Pacific Dynamics: Volume 6 • Issue 1 • Mar 2022

FULL EXCERPT: The ever growing impacts of the human induced climate crisis are experienced in very specific ways in the small Pacific Island nations, or what we prefer to call Big Ocean States. Many of these islands are facing the devastating impacts of the climate crisis, ranging from sea level rise and its consequences, to changes in crop production and ecosystems and seasonal growing patterns, and associated social, economic and political changes.

FULL ABSTRACT: In Fiji, as in other Pacific Islands, mangroves provide substantial resources to local indigenous peoples. These resources include fuelwood, timber, food, and natural medicines. Despite this, Fijian mangroves are still lost or degraded by tropical cyclones, rising tides, tourism development, agriculture, and major construction. To gauge the future health of Fijian mangroves, and their value to local populations, it will be necessary to perform both ecological and sociological surveys to initiate long term monitoring programs. This study comprised detailed botanical and soil analyses of the Nasilai River mangrove forests in the Rewa region of Viti Levu, the largest Fijian island. As part of this study we interviewed local villagers to obtain information about their use of mangroves, their knowledge of sustainable management, and the risks related to climate change. In terms of flora, 28 species of trees and ferns were recorded, with Rhizophora and Bruguiera gymnorhiza dominating, which is typical for mangroves in this area. Similarly, soil physico-chemical properties, such as salinity, pH, nitrogen, and phosphorous were all within expected ranges. Local villagers obtained multiple benefits from the mangroves, such as timber, firewood, medicines, dyes, fruits, and marine shellfish. It appeared that mangrove degradation near to the villages was primarily due to human activities such as over-harvesting, bark removal, and dumping of domestic waste, rather than from climate change effects. Additionally, tree species such as lemons, guava, and papaya, proliferated in sites near human habitation, thus reducing mangrove floral integrity of these areas. Most villagers were aware of sustainable practices relating to mangrove harvesting, and of threats due to climate change. However, only one of two villages surveyed had experienced formal training in climate change awareness. This study provides essential baseline ethnobiological data for comparison with future studies that will enable any changes in flora, soil

FULL ABSTRACT: Research provides discovery in the present, and a legacy for the future. The knowledge gained is in pursuit of a more complete understanding of the world, natural and social. However, research is not a static entity. Much can be learned by examining past outputs of researchers. Never a neutral activity, research is paradigmatically embedded, always with a purpose in mind. Formal research of one kind or another has long been conducted in the Solomon Islands archipelago; it has provided a rich example of Pacific research as unfinished work, waka hem no finis yet, which resonates with the bodies of research from other Pacific contexts. In this article, we mine the research past of Solomon Islands to examine the directions taken over time by researchers. We then then pay attention to recent research, honouring the work of emerging researchers and the Solomon Islandcentric steerage that some are currently offering. Finally, we speculate on future directions that have the potential to further contextualise research, supporting it to reflect local thinking and lifeways, and offering wisdom to the wider Pacific and beyond. We hope that this reflexive journey will encourage Pacific researchers, including those serving Solomon Islands, to fully be themselves in their own spaces. In doing so, may they bring honour to all those who contribute to Pacific research that seeks the common good and wisdom to those that seek it.

FULL ABSTRACT: Pacific Islands Countries and Territories’ (PICTs) has one of the richest and most complex ecosystems globally, surrounded by oceans with marine and terrestrial diversity. These diverse ecosystems are essential for the well-being of Pacific Islanders in terms of their livelihoods, food security, recreation and cultural activities; and they are also integral to Islanders’ heritage and identity. The well-being and cultural heritage of the Pacific Islanders are under threat from severe climate change-related impacts; and this is further compounded by several non-climate-change related factors such as overfishing and pollution, all negatively impacting the countries’ ecosystems. These negative impacts include: ecosystem degradation, loss of ecosystem services, and biodiversity loss. Therefore, a nature-based approach such as ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) can be a useful tool in adaptation planning for the PICTs. PICTs have identified EbA as a more sustainable way towards addressing the impacts of climate change due to its costeffectiveness and suitability to the Pacific Islands countries. This is because EbA is a nature-based approach, and its implementation necessitates the involvement of the communities and/or resource owners. EbA projects in the Pacific region have been piloted in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Samoa. An analysis of the results from the four Island nations’ pilot projects revealed that knowledge integration is a significant factor in decision-making under a social-ecological system where the technical or scientific knowledge and the traditional or indigenous knowledge complement each other and, in many cases, validates the indigenous knowledge. However, as PICTs’ economies depend mainly on ecosystem services, both on land and in the ocean for individual and community wellbeing, more research is warranted to further understand how EbA practices best integrate food security and livelihoods.

