Marine education and conservation awareness

The Drawaqa Marine Conservation Trust (DMCT) and Barefoot Kuata resort have built trustful and meaningful relationship with different villages in the Yasawa Region in the last years and have a long history of conservation through ecotourism and the implementation of locally managed marine protected areas. The first marine education project in Fiji, Yasawas, was created from this relationship. 

School interventions

Recently in April 2023, with the DMCT, Juliette and Gabby (local marine biologist) started teaching kids of years 7 and 8 in the primary school of Namara village on Wayalalai island. We teach them about marine biology and the conservation of marine species and ecosystems.

 

Educating the local children about the functioning of the ocean ecosystems surrounding them is essential to ensure sustainable management of their reef and Yakawe reef in the future. Giving them this knowledge empowers the kids to take action by themselves to protect their surroundings.

 

Not only do we teach them in class but we also bring them to their own reef to show them the marine environment and how they can protect it. Theory and practice combined are the best ways to create change.

Educative Marine Area

One of the goals was to give the kids their own Educative Marine Area (EMA) in their home reef, where they can supervise the activities done in this part of the reef and ensure they are not destructive.

 

We are happy to say that the first EMAs of Fiji were inaugurated the 22nd of September 2023 in Namara and Naviti district school. They are now locally managed protected areas with the children as their guardians and protectors of the reef. The next step is to establish restoration activities.

Credits: Ollysee Photography

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