Recognition that taboos work and designating 30 percent of the national waters to be protected is interesting – Dr. Veitayaki

The recognition that taboos work and the country now wants to designate 30 percent of its waters to be protected is interesting and this is a show of commitment.

This has been stated by Blue Prosperity Fiji Co-Science Principal Investigator, Dr. Joeli Veitayaki during the fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan.

He says this is a huge undertaking given the challenges that they face at the moment, where the marine stocks are often either fully exploited or depleted.

Ministry of Fisheries Officer, Ilaisa Kama says they have developed their committee for their 30 percent consultations and that involves a partnership with NGOs in terms of demarcating the 30 percent of our national waters to be Marine Protected Areas (MPA).

Environmental Coordinator, Andrew Paris says some of their work includes marine spatial planning, sustainable fisheries and blue economies.

He says these three pillars put together really hold up and support some of the Government’s commitments to the ocean space and to sustainably manage some of our resources and designating areas of protection.