About Us
Our Vision ~ 50 Years
NatureFiji-MareqetiViti’s vision of Fiji in 50 years’ time is of a healthy environment maintaining its diversity of species and habitats, its ecological integrity and resilience, parts of which are in pristine condition.
Fiji’s landowners and general public will have a sound awareness of the nation’s natural heritage and will actively support the well-directed efforts of the government and its NGO partners in addressing the conservation needs and the sustainable livelihoods of everyone in the country.
Our Mission
NatureFiji-MareqetiViti’s mission is to enhance biodiversity and habitat conservation, endangered species protection and sustainable use of natural resources of the Fiji Islands. This will be achieved through the promotion of collaborative conservation actions, awareness raising, education, research, and biodiversity information exchange.
Our Core Values
NatureFiji-MareqetiViti’s members and supporters share three basic values and beliefs that drive our organisational efforts.
These core values are:
- The biological integrity of Fiji’s natural heritage must be protected and restored.
- We must provide consistent and credible advice and leadership for natural heritage conservation efforts in Fiji.
- We will value and respect our members, our partners, our funders, and the people we work with.
We will support our core values:
- by educating and informing people and government with reliable data, analyses and information so that they are inspired to conserve Fiji’s natural heritage and make responsible stewardship decisions;
- through the growth of a diverse membership, partnerships and coalitions.
- by recognising, valuing and respecting traditional and local ecological knowledge and cultural practices.
- through communication and voluntary partnerships as keys to an effective network and achieving common conservation goals.
- by recognising the value of different disciplinary approaches in seeking solutions to the many and varied natural heritage conservation problems.
- by effectively advancing conservation of Fiji’s natural heritage, with measurable impact through all our efforts and activities.
- through regular review and evaluation of our activities, so that we are an open, learning, self-critical organisation.
- by maintaining the highest standards of accountability to our members, partners and donors.
NatureFiji-MareqetiViti is the working arm of the Fiji Nature Conservation Trust, a non-profit making, non-governmental, non-political and charitable Trust, registered in Fiji under the Charitable Trusts Act (Cap. 67).
Board of Trustees
To ensure that NatureFiji-MareqetiViti is run according to the Trust’s vision, mission, and core values, a board of trustees have been appointed with responsibility.
Management Council
A member-elected Management Council is responsible for the policy and direction adopted by a small secretariat which will run day-to-day operations of NatureFiji-MareqetiViti.
Overview of Fiji’s Biodiversity and Conservation Sector
Fiji’s terrestrial biodiversity resources are of global importance. As is true of most isolated island groups, Fiji’s terrestrial flora and fauna demonstrate a high degree of endemism (unique occurrence of species within a limited geographic area) – over half (56 percent) of Fiji’s 1,594 known plant species are endemic, with some groups being completely or almost entirely endemic (e.g., 24 of 25 native species of palms in Fiji are endemic).
More than 40 percent of the native forest cover of the islands is still intact, and some islands, like Taveuni, still have contiguous forest cover stretching from the mountain peaks to the coast. Forested areas provide habitat for a wide array of unique birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, insects and other invertebrates.
Unfortunately, Fiji’s Protected Areas System remains poorly developed both in terms of ecosystem representation and availability for visitor access and appreciation.
Prior to 2007, in contrast to many of its neighbours, Fiji did not have a nature conservation or wildlife non-governmental organization (NGO); however, many international NGOs had set up in Fiji. While Fiji has benefited greatly from their presence, particularly in respect of employment opportunities and the resources they bring, there are some challenges.
The lack of local NGO development, lack of local conservation management capacity development, and the precedence of global as opposed to national or cultural concerns, leads to a limited focus on Fiji’s biodiversity conservation.