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iving tourists from both yachts and liveaboards have since management of the marine reserve and to provide scholarships
for the children of the district to attend tertiary education institu-
D been exploring the rich reefs of Namena for almost 30 years, tions– something that is quite a struggle if you are from a rural
village in Fiji. As the number of divers increased, local leaders
finding healthy, colorful soft corals and hard coral reefs and began to worry that the tourists they were relying on to conserve
abundant fish life. Owing to its healthy reef ecosystems and the the reefs, might actually be harming them. Existing mooring buoys
abundance of its fish biodiversity, divers have named Namena proved insufficient to handle the increasing tourist traffic within
“the mecca of diving in Fiji.” During the 1980’s, commercial fishing the reserve and as a result, heavy anchors were crushing coral and
around the reefs of Namena was big business. As the years went leaving them vulnerable to infection. In response to this concern,
by, the people of Kubulau watched the numbers of fish on their the people of Kubulau teamed with their long-time conservation
reefs dwindle and decided to act to protect their fish stocks. They partners to devise a solution to protect the reef and avert anchor
declared the reefs around Namenalala Island, a Marine Protected damage.
Area (MPA – or no-take zone as they were known then) in 1997. In
addition, the Namena reef system is a known migratory pathway C ORAL joined forces with the Kubulau chieftain and the
for humpback whales, and it is common to encounter other spe- Kubulau Resource Taveuni Management Committee to create
cies, including bottlenose dolphins and spinner dolphins, pilot Fiji’s first anchor-free zone within the Namena Marine Reserve.
whales, sperm whales, false killer whales and minke whales.An Together, they mapped out locations for a series of permanent
international coral reef conservation organization, ‘The Coral Reef moorings within the reserve; today six deepwater moorings serve
Alliance’ (CORAL) visited the Marine Reserve back in 2001, and popular dive sites. All mooring buoys are open to both tour opera-
subsequently sponsored a respected community leader to visit tors and private vessels. Despite the ever-increasing popularity of
the Bonaire Marine Park in the Netherlands Antilles, to learn the the Namena Marine Reserve as an international dive destination,
mechanics of managing a marine park. The trip was a success, and the Kubulau community has struggled to encourage the tourism
in 1994, the first ‘Dive Tag’ was sold by an appointed committee. industry to their shores.
A voluntary contribution of FJ $25 is requested from each diver
and the income generated is used to help support both the
