Fiji Hub Achievement Report

January 2018 Caqalai

Caqalai Summary Report of 2017

14 monitoring sites completed, 156 CRRD certifications given, 91 socio-economic household surveys
completed and restored 150,000 liters of water after repairing concrete water tanks in 5 village.

Objective
Provide the communities of Caqalai and Moturiki with information on their natural resources,
including the threats and means of protection, to empower them to make the best-informed
decisions when looking after their resources.

Summary
GVI Caqalai has been hard at work in 2017 continuing to meet our objectives of completing long
term monitoring of the 14 sites on Caqalai, educating and empowering the community of Moturiki
to continue to look after their natural resources as well as find other means of income. We have
enjoyed working with our volunteers to increase their awareness of conservation, marine life,
effects of climate change and to exchange cultures with one another and the people of Fiji.

Report

The report information below has been broken down into sections; Dive/Science/Community

The dive team was busy this year working on getting volunteers dive trained and survey ready as
quickly as possible while making sure they are confident and safe divers. Cool sightings of marine life
are always a highlight when in the water doing our dive training. There are a lot of benefits of
becoming a certified diver in a marine program like GVI Caqalai and it is so exciting to share a
passion for being in the water and for conservation with so many people from all over the world.
Lots of certifications at Caqalai in 2017:

 90 Advanced Open Water (AOW)

 38 Open Water (OW)
 34 Rescue
 21 Divemaster (12 on placement, 9 on base)
 156 Coral Reef Research Diver Certification (CRRD)

GVI.2016.1
After being sure they are confident and safe divers the volunteers get to work completing surveys
around Caqalai. In January we installed an in-water temperature logger at one of our sites. In April
we collected and submitted in-water audio data for the Italian Scientific Research Council. In April
and November, we submitted our shark, ray and turtle sightings for The Great Fiji Shark Count. In
October we removed 70 Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS) from 3 of the monitored sites when it was
determined through our consistent COTS snorkels that there were too many present, risking harm to
the reef. In November our science officers presented the Caqalai Monitoring Program at the Annual
South Pacific COTS Workshop in Suva, Fiji.

 14 monitoring sites completed

 190 surveys completed
 28 Beach Cleans completed
o with a total of 354.2kg collected
o 84.5kg collected on Dives Against Debris (D.A.D Dive)
o Total of 438.7kg of rubbish collected in 2017
o Top items being collected are food wrappers, plastic and glass beverage bottles and
other plastic
 45 sharks, 30 turtles and 27 rays spotted

Community is at the heart of the program at Caqalai, by working alongside the community we can
make a more sustainable Fiji through conservation and education efforts. Our focus for Moturiki and
Caqalai is to monitor and improve Water and Sanitation, Rainwater Harvesting and the community’s
understanding of their natural resources. Conservation and connection to nature is already very
much a part of Fiji’s beliefs and we work with this by trying to bring in educational and scientific
information to compliment this connection. In 2017 we have:

 Certified 2 University of the South Pacific Marine Studies students (GVI National Scholar
Program) up to Advanced Open Water and trained on surveying techniques.
 Certified 2 community member Dive Masters
 Trained 1 community member Open Water
 Brought 3 community members on Discover Scuba Dives
 Completed Socio-Economic Surveys - 91 households in 6 villages
 Restored water capacity of 150,000L after repairing concrete water tanks in 5 villages
 Installed 2 concrete bases to hold 10,000L water tanks

Workshops Completed:

 Menstrual Health Management - 113 people in 10 villages

 Intro to Compost Toilets - 115 people in 9 villages and the local eco-resort
 Waste Management - 106 people in 10 villages and the local eco-resort
 Women’s Business Development - 34 women in 5 villages
 Climate Change - 22 people in 3 villages

Last year was a productive year and we are so thankful to all the volunteers, staff and community
members that made our progress and achievements throughout the year possible. We are looking
forward to continuing in 2018 with a strong community partnership and plenty of work to be done.

GVI.2016.1