By Shailendra Singh*

VUNISINU, Fiji, Nov 24 (IPS/AMIC) - If villagers so used to eating fish caught fresh from the sea begin resorting to tinned fish to supplement their diets, there must be something really wrong somewhere.

   Fortunately, the prompt action of the 36 families living here in Vunisinu averted an environmental disaster stemming from overharvesting, pollution and overdevelopment.

   Vunisinu, in the province of Rewa, is about 45 kilometres from the capital city Suva in the main island of Viti Levu. It is one of the many settlements located on the fringes of the vast Rewa River delta in this South Pacific island nation.

   Vunisinu boasts one of the richest traditional fishing ground — or what locals refer to as ‘qoliqoli’ — in the province. From the mangrove swamps and nearby brackish waters, villagers harvest delicacies such as ‘moci’ (prawns) ‘qari’ (mud crabs) and ‘mana’ (mud lobsters), which fetch a premium price on the local market.

   Using small nets and fishing lines, they catch a variety of fish from the sea. The reef also yields a bountiful harvest of fish and seafood such as lobsters and octopuses.

   “We rely mainly on our catch from the sea and rivers to survive and we need them to be protected,” says Sailasa Vatucawaqa, the village headman. “There is no other reliable source of income for us here in Rewa.”

   When their catch began to decline steeply some years ago, the residents were naturally alarmed.  The belief that the mangroves and seas contained an inexhaustible supply of seafood was severely shaken as over-harvesting, pollution, indiscriminate waste disposal and mangrove clearing started to take their toll.

   Vatucawaqa recalled that their fishing grounds were being plundered by poachers using dynamite, nets with very fine mesh, and ‘duva’ — a poison root — that kills all small fish and surrounding coral.

   But the problem was also partly of the villagers’ own making, because many dumped rubbish indiscriminately into the mangroves and the sea. There was also was waste seepage from pit toilets and piggeries into the mangroves, sea and reefs.

   The turning point was a workshop facilitated by the government and non-government organisations in 2003 that opened the villagers’ eyes to the connection between waste disposal methods and the environment, which consequently affect their livelihoods and health.
 
   “It was only when we went on a field trip to see the dying coral reef that I realised that the depletion of our fisheries is also caused by leaks from our toilets, waste from piggeries, and our grey water (non-industrial wastewater generated from domestic processes and use),” says Pita Vatucawaga, who attended the workshop.

   With their newly acquired knowledge, the villagers embarked on a concerted effort to clean up their act, beginning in October 2003, when the International Waters Pilot Project was launched in the village.
 
   The five-year programme, funded by the Global Environment Facility, was implemented by the United Nations Development Programme and executed by South Pacific Regional Environment Programme.
 
   Involving 14 Pacific Island countries, it aimed to achieve sustainably managed and effectively conserved coastal and marine resources in the Pacific Islands region by addressing the root causes of degradation of coastal waters and resources.
 
    Folowing the workshop, Vatucawaqa says the village banned the throwing of rubbish in streams, mangroves and the ocean. Compost heaps were built, along with the first compost toilet.

    “Having compost toilets is a huge benefit because one doesn’t have to worry about leakages as with pit toilets so there is no concern about sewage washing away into rivers and other water holes,” says Vatucawaqa.  “With pit toilets, naturally everything would wash away into the rivers and seas. But with compost toilets all the waste is packed in right till the time it needs to be disposed.”

   Vatucawaqa’s brother Pita was one of the first participants of a practical hands-on training workshop on composting toilet construction. The project was part of a regional initiative by the Pacific Islands Applied Geosciences Commission, the Fiji Ministry of Health, World Health Organisation, and the Fiji School of Medicine.  
 
   However, lack of funds prevented the compost pit project from taking off in Vunisinu. Only three out of the 86 households in the village have compost toilets, laments Vatucawaqa.

   “The lack of funds is a hindrance in our attempts to carry on with this worthy project. But we will definitely push for all the houses to have compost toilets,” he says.

    On other fronts, the village is forging ahead. Food waste is no longer dumped in the sea but reused as manure. A private company, Enviroclean, provides a huge waste bin in which all the villagers dump their non-biodegradable rubbish.

    “The village pays 95 U.S. dollars a month to Enviroclean,” Vatucawaqa explains. “At the end of the month they come around to collect it so the rubbish is properly dumped off at Naboro Landfill. They have also encouraged recycling in the village.”

   Not long after adopting these environment-friendly practices, the villagers started noticing their impact on their daily lives. “The villagers are following the rules that were laid down because they are reaping the benefits. Everything is much cleaner now,” he adds.

   The return of the fish stocks has been helped by the establishment of a protected marine area, where fishing is banned for certain periods of time.
 
    “We have seen the benefits since these projects were set up,” says Vatucawaqa. “There is a lot more fish now compared to when dumping in the seas and rivers was prevalent”.  (END/IPS/AP/DV/EN/SS/ME/231107)

(*This story is being distributed by IPS Asia-Pacific under a communication agreement with the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre in Singapore, which produced it.)