Caqalai

Base Achievement Report

November 2014
Objective: Environmental Resource Conservation / Livelihood Adaptation

Establishing the Caqalai Marine Research and Climate Change
Adaptation Project


Summary
During the final quarter of 2014
GVI Fiji relocated the Marine
Research base of operations
following the culmination of
three years work in the Nacula
Tikina, Yasawa to Caqalai Island
in the Lomaiviti group. Caqalai
Island offers a unique staging
ground to further investigate
climate change adaptation
techniques and approaches to
community
based
marine
resource management.
Having
now
established
operations in this unique location, GVI Fiji will be responsible for the environmental custodianship of
this island and surrounding reefs for a period of 3 years.

Background
On the 4th of October 2014 GVI Fiji officially relocated operations to Caqalai Island of the coast of
Moturiki Island. The island has been inhabited by the communities of neighbouring Mororiki Island
and has formerly operated as a small home-stay resort. Through arrangements with K.Saravi
Consultancy, the Fiji Methodist Church, and the local communities of Moturiki Island, GVI have
established a permanent facility as a marine conservation and climate change adaptation research
base. GVI Fiji volunteers are now living full time on the island contributing towards projects aimed at
increasing environmental awareness, improving marine resource management and exploring climate
adaptation strategies in conjunction with local communities. The programme on Caqalai has been
set up to focus on the following areas:

Marine Resource Management and Research
Community Outreach and Capacity building
Climate Change adaptation strategies and alternative livelihood practice

Caqalai Island offers a unique context from which to engage the above focuses, due to both its
terrestrial and marine environment and proximity to indigenous communities in which livelihoods
are inextricably linked to the natural environment for both sustenance and trade. With 10 villages
on Moturiki Island and 2 primary schools, GVI have been in contact with local stakeholders to



promote the continuing goals of the organisation (specifically Environmental Education,
Conservation and Marine Research). The larger Moturiki community have welcomed the project and
expressed both interest in and support of the project goals.

Community Outreach Support through Collaboration


Moturiki District School (160 students) and
Uluibau Primary School (50 students) have
invited GVI to assist on a part time basis by
delivering lessons on environmental
awareness and arranging hands on activities
for students on a weekly basis in 2015. This
interaction will form a crucial element of the
community outreach programme.

In addition to interactions with schools, and in
keeping with accepted protocol for the
development of our projects, volunteers have
carried out 40 household surveys in Uluibau
and Wawa villages to gain a better understanding of local issues and the ways in which GVI and local
communities can work together to tackle them.

Prominent issues that have been identified through the surveys include poor waste management, a
lack of fresh water throughout the dry-season for both sanitation and hygiene, and issues involved
with the communities heavy reliance on subsistence farming and marine resources for livelihood.
GVI Fiji staff are developing the project goals for 2015 based on these findings.

Marine Research - Investigating solutions for community based resource management


Caqalai Island itself is part of an extensive
reef network, which will be continually
surveyed as part of an on-going programme
to build up an historical dataset of changes
to the local marine ecosystem and
contributing factors to the overall reef
health and the relation of this change to
climatic factors. To date, GVI have carried
out 25 underwater surveys which, although
it is too early to speculate on the overall
health of the reef, have shed light on some
of the potential stressors on the reef
system. The biodiversity of the reef varies drastically between sites over a relatively small area and
there have been various sightings of particular note (17 threatened shark sightings, 1 Manta ray
sighting, 17 turtle sightings and a total of 35 IUCN Red List animals).

In addition to the continual surveying of Caqalais surrounding reefs, GVI will be carrying out surveys
within the tabu (locally enforced restricted fishing) areas at communities on Motoriki. On the 5th



December an initial GPS survey was undertaken to demarcate the boundary of Uluibaus tabu area
prior to the underwater surveys taking place. With this area mapped, and the relevant permissions
granted, GVI will begin to work in the area during, and after which findings will be communicated
back to the community and recommendations made as to how better manage the area so as to
ensure ongoing food security through the sustainable use of this valuable resource for future
generations.

Climate adaptation and alternative livelihood practice Observation, Innovation, and Response


Caqalai Island offers a unique opportunity
to trial technologies and systems which, if
successful, could prove to be of advantage
to local communities as they adapt to a
changing
climate.
With
island
communities being so inextricably linked
to their natural environment for
sustenance and trade, finding ways to
adapt livelihoods will help communities
become more resilient to the negative
impacts of climate change. GVI will use
Caqalai Island as a testing ground for
organic vegetable farming, beekeeping,
drip-fed irrigation systems, rainwater harvesting, solar power, composting toilets, reforestation and
anti-erosion planting. Through research and observation, the GVI team hopes to be able to pin point
solutions that can be up-scaled for the benefit of local communities. Tried and tested methods
would then be presented to communities in the form of a toolkit a variety of trainings on
innovative methods designed to help communities members to sustainably adapt livelihoods
through the improvement of infrastructure, food and water security, disaster risk awareness, and
income generation initiatives. Laying the foundation for these long term goals has begun and a work
plan designed for 2015.





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