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Fiji has been identified as one of the countries most vulnerable to declines in reef condition due to the high dependence on reef systems for key industries (tourism and fishing). Much of the waters of Fiji and adjacent international waters include highly prospective deposits of copper, gold, zinc, silver and chemical elements. Extracting these resources is only now becoming feasible due to technological advances in Deep Seabed Mining (DSM). A large area of Fiji’s waters is now subject to DSM exploration licenses. But very little is known of the risks DSM creates for key marine ecosystem services and the industries that reply on those services for both income and employment (e.g. tourism and fishing). This desktop study seeks to identify, scope and broadly estimate the potential costs to Fiji associated with DSM. Only once those costs are understood, can Fiji confidently make robust policy decision about the amount, location and management of DSM within its waters.

MPA networks, that are ecologically coherent and that protect 30 per cent of each habitat in our oceans are expected to contribute significantly to the recovery of marine biodiversity and a productive ocean (Roberts & Hawkins, 2000; Gell & Roberts, 2003; Halpern, 2003). This target has been recommended by the World Parks Congress (WPC 2014).

The declining marine turtle populations in Fiji has become a growing concern over recent years. Unlimited exploitation of marine turtles for both subsistence and traditional purposes have imposed a threat to these vulnerable turtle populations. Veitayaki (1995) explained that the use of marine turtles in traditional occasions is unlimited where the number of turtles exploited represents the success per catch per effort in a village setting. A few studies have illustrated the use of marine turtles in Fiji. According to Guinea (1993), a tortoise industry was thriving in Fiji in the early 1940s. In 1998, Fiji became a signatory country to the Convention on International Trading of Endangered Wild flora and fauna (CITES). Fiji later enforced the Endangered and Protected Species Act (1998) and a second Turtle Moratorium (2004 -2008) after the first from 1995 - 2000. In September 2009, a third Moratorium was endorsed and is in effect from 2009 - 2018. These policies and associated regulations contribute to the implementation of Fiji’s commitments to CITES at local level and further enhances the protection and conservation of marine turtles

Plant genetic resources are a threatened but invaluable resource for present and future generations. Crop genetic diversity – both in cultivated plants (landraces) and the wild plants from which our crops originate (crop wild relatives or CWR) – provide important resources for food security, environmental sustainability and economic stability. It is thus perhaps surprising, considering this socio-economic importance that the conservation of CWR has not been systematically addressed and the rapid declines in landraces have generated little international conservation concern.

A project team composed of staff of the various division of MNREM was formed as a Technical Team to assist the Project Manager in the implementation of project activities. The Project Team and Manager were able to compile a Summary Report of Existing Information on Lake Lanoto’o, organized and started the initial detail surveys on the site’s flora and fauna ecologies; and prepare a list of stakeholders for engagement in the formulation of an effective management/development plan for the site.