Abstract
Community-based natural resource management in Oceania has its roots in culturally protected water body (CPWB) practices. However, CPWBs in Fiji have been under-researched regarding what practices exist, and the extent to which they are currently practiced. Archival research and interviews with 201 individuals across Fiji’s 189 districts revealed five CPWB types. Conception, Meconium, and Circumcision CPWBs are at risk of practice cessation, while Chiefly investiture and Funerary, have 15% and 42% actively practicing districts, respectively. Primarily serving a ceremonial and food provisioning service, the view that CPWBs do not contribute to biodiversity conservation can be counterproductive to conservation efforts. CPWBs as a place-based practice are eroding due to low awareness by conservation practitioners, and exclusion from community management plans. Knowledge of CPWBs and the practical challenges of implementing them can help conservation practitioners and Indigenous peoples maintain cultural practices, while ensuring food security and conservation into the future.
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Acknowledgements
The author is grateful to Fiji’s Ministry of iTaukei Affairs, the iTaukei Institute of Language and Culture, and the 14 Provincial offices for the research permit, feedback forums and support in facilitating contact and access to iTaukei communities across Fiji. This research would not have been possible without informants such as community, government and NGO representatives, who willingly shared their time and knowledge. This research was partially supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) Coastal SEES Award #SES-1325874 to investigate the dynamics of Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) and its potential to enhance resilience to climate change in coastal Fijian and Hawaiian communities. The Primary Investigator for this grant was Dr. Tamara Ticktin of the University of Hawaii’s School of Life Sciences. In addition to the Associate Editor and two anonymous reviewers, the author acknowledges the following individuals whose feedback and constructive comments helped improve the manuscript; Dr Rachel Dacks, Dr Alan Friedlander, Dr Sangeeta Mangubhai, Wendy Tan, Dr Tamara Ticktin and Fane Vave. This is publication 133 from the School of Life Sciences, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
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Vave, R. Five culturally protected water body practices in Fiji: Current status and contemporary displacement challenges. Ambio 51, 1001–1013 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01620-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01620-z