History

A Need for Conservation

The Namena Barrier Reef has historically been a breeding ground and sanctuary for marine life throughout the offshore reefs of the Kubulau community. In 1984 the community began to see a degradation of fish stocks. This escalated throughout the 1980’s into the 90’s while commercial fishermen continued to use drop line and bait fishing methods.

Communities in Action

Individuals within the community worked tirelessly to inform the people of the Kubulau about what was occurring within their fishing grounds and the impact of the heavy commercial fishing. At last in 1997 the Kubulau community successfully banned commercial fishing within the region. The marine reserve is managed and protected by the district chiefs of the Kubulau and the Coral Reef Alliance with collaboration with marine operators of Fiji. Recently, in 2005 , the Namena Marine Protected Area was gazetted under the Fisheries Act and remains managed by community members.

Some fishing problems remain, yet local Park Mangement continues to address sustainable financing, community benefits, sustainable fishing practices and other methods of threat reduction.