FULL ABSTRACT: With the exponential rise in ‘gloom-and-doom’ reports of climate change spreading like wildfire around the Pacific, something interesting has been taking place around the many digital platforms regarding learning for I Taukei (indigenous Fijian) families around the world. More and more Fijians, both young and old alike, are embarking on a journey to discover more about their identities and climate change through oral history, language, and its associated ‘indigenous’ calendar. As a teacher and host of the online podcast ‘Talanoa With Dr T’, I too have covered, shared, and discussed scientific reports relating to climate change in the iTaukei language. Because of this, I am able to simplify scientific findings relating to climate change through Tukuni (story-telling) and Veitalanoa Vakaviti (Fijian language sharing) to those listening. In this paper, I will be discussing how understanding climate change through digital community sharing and online classes using indigenous knowledge can be done, in order to reach out to everyone in our community, from those living in the islands to those living in the diaspora. Since April 2020, my digital program continues to reach over sixty-thousand people on a weekly basis, where followers listen to stories related to itaukei traditional calendar (Vula Vakaviti) that teaches Fijian families on environmental changes associated with seasons, fruits and fish. There are many examples shared by the listeners as well. For example, there are instances where entire villages are relocated, forcing families to become more vigilant and being more aware to all the environmental changes happening around them. I believe that sharing information in the local language and dialect aids in furthering indigenous knowledge gathering and understanding, and will lead to more proactive steps and actions taken by our local iTaukei families around Fiji.

FULL ABSTRACT: The aim of this research was to: 1) gather farmers’ experiences and observations of climate change impacts on domestic crop yields during the last thirty years (1988-2018); 2) study climatic projections (2050) and their potential impacts on Sikwafata and Malu’u’s crops; and 3) understand the knowledge engaged with, and adaptations taken, to avoid susceptibility to climate change. The data was collected using the snowball approach, in which the researcher contacts informants using information provided by previous informants. A thematic analysis was performed using NVIVO 10 software. For both sites, soil samples were taken to determine moisture content. Farmers reported changes in rainfall patterns (73.5%) and temperature (44.9%), while 26.5% indicated no change in rainfall or temperature (55.1%). About 83.7% of farmers anticipate increasing temperatures and rainfall to occur by 2050, with extreme impacts on crop productivity. The majority of the gardens (87.5%) were on hillsides, while 8.5% were on the lowland, with an average of three garden per farmer. The gardens (57.0%) were on rotational sites that had been abandoned for two to five years, while 43.0% had never been rotated. In comparison to Malu’u moisture content (47.4%), Sikwafata moisture content is 66.4% higher. Furthermore, farmers are aware of adaptation measures to reduce the risk of crop failure. However, the absence of scientific information on climate change and agricultural resilience has increased the vulnerability to extreme climate-related events harming food security and nutrition. Climate change will undoubtedly intensify, resulting in a global and local drop in crop production, thus compromising livelihoods in the future.

FULL ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 outbreak and increasing natural disasters have intensified concerns about effective water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices in Fiji’s tourism sector. Whilst Indigenous values and customs are recognised in tourism development, socially inclusive WASH research in the sector has inadequately addressed Indigenous cultural nuances, especially in Pacific communities. Drawing from the Fijian Vanua Research Framework (FVRF), a Pacific research methodology that incorporates Fijian values, relationship protocols, and ways of knowing, this research designed a culturally-sensitive and socially-inclusive methodology to respect traditional Fijian protocols, and examine hotel staff and host communities’ WASH practices. The research identified differential access to, and gaps in, the provision of WASH, and provided guidelines for future change. This paper presents the challenges of, and the lessons learnt from, the application of the methodology to field research. The methodology provided invaluable intellectual detail, resulting in the development of contextually appropriate recommendations and tools, and strengthening long-term working relationships.

FULL ABSTRACT: As with small islands around the globe, many of the island states of the South Pacific are heavily dependent on tourism revenue. This article examines how tourism development and its disturbance by Covid-19 has influenced socio-cultural and economic changes among Indigenous communities in Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Cook Islands, and Fiji. In particular, it demonstrates how the cessation of international tourism in established destination communities has created shifts in the way people live and their livelihood approaches which have moved towards a revival of customary practices. This study was led by Massey University researchers through partnerships with research associates (RAs) based in-country: an online survey and on-site interviews by RAs, along with Zoom interviews by the authors, provided primary data. The paper argues that although Covid-19 has had difficult financial consequences, it has also motivated innovative, culturallybased responses that allow people to adapt effectively to the loss in income associated with border closures. Such changes point to valuable lessons that could inform the management of more resilient tourism in the Pacific.