Fiji

Vulnerable Areas as result of Climate Change

For the Pacific Indigenous People:

Please let me take this opportunity to ask all the Pacific Islanders who can make it to the Bangladesh meeting to let us join forces with others like those at Tana Delta at Kenya to convince the irresponsible countries who are continuously ignoring their responsibilities to the Human Race or Human Right.

Both sides of the argument presented here are valid and can be the type of impact of REDD on my community in the tiny island of Fulaga in the Lau Group, Fiji Islands.

Please find below a paragraph which I wish to contribute to the Forum for indigenous peoples, small islands and vulnerable communities.

06/12/08, Pacific, Fiji, Greg O'Neill writes:

11/11/08 George Tami writes:
I work for the Native Land Trust Board as GIS officer and have access to tribal land ownership maps – surveyed from 1907 to 1927…. When comparing these lands on satellite images (google earth) a lot of changes along the coast line and river banks…in rivers, some islands are completely washed out, coastline have given away to sea encroachment…we need to save our lands in the future and those countries who are disturbing the climate through industrial waste should assist us in many ways.

Thank You

I am replying in response to Isoa Koroiwaqa's request for information on the use of Vetiver Grass in controlling sedimentation and river bank erosion, seen in the 7th November newsletter.

22/10/08 Pacific, Fiji, Isoa Koroiwaqa writes:
I am from the Fiji islands in the South Pacific. My village sits near an estuary and we have come across flooding over the years, the most recent in 2004 where we had to be evacuated. We are experiencing a dangerous rise in sediments along the river and we have contacted the Fiji government for some research. We really need some technical assistance to study what is happening so that we as a people can get some information that will help us in making a decision whether to move or not.

Isoa Koroiwaqa

Thanks for this. I wrote an article for Just Change a DEV NZ
publication in their October 2007 issue titled, 'Managing Climate Change Fijian Style' at http://www.sun.com.fj/main_page/view.asp?id=6637

Hi
Thanks for sending this article. I am emailing you from Papua New Guinea. I am here only for 2 weeks to attend training with our NGO brother organization. I am from the Fiji Islands and work as a Social Worker. I am a Coordinator for a program called Social Empowerment & Education Program (SEEP). Our program works closely with rural indigenous community in our country. One of the areas we would like to involved ourselves more with in our work is Environmental issues like CLIMATE CHANGE, RISING SEA LEVEL etc, etc.