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SeaWeb Helps Fiji Journalists Get Immersed in Critical
Marine Issues

Efforts to minimize development impacts and light pollution have made it possible for turtles to once again nest on the beach at Likuliku Resort in the Mamanucas Islands. Alumeci Nakeke

The Pacific Islands are on the front lines of climate change impacts and the increasing depletion of marine resources. At the same time, the cost of travel and limited infrastructure in small developing island nations often limits the media's ability to report on these critical issues firsthand.

To help remedy that, SeaWeb's Asia Pacific Program took a group of eight local media and journalism students from the University of South Pacific by boat to the Mamanuca Islands, a local volcanic island chain that is a popular tourist destination. The media trip was designed to show journalists the marine issues facing local, often subsistence communities and learn about conservation programs that are addressing those challenges.

Betani Salusalu, project manager of the Mamanuca Environment Society and a former attendee of an Asia Pacific Program expert communications workshop, took the journalists snorkeling on a healthy reef and to visit projects geared to restoring degraded reefs, such as a traditional marine protected area, or tabu, and a giant clam farm used to restock the reef. The group also visited the Likuliku Resort, where efforts to minimize development impacts and light pollution have allowed turtles to once again nest on the beach.

Salusalu discussed ongoing issues such as solid waste management, a difficult challenge for many rural communities. But Salusalu stressed their conservation successes thus far were possible because of the interest created through targeted outreach about the benefits of managing marine resources.

SeaWeb took local media and journalism students from the University of South Pacific to the Mamanuca Islands to show them the marine issues facing the local communities. Asia Pacific Program

The journalists' field trip was part of the Sea Series, a six-month course in Fiji that provides media background in marine science and an introduction to critical ocean issues facing Fijian communities. The Sea Series allows journalists access to top ocean experts who discuss global issues such as climate change and ocean acidification and how they impact Fiji. The class also discusses local topics, such as community-based marine protected areas, protecting fish spawning sites, land-based pollution threats to coral reefs and turtle conservation. The field trips help reinforce and energize the classroom discussions.

Journalists who attended the Mamanuca field trip said it opened their eyes to what conservation could achieve and the need for greater awareness about both the challenges and solutions. Some journalists said they felt personally energized by the trip, noting they had not seen fish as large as the ones they found in marine protected areas since they were children. "The Mamanuca's have come quite a long way from reports in 2000 about coral becoming a depleted resource," said Samantha Rina, a reporter from a daily newspaper called the Fiji Sun.

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