Community stewardship and local actions are a universally accepted approach to sustainable growth and a pathway to achieving sustainable development goals and targets. Locally managed marine areas (LMMAs), a globally recognised model of community led solutions to addressing local capacity needs, local health issues, overfishing, rights-based issues, coastal threats and poverty reduction amongst others has its origin in Fiji and is now active in 466 communities and at least 1000s others in 20 other countries globally.
Fiji is one of the leaders in the field of implementing community management to achieve sustainable use and management of coastal fisheries in the region and globally. The Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area Network (FLMMA), a network of government, non-government and community partners established in 2001 and registered under the Charitable Trust Act since 2004, coordinates this effort.The LMMA process empowers communities to take local actions using traditional and scientific knowledge to develop and implement village integrated development plans that 1) locally manages coastal areas, rivers, mangroves, reef systems and associated marine areas and fisheries, 2) protects iconic and threatened species (such as rays, grouper, turtles), 3) establishes no-take areas, 4) reduces pollution and waste such as plastics, 5) rehabilitates and restores degraded habitats and species, 6) adapts to climate change impacts, and 7) implements working models of community-driven blue economy for sustainable livelihoods, food security and eventually community resilience.
The objective of this commitment is to empower communities to scale up their current efforts to an effectively managed and governed network of LMMAs in all Fijian communities covering 100% of Fijis customary marine areas by 2025. The commitment will compliment government and other partners efforts on marine managed areas; integrated coastal management, coastal fisheries improvements and creating community-based blue economy to achieve SDG targets.
Progress reports
By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
Type of commitment
NUTRIENTS
- Fertilizer use efficiency
- Wastewater treatment
- Manure management
- Nutrient sinks (e.g. constructed wetlands)
PLASTICS
- Coastal clean-ups
- Plastics product bans or restrictions
- Plastics recovery/recycling/reuse
SHIPPING
- Reduce invasive aquatic species introduction
- Management of ship-based pollution and/or port waste management
OTHER POLLUTANTS (please specify)
- Cleaner production
- Integrated pest management
By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans
Type of commitment
- Community or Locally Managed Marine Areas
- Integrated Coastal Management
By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics
Type of commitment
- Compliance, monitoring and enforcement
- Reduction and elimination fishing practices and gear that destroy/degrade marine habitat
- Science-based fisheries management plans
- Ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF)
- Reduction of fisheries by-catch and product waste/losses
- Eco-labelling, traceability, certification programmes
- Market-based instruments (Individually Traded Quotas, Vessel Day Schemes, etc.)
By 2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information
Type of commitment
- No take marine protected area
- Marine protected area with partial protection
- Multiple use marine protected area
- Locally or community managed marine areas
- MPA management and/or enforcement
By 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation
Type of commitment
- Removal or reduction of harmful fisheries subsidies
By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism
Type of commitment
- Economic benefits from sustainable fisheries
- Economic benefits from sustainable tourism
- Economic benefits from sustainable aquaculture/mariculture
- Economic benefits from marine renewable energy
- Economic benefits from marine biotechnology
- Economic benefits from sustainable transport
Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets
Type of commitment
- Legal/policy/institutional measures
- Access to market-based instruments
- Transfer of fishing technology
- Access to coastal fishing grounds
- Access and capacity building for eco-labelling and traceability systems
- Community empowerment for fisheries management
Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in UNCLOS, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of The Future We Want
Type of commitment
- Activities to raise awareness of the comprehensive legal and policy framework for the sustainable development of oceans and seas, in particular UNCLOS, its Implementing Agreements and other relevant ocean-related instruments and promote their effective im
- Strengthening ocean governance, for example through the development of a national ocean policy or regional ocean policy
- Development of necessary infrastructure and/or enforcement capabilities to comply with international law, as reflected in UNCLOS and as complemented by other ocean-related instruments
Financing (in USD)
700,000 USD
In-kind contribution
In-kind Support from government, NGO and private sector partners with community leaders, community champions and community members
Staff / Technical expertise
Staff expertise from government, NGO and private sector partners with community leaders, community champions and community members
December/2020
Fiji
