Conservation International Fiji

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Conservation International Fiji
AbbreviationCI Fiji
Formation2003
Type NGO
Headquarters Suva, Fiji
Region served
Fiji
FieldsBiodiversity conservation; protected areas; conservation finance
Parent organization
 Conservation International
Website www.conservation.org/places/fiji

Conservation International Fiji (CI Fiji) is the Fiji country programme of Conservation International. Conservation International began working in Fiji in 2003 and is based in Suva. [1] Its work in Fiji has included biodiversity conservation and protected-area initiatives, including a ridge-to-reef approach linking terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems with coastal and marine environments. [1]

Contents

In Fiji, Conservation International supported work that contributed to the establishment of the Sovi Basin Conservation Area (SBCA) on Viti Levu, including creation of a multi-stakeholder steering committee, development of a management plan and conservation-lease arrangements with landowners and partner institutions. [2] Scientific fieldwork in the Sovi Basin described it as lowland tropical rainforest and noted that it "has been protected in a partnership between local landowners, Conservation International and Fiji Water". [3] CI Fiji has worked on blue carbon initiatives focused on mangrove ecosystems, and on conservation and livelihoods work in the Lau Islands. [4] [5] [6]

History

Conservation International began working in Fiji in 2003. [1]

Work around the Sovi Basin contributed to the development of conservation-lease and management arrangements intended to support long-term protection and provide alternative income for landowners. [2] [7] Fiji's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan described the Sovi Basin as a protected area in Namosi Province established through a conservation agreement facilitated by Conservation International, including a long-term conservation lease and funding for management. [8]

In 2005, landowners agreed to cancel a proposed logging concession in the Sovi Basin. A conservation trust fund was developed to support long-term management and provide alternative income for landowners, and Conservation International secured a donation from Fiji Water in 2007 as part of trust-fund financing. [9]

In 2011, a class-action lawsuit challenged Fiji Water's "carbon negative" marketing claims; in describing its climate strategy, the company referenced forest restoration and offsets in Fiji, including work described as a partnership with local landowners and Conservation International. [10]

In 2022, CI Fiji worked on protecting and restoring mangroves through the Blue Carbon Fiji Project, including work in priority sites such as Navitilevu Bay in Ra Province. [4]

In 2025, CI provided FJ$80,000 in support to help rebuild sustainable food sources in the Lau Islands following Cyclone Rae, including distribution of planting materials beginning on Lakeba and extending to other districts. [6]

Activities by location

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Selected activity locations in Fiji (1 Suva; 2 Sovi Basin Conservation Area; 3 Navitilevu Bay; 4 Nakauvadra Range (Ra Province); 5 Kadavu; 6 Lakeba; 7 Vanua Balavu)

Viti Levu

Sovi Basin Conservation Area

Conservation International facilitated a process involving stakeholders that included Fiji's forestry authorities, the University of the South Pacific, the iTaukei Land Trust Board and landowner representatives to develop a management plan for the Sovi Basin and establish long-term conservation-lease arrangements. [2] Fiji's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan described the Sovi Basin as a protected area in Namosi Province covering 16,344 ha (163.44 km2) and linked its establishment to a conservation agreement facilitated by Conservation International, including a long-term conservation lease and management funding. [8]

The Sovi Basin has been described in scientific fieldwork as a lowland rainforest basin drained by the Wainavobo and Wainivalu rivers, which join and exit as the Sovi River through a gorge to the east of the basin. [3] Plot-based vegetation surveys in the basin recorded high tree-species diversity and endemism (112 species with dbh >= 10 cm in 1.08 ha, with about 60% endemic). [3]

A trust fund was established to generate revenue for landowners and support long-term management, including payments linked to lease arrangements, compensation for foregone timber royalties, and community development opportunities; reporting on the SBCA described a scholarship programme for landowning communities that had supported more than 150 students as of 2012. [2] [9] [7]

Through the Blue Carbon Fiji Project, CI Fiji conducted baseline studies and surveys in project sites including Navitilevu Bay in Ra and developed restoration plans for priority mangrove sites. [4]

Ra Province (forest restoration and carbon projects)

Forest restoration initiatives in Ra Province have included the Nakauvadra Forest Carbon Project, a community reforestation effort with goals including climate-change mitigation through carbon sequestration, socioeconomic benefits for local communities, and habitat restoration and buffering in the Nakauvadra area. [11] The Nakauvadra Forest Carbon Project was developed by Conservation International and funded by the Fiji Water Foundation. [12]

Kadavu

Feasibility work linked to integrated coastal management (ICM) in Fiji has included analysis of financial and economic mechanisms intended to support ICM in Kadavu. [7]

Lau Islands

In 2025, CI provided support for agricultural recovery and food security in the Lau Islands following Cyclone Rae. [6]

In June 2022, seagrass research and conservation efforts continued in the Lau Group in connection with Conservation International's work. [5]

In 2023, Conservation International announced the discovery of a large colony of an endangered bat species in Fiji during a survey on the island of Vanua Balavu in the Lau archipelago, describing the finding as significant for understanding species distribution and informing conservation actions. [13] A cave on Vanua Balavu has been described as having thousands of Pacific sheath-tailed bats. [14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Fiji". Conservation International.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Keppel, Gunnar; Morrison, Clare; Hardcastle, James; Rounds, Isaac A.; Wilmott, Ian Karika; Hurahura, Francis; Shed, Patterson K. (2012). "Conservation in tropical Pacific island countries: case studies of successful programmes" (PDF). PARKS. 18 (1): 112–119. doi:10.2305/IUCN.CH.2012.PARKS-18-1.GK.en.
  3. 1 2 3 Keppel, Gunnar; Tuiwawa, Marika V.; Naikatini, Alivereti; Rounds, Isaac A. (September 2011). "Microhabitat specialization of tropical rain-forest canopy trees in the Sovi Basin, Viti Levu, Fiji Islands". Journal of Tropical Ecology. 27 (5): 491–501. doi:10.1017/S0266467411000241.
  4. 1 2 3 "Fiji Mangrove Surveys First Step To Sustain Natural Climate Solutions". Fiji Sun. 19 December 2022.
  5. 1 2 Reece, Lena (1 June 2022). "Seagrass research and conservation efforts to continue in the Lau Group". FijiVillage. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "$80,000 aid to help rebuild food sources in Lau". FBC News. 1 August 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 Feasibility study of financial and economic mechanisms for ICM in Kadavu (PDF) (Report). Pacific Community (SPC). 2018.
  8. 1 2 CBD Strategy and Action Plan - Fiji (English version) (PDF) (Report). Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
  9. ↑ "Fiji Water sued over claim that product is carbon negative". Trellis (GreenBiz). 4 January 2011.
  10. ↑ Jupiter, S. (2012). Outcomes from the Vatu-i-Ra Seascape Stakeholders Workshop (PDF) (Report). Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
  11. ↑ Waqainabete-Tuisese, S. (2016). Ecological restoration and erosion control in Ra Province: diagnosis and action plan (PDF) (Report). Pacific Community (SPC).
  12. ↑ "'Bat-tastic' Discovery: Largest Known Pacific Bat Roost Revealed with Thousands of Endangered Bats". Conservation International.
  13. ↑ "The bat colony of Donnelly Park". The Fiji Times. 7 July 2024.
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