Fiji’s efforts to protect the Great Sea Reef and strengthen coastal communities against climate change will receive a US$35.2 million grant from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) under a US$42.6 million Coral Reef Resilience Project.
The project will restore more than 3,000 hectares of mangroves and riparian forests, strengthen climate-resilient management across 2.58 million hectares of coral reefs and support communities whose livelihoods depend on coastal ecosystems.
GCF Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Hemant Mandal said the investment would benefit 40 percent of Fiji’s population.
“The Fiji Coral Reef Resilience project will restore more than 3,000 hectares of mangrove and riparian forest ecosystems and strengthen climate-resilient management across 2.58 million hectares of coral reefs, benefiting 40 percent of the population.
“This investment shows what Pacific leadership, country ownership and partnership at scale can deliver, reinforcing GCF’s role as the Pacific’s climate partner of choice,” Mandal said.
Fiji’s Great Sea Reef faces growing pressure from rising sea temperatures, cyclones and sea-level rise, compounded by overfishing and sedimentation. The degradation of reefs, mangroves and other coastal ecosystems threatens natural coastal protection, fisheries, food security and community livelihoods.
The project will adopt a ridge-to-reef approach, addressing environmental pressures across both land and marine areas.
Planned activities include restoring mangroves and riparian forests, establishing living shorelines and creating a Locally Led Adaptation Fund to support at least 12 community-led projects.
The initiative will also establish a Great Sea Reef Management Unit and develop a 10-year land and marine management plan.
Fisheries management plans will be developed for 20 community fishing grounds, while national and provincial adaptation plans will be updated to strengthen climate resilience.
The project will also work with business support providers and financial institutions to improve access to finance for enterprises that protect and sustain reef ecosystems.
Margaret Tabunakawai-Vakalalabure, Great Sea Reef Programme Manager for WWF-Fiji, said the funding would help translate years of collaboration into practical action.
“This landmark investment gives Fiji a powerful opportunity to protect the Great Sea Reef while strengthening the livelihoods and resilience of coastal communities,” she said.
WWF-Fiji would work with the Government, communities and partners to implement locally led measures that benefit people and the environment, she said.
The Locally Led Adaptation Fund is designed to channel finance directly to communities, giving them greater scope to identify and implement solutions suited to local climate risks.
The project combines community-level adaptation measures with longer-term improvements in reef and land management, aiming to address the causes of ecosystem degradation while strengthening the resilience of communities that depend on the Great Sea Reef.
