Fiji, sustainability and climate change: Five ways tourists can help the locals

Vomo Island partners with Pack for a Purpose Fiji to help guests to make a lasting impact by donating vital supplies to two local villages.

Fijians embrace tourists like few others and not only because tourism makes up 38 per cent of Fiji's economy. "Welcome home" is the ubiquitous greeting at every resort and it's heartfelt.

Generous, warm and community-minded, Fijians have long lived in harmony with their physical environment, taking only what they need from the mountains, rivers and the seas that surround the country's 333 islands. Fiji produces less than one per cent of the world's global emissions.

But like its Pacific neighbours, Fiji is also one of the nations most vulnerable to climate change and climate-related disasters, and is particularly exposed to rising sea levels, the heating of the oceans, and cyclones, which are becoming more frequent as the sea warms.

Coral Planting at Six Senses Fiji.

While it still looks like paradise to holiday-makers, there are troubles brewing that are not unique to Fiji. Coral reefs worldwide are dying, plastic waste clogs the shores and rivers, mangrove forests have been destroyed for firewood gathering and tourist development, species such as turtles and iguanas are seriously endangered, agriculture is threatened by natural disasters, and the local traditions which keep society's connections strong are at risk from globalisation.

Tourist arrivals bounced back to 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in June but some are wary of what this means for the Fijian way of life. "Tourism is a big help, but it comes at a cost," says Josua Cakautini, who oversees the cultural activities at Nanuku Resort in Pacific Harbour. Fijians have a saying "good as coconut", which means don't waste anything, just as they use every bit of the coconut, husks, leaves and flesh. When tourists bring gifts to the villages that the children "have never seen and don't need" it goes against this idea of taking from nature only what you need.

Josua, who speaks 14 Fijian dialects, says the children are also forgetting their languages and losing their connection to the land as the country develops. "We are going too fast – but where?" he asks.

Fears that Fiji is careening into an existential crisis not of its own making has spurred action from different quarters. Many of Fiji's resorts are working with NGOs and environmental agencies like Rise Beyond the Reef and the Mamanuca Environment Society in conservation projects such coral gardening, waste management, mangrove reforestation and crown of thorns starfish eradication, as well as social outreach programs, collaborating with villages to revive traditional knowledge and skills.

According to Sunishma Singh, Fiji Tourism's new sustainability officer, holiday-makers can be part of the solution, not the problem. "Shopping local, eating local produce, being mindful of interactions with nature, not littering, etc, and sharing positive experiences all help contribute to Fiji's growth and sustainability efforts," she says.

If you're planning a trip to Fiji, think about how you can help outside spending your dollars at a resort. Buy souvenirs such as the dolls made by maramas (women) in remote communities rather than plastic grass skirts. Take an active part in your resort's mangrove reforestation or coral planting programs.

Add in a fun and educational excursion away from the pool such as going for a picnic at an organic farm or taking the the kids to see some iguanas and learn about the breeding programs. Ask your hotel how you can donate directly to the local village or check packforapurpose.org before you leave and find some space in your luggage for donations such as books and clothing that villages really need.

Return the love.

Here are five green things to do when you're in Fiji.

Picnics and Kavacino

Eileen Chute grew up on a farm in one of the remotest regions of Fiji, Udu Point on Vanua Levi. In 2006, after living abroad for many years, she returned to Fiji and established Bulaccino, a cafe and bakery serving great coffee, delectable home-baked food and fresh tropical juices, which soon expanded to three cafes, one in Nadi, two in Suva. Eleven years ago, Eileen purchased an abandoned sugar cane farm outside Nadi which she cleared and planted with orchards of exotic fruit and extensive vegetable gardens to grow produce to use in the cafe's fresh juices and baked goods. The 12-hectare organic farm, which uses methods which go back to the simple, sustainable farming of her childhood, snuggles under a mountain range known as "the sleeping giant". It's an idyllic setting, where sheep graze on the slopes, chickens roam free and ducks paddle in the pond – sometimes they end up in the restaurant's duck and lamb curries. Bulaccino's bakery is on the property, supplying the cafés daily. The farm has several beautiful spots for picnics and farm visits can be arranged via the website. The Nadi café near the airport is worth a visit for great sandwiches, wraps, curries, pies and cakes. Try a Kavacino – kava-infused coffee. See bulaccino.com

