1. Introduction

Fiji is undergoing rapid environmental change, driven largely by climate change and resource exploitation. These stressors are contributing to negative impacts on the environment, health, culture and livelihoods of Fijians. Climate change is among the greatest threats facing Fiji and its people, the cumulative impacts of which are predicted to persist and intensify in the future. As the climate changes, Fiji is also confronted with the additional pressure of natural resource exploitation such as commercial fishing, forestry, agriculture, and mining. These activities result in outcomes harmful to the communities reliant on their local environment for their lives and livelihoods. To date, the focus on managing these environmental impacts has primarily been on understanding the biophysical changes and their impacts on the environment, with little attention given to the potential impacts on people, their health, livelihoods, or culture. Similarly, little attention has been given to iTaukei needs with regard to environmental management decision-making to understand the potential consequences of resource exploitation for iTaukei lives.

This report responds to this knowledge need and documents iTaukei social values (uses and values) of Koroua Island as well as threats to these values. In 2019, researchers returned to the Sigatoka region with the intention of building and expanding on findings concerning Koroua Island from the 2017 Sigatoka Estuary study. The aim of this study was to document and map iTaukei social values of Koroua Island and threats to these values.

The objectives of this study were to:

1map the spatial distribution of values of Koroua Island; iTaukei social

2document perceived and actual threats to Koroua Island; and

3examine the effects of perceived and actual threats on iTaukei social values.

Our goal is to bring a “human face” to the issue of resource development on Koroua Island and the wider Sigatoka area. The contents of this report are intended to contribute to the development of more productive, equitable environmental management decision-making in Fiji that better reflects and supports the needs, concerns, and livelihoods of local peoples.

explanation of social values Social values are defined here as the importance of places, landscapes, and the resources or services they provide as defined by individual and/or group perceptions and attitudes towards a given place or landscape. In this sense, social values are taken to include the importance people attach to goods such as food products and activities such as recreation.