Waitabu Marine Park Blog

Waitabu Community Meaning “ forbidden water ”, Waitabu is a small Catholic community of 30 families led by chief or Tui Nasau. Within the main clan of Waitabu there are three mataqalis, or families. Families work hard to send their children to school and spend a majority of their income on tuition. The main source of income in the region is the farming of Taro (a local root crop) and Yaqona (producing the local kava drink). From Eta, Waitabu Park Manager: “We have a wonderful cultural experience where you can meet the friendly Fijian people of Waitabu village. Come and enjoy a traditional Bilibili raft ride out to the reef, snorkel in the un-spoilt marine park and then come back to a delicious freshly prepared tea. You can even chose to participate in the traditional Kava ceremony with home grown Waitabu Kava and learn a traditional Fijian Meke (dance)” Fijian Meke, Photo: Naushad Yakua Community Culture

The Short Story Since beginning our work in Fiji in 2003, CORAL is now seeing real and measurable progress from our Coral Reef Sustainable Destination ( CRSD ) approach. We have designed a business plan and are developing sustainable financing projects for the Namena Marine Reserve, and we provide technical support to the Kubulau Management Resource Committee (KMRC)—a community-based body charged with managing the region’s marine resources—in its operation of the marine reserve. We facilitate close working relationships between marine recreation providers and members of the local community on issues of marine area management and decision-making. And on the nearby island of Taveuni, we assist the Waitabu Marine Park with improvements to its local management of the reef. In addition to a dedicated Indo-Pacific program manager located at CORAL ’s San Francisco headquarters, we employ two Fiji-based field staff to aid in all program execution. More Progress in Fiji CORAL ’s work in Fij