Threats

Like many island ecosystems, Fiji’s marine biodiversity faces growing threats. These include:

• Climate change
• Changes to and affecting habitat
  
• Coral bleaching
• Siltation of waterways and coastal areas from agricultural practices
• logging and clearing of riparian vegetation leading to the degradation and loss of important coastal habitats in the marine environment

• Commerce and development
• tourism
• increased coastal settlement
• inappropriate economic development activities

• Harmful fishing practices
• Destructive fishing practices such as explosives, night spear fishing and modern and traditional poisons for fishing
• over-harvesting of key species
• artisanal (subsistence) and commercial fishing pressures
• introduction of invasive alien species

• Pollution
• point-source pollution (e.g. sewage, mining, industrial discharges, litter refuse disposal sites)
• non-point source pollution (fertilisers, herbicides, urban run-off)

In some Fijian communities, many popular varieties of edible mollusc and invertebrates are already facing the local extinction. In addition, marine environment is continuously impacted through natural events, such as cyclones.

The cumulative effects of these impacts, coupled with the dependence of Fiji’s coastal communities on marine resources and limited alternative livelihood options are putting increasing pressure on the marine environment. The need to manage the Fiji Islands Marine Ecoregion (FIME) sustainably and in an integrated way is becoming increasingly imperative.