Overview of Marine Pollution Problems in Fiji

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Overview of Marine Pollution Problems in Fiji

• Sandeep K Singh
• International Waters Program
• Department of Environment
• Fiji

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(No Transcript)
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Background Fiji

• 330 islands (1/3 inhabited)
• 2 main island Viti Levu and Vanua Levu (Volcanic
  in nature)
• Fijis EEZ covers some 1.3 million square
  kilometers (contains rich marine resources which
  have high potential for commercial exploitation
  and subsistence needs).
• Suva is the capital.
• diverse population of 775,077 (Fijians 51.8
  Indo-Fijians 43.6 and other races 5.3). 82 ,320
  living in squatters
• Tropical climate
• Tourism and Sugar are major income earners
• Increased urbanization, population growth and
  coastal development

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Department of Environment

• Established in sometime in 91/92
• Staff of about 15 staff (working under
  constrained circumstances)
• Areas
• Waste and Pollution Control
• Environment Awareness
• Environment Impact Assessment
• Natural Resource management and Conservation
• Biodiversity
• Projects
• International Waters Program (Waste management,
  Protection of freshwater resources and
  sustainable coastal resources)
• Climate Change
• Ozone Depletion
• policy (Sustainable Development Bill)

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Overview of threats to Coastal Degradation

• Rapid Urbanization
• Uncontrolled Population growth
• The majority of Fijis population live in coastal
  areas and a very large proportion rely on the
  marine resources to sustain their subsistence
  lifestyle. In many cases the latter is threatened
  by unsustainable use for commercial purposes.

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Priority Concerns for Fiji

• PEC (2003)
• Marine and freshwater quality
• Excessive nutrient loading and sedimentation in
  rivers and coastal waters due to poor land use
  practices
• Marine pollution from sewerage and industrial
  effluents
• Habitat and community modification and
  degradation
• Loss of marine habitats and disruption of coastal
  processes caused by coastal developments
• Land and coastal based pollution poor disposal
  of liquid and solid waste
• WSSD (2002)
• Depleting resources
• Land degradation and unsustainable resource use
• State of Environment (92)
• Unsustainable resources use, pollution in urban
  environments (waste disposal) and protection of
  Genetic and biodiversity resources

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Improper waste Disposal

• Urban communities
• Rural communities
• Squatter Settlements

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Heavy metal pollution

• Example Suva harbour
• Sediments, shellfish and water
• Elevated levels of Cu, Zn, Pb, Sn, Fe in
  sediments
• Elevated levels of metals in shellfish and algae
• high levels of tri(n-butyl)tin (TBT)

• Localized problem
• (distribution pattern shows metals spreading
  across the lagoon. This poses great threat to the
  Suva barrier reef ecosystem)

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Sediment and Nutrient loadings (Rivers/Coastal
Waters)

• Nutrient loading (euthrophication)
• Fertilizers (sugar cane fields)
• Sewerage
• The major sewerage treatment plant
• for the city is designed to serve a
• population of 80,000 but is currently
• serving about 180,000 people.
• Sedimentation
• Mostly due to poor land use
• practices upland, coastal and river
• bank erosion

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Oil Pollution

• Localized
• Mostly in ports
• The main source of oil entering the marine
  environment includes
• oil spills from oil deports
• vessel operations
• discharge and leakage from service stations
• abandoned and sunken ships
• probable underground leakage.
•  

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Coastal and tourism Developments

• developments in the past few years include
  Resort DevelopmentsPort extension coastal
  roads industrial development reef blasting for
  channels dredging foreshore reclamation
  extraction of corals, sand, gravel and rock for
  construction purposes.
• EIA
• NO specific EIA legislation
• No Monitoring done (lack of resources)

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Environmental legislation

• generally old and ineffective
• Some existing legislations could be effective but
  lacks enforcement due to inadequate staffing,
  lack of technical resources and funding, and
  administrative failures (NESF, 1992)
• inability of the Government to manage natural
  resources on a sustainable basis because of
  inadequate policies, legislation, forward
  planning and administration
• 54 Acts that covers environment management in
  Fiji. About ten legislation cover pollution
  issues.
• Consultative process on natural resource use and
  management is poorly developed and could be one
  of the reasons of current resource degradation.

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Long term research and monitoring of Fijis
marine environment

• Scientific data is important to asses the
  condition of the marine environment, identify
  trends and to design management plans. Long-term
  scientific information is required for better
  decision-making.
• There is no long-term data available
• polluters can not be taken to task because of
  lack of scientific data or evidence (Lack of
  resources to carry out research)
• Decision making is done on whatever is available

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Some recommendations to sustainable coastal zone
management in Fiji

• there is a lack of strategic, integrated long
  term planning in the coastal zone management.
  Most of the problems are interlinked and they
  require holistic and cross-sectoral approach if
  they are to be addressed. The integrated approach
  to coastal and watershed management would take
  care of transboundary issues such pollution.

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Local Community and NGO Involvement

• 2. Local communities play a crucial role in
  management of marine resources, as they are the
  customary owners of these resources. There is a
  need to involve local communities (both resource
  owners and users) in the decision making process.
• Involvement of stakeholders at all levels is
  critical.
• The Government with limited resources (financial
  and human) needs to partner with NGOs and local
  communities.
• Return of coastal foreshore area to customary
  resource owners.
• The Resource owners need to be equipped with
  good knowledge about the coastal issues so that
  they can manage and develop their resources in a
  sustainable manner.
• With rights comes responsibility.

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National Database and Awareness

• Gaps exists in areas of traditional, scientific,
  social and economic information. Such information
  will enable better decision-making. Information
  availability is one issue and accessibility is
  another.
• There is a serious need to public create
  awareness on sustainable use of resources and
  also probably about various legislations
  nation-wide. Very little is done in this area.
  Need to involve local communities and local media.

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Capacity Building

• Institutional
• Human
• Financial

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Environment legislations and Sustainable
Development Bill (SDB)

• While waiting for the Sustainable Development
  Bill (SDB) to be enacted, amendments to the
  outdated legislations must be addressed so that
  the environment is protected.
• There are overlaps in most of the legislations in
  Fiji. Roles of various Ministries and Government
  Departments need to be well defined.
• The SDB that is seen as a fast-paced solution to
  many of the environmental concerns is still to be
  enacted.
• Need for EIA legislation to ensure sustainable
  economic development

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South Pacific Regional Ocean Forum held at USP,
2nd 6th of FebruaryVision A healthy Ocean
that sustains the Livelihoods and Aspirations of
Pacific Island Communities.The Health of the
Ocean is driven by regional scale ecosystem
processes and is dependent upon preserving
ecosystem integrity and minimizing the harmful
impact of human activity.To sustain ocean and
coastal health and productivity improving water
quality and maintain resources is crucial.we
do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we
are borrowing it from our children Alma
Ridep-MorrisThank You