solution Exchange (PSE) is making this its number one climate change discussion across all Pacific islands this month. Prompting the Pacific-wide discussion is Dr Antoine De Ramon N’Yeurt, research fellow with the European Union Global Climate Change Alliance Project at...
read moreResort savours hotel ranking
CONGRATULATION to Tokoriki Islands Resort. It was ranked among the top 25 hotels in the South Pacific, according to the 2013 Trip Advisor Travellers Choice online website. According to Travel Blackboard Australia, the newest property to 8Hotels Collection offers not only one of the most picturesque settings but a true boutique experience in the South Pacific region. “A child-free, boutique retreat located in the Mamanuca islands exudes all things indulgent,” reported the Australian media. The 34 beach front, freestanding bure and...
read moreNew plant discovered in Fiji
A new plant belonging to the non-vascular group of bryophyte plants was recently discovered in the lowlands of Viti Levu – Fiji’s largest island. The genus called Cephaloziella has never been previously recorded in Fiji. A plant in this genus was found growing on the lower trunk of a tree fern in the Vago Reserve near Colo-i-Suva in the Naitasiri Province. Cephaloziella belongs to the family Cephaloziellaceae, which is a group of very small, thread-like liverwort plants. The plant was found while conducting field work for Mereia’s...
read moreMOU to strengthen monitoring of fishery activities
The Fisheries department today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maritime Safety Authority as part of efforts to legalise and record all fishing activities taking place within Fiji waters. The legal document will enable monitoring, control surveillance of flagged vessels operating within Fijis’ fisheries waters and beyond and access to vessel monitoring systems. The Department of Fisheries and Forest permanent secretary Inoke Wainiqolo said that illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has been a global phenomenon which...
read moreMore efforts on coral restoration
No country is immune to natural disaster. In recent decades, the frequency and intensity of natural disasters has escalated and many experts predict this rise in climate-induced extreme weather events will continue in the future. Although many are still reeling from the devastating efforts of Tropical Cyclone Evan, the stride towards normalcy have been impressive. In the Mamanuca island group, Evan felled vast numbers of trees and damaged infrastructures. But the storm’s reach was felt not only on land but also under water. It has...
read moreMajor Sponsors
