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The Republic of the Fiji Islands is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu. The country occupies an archipelago of about 322 islands, of which 106 are permanently inhabited, and 522 islets. The two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, account for 87% of the population.
The beautiful reefs here suffered bleaching damage in 2000 and 2002 and over-fishing remains a problematic in some areas.
A Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA) Network, which is a multi-national coastal management initiative and promotes a community driven approach to protected area establishment and management has developed across the country. This brings together not only LMMA projects, but also community members to improve conservation efforts through the sharing of experiences.
Today, there are more than 100 Fijian LMMAs (FLMMA) operating nationwide, including community-based marine protected areas. Impressively, some estimates place this local management effort as representing approximately 30 percent of Fiji's total islands coastline. Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project along the Coral Coast in Fiji has also been initiated.
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