Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2000

Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2000
VILLAGE LEVEL BY-LAWS IN SAMOA
Samoa is leading the Pacific Islands in the involvement of local stakeholders in coastal
fisheries management by taking something ‘old’, and combining it with something ‘new’
to develop Village Level By-Laws. The successful Village Level Fisheries Management
Project (VLFMP) in 1995 was implemented in coastal villages to use the traditional
custom (fa`asamoa) to establish village ‘fish reserves’. However this contradicted the
1960 Samoan Constitution, which stated that ‘all lands lying below the high water mark
belong to the State’, which in effect gave outsiders the right to fish in other village ‘fish
reserves’ and became the main impediment for villages to set aside their own traditional
fishing ground for conservation. Therefore the Fisheries Division lead the establishment
of Village Level Bye-laws which legally recognised village level conservation efforts,
allowing chiefs to declare conservation sites, restrict fishing activities including fishing
gear and impose penalties. All these By-Laws were drawn directly from the Fisheries Act
(1988) and the Fisheries Regulations (1996), but the penalties are at the discretion of
the Village Council. These may include traditional punishment such as provision of fine
mats, pigs, or cash payments.
establishment of Community Conservation Areas;
• Many reefs were surveyed by scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine
Science.
MONITORING AND GAPS IN REEF MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT
There is a range of coral reef monitoring capacity in the region: there is none in Nauru, Solomon
Islands and Vanuatu; some in New Caledonia, Samoa and Tuvalu; while there is reasonable
capacity in Fiji. Training in coral reef monitoring (GCRMN and Reef Check recommended
methodologies) has been conducted in Samoa and Fiji, with the cooperation of the Fiji dive
industry and the USP (University of the South Pacific) Marine Studies Programme. Countries
have considerable interest in setting up monitoring programmes and improving coral reef
management, but there is a lack of expertise and funding. Most importantly, there is a strong
need to involve the principal resource owners in monitoring and management of their local
reef areas. Awareness raising is a paramount necessity to raise their understanding of
conservation and management ethics to strengthen current government activities.
Fiji
Reef Check monitoring in Fiji is coordinated by Ed Lovell, and USP has actively surveyed the
Suva Barrier Reef since 1987, as well as Great Astrolabe Reef. Surveys have also been
conducted to assist the establishment of MPAs (such as at Waisomo, Kadavu), and for
environmental impact assessments. Extensive surveys are now monitoring the impact of the
February-April 2000 mass coral bleaching event, with assistance from the tourism industry.
Some aquarium trade companies have extensive data on reefs where they collect, but these
data are not widely disseminated. The main problems in Fiji are a lack of coordination, no
properly identified long-term monitoring sites, and an ineffective database.
Nauru
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