Fiji village revives fishery by planting coral
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In 2009, Manoa Duwai of Naidiri Village, Fiji, urged his community to establish a protected marine area due to dwindling fish populations.
He noticed catches were becoming smaller and feared for the future of the village’s food source. The community initially protected a 30-by-40-metre section of reef, expanding it to 280-by-240 metres and adding a secondary “fridge” area to rebuild fish stocks.
This effort has led to a resurgence of marine life, including the return of sharks after decades of absence. In 2023 alone, a youth group led by Joseva Kunagado planted 18,000 corals and 10,000 mangroves to further restore the ecosystem. The village’s success has attracted attention from researchers and charities interested in their methods. The protected area now contains hundreds of “super corals” which survived a heatwave where water temperatures reached 39C.
Naidiri Village is now transplanting these heat-resistant corals to cooler waters near the capital, Suva, to safeguard them against future warming events and share the benefits with other communities.