Coral and Warriors

Nanuku Resort occupies two kilometres of beachfront on the coast of Viti Levu near Pacific Harbour but the 500-acre private property, which is surrounded by lagoon and river, feels as remote as a pristine island when you reach it after a three-hour drive from Nadi airport. The focus at five-star Nanuku is on sustaining Fijian culture by immersing guests in genuine local experiences, from an enthusiastic warrior welcome to menus based around Fijian flavours and produce from the garden and local farms. It's a wonderful place for kids, who are assigned a complimentary 'buddy' or nanny for their stay. Exploration and play are nature-based, offering a wide range of fun activities, such as line fishing, gardening, kayaking, snorkelling, ziplining, crab races, cooking classes and hiking. There's not a video game in sight in the kid's open-air clubhouse. Kelly-Dawn Bentley, the resort's Sustainability Manager, helps maintain Nanuku's minimal carbon footprint while involving guests young and old in the resort's coral planting and mangrove regeneration projects. nanukuresort.com

Mangroves and Turtles

Along the Coral Coast, near the village of Korotogo, Jo Jo and David are planting mangrove seedlings in the silty mud. Both are working with OISCA, a Japanese based NGO that is involved in several projects in Fiji, including training youth in sustainable agriculture and coral reef restoration. In collaboration with 15 local communities, the mangrove restoration project aims to plant 40,000 trees every year. Worldwide, mangrove forests are being lost more quickly than rainforests to agriculture, land development, charcoal production and the building of resorts and hotels with desirable water frontage. The damage done is incalculable, as mangroves protect the coast from extreme weather events such as tsunamis, provide a nursery for sea life, filter rubbish and sequester carbon for up to 5000 years. The long seeds are first collected from the water where they float, nurtured as seedlings in nurseries and, once mature, planted along the shoreline, where they'll take three years to develop a root system. Visitors can find out more about the project at oica.com or join Fiji Airways new half-day Mangrove and Turtle Eco Tour, which concludes with a low tide visit to the Coral Coast to take part in mangrove planting. fijiairways.com

Kombucha and Iguanas

The all-villa Six Senses Fiji sits on a long white sand beach on Malolo Island, the largest in the Mamanuca Group, and integrates the values of sustainability and wellness into every aspect of its operation, from running one of the largest off-grid solar plants in the Southern Hemisphere to sourcing most of the produce for its three restaurants and bars from its extensive organic garden and farm. Fish is line-caught by local fishermen and delicacies such as sea grapes are farmed directly from the surrounding waters. The property has its own reverse osmosis filtration plant and crystal water refinery, avoiding the use of plastic bottles. Waste produce is creatively recycled into home-made kombuchas, probiotics and liquors such as vodka made from discarded pineapple skins. Guests can tour the farm, join the chefs for cooking classes in the garden, learn how to make soap from discarded cooking oil and jewellery from waste plastic in the Eco Lab, or create their own body scrub from natural ingredients at the Alchemy Bar in the spa, where an Ayurvedic doctor is on hand for wellness consultations. The resort is also a sanctuary for the Fijian Crested Iguana, which is critically endangered. sixsenses.com

Mantas and Honeybees

Kokomo Island has an idyllic setting in the southern Kadavu group, just a 10-minute boat ride from the Great Astrolabe Reef, one of the largest barrier reefs in the world and a renowned spot for snorkelling with manta rays. The passion project of Australian property developer Lang Walker, Kokomo is the epitome of barefoot glamour with its gorgeous beachfront pool villas and clifftop residences set on 56 hectares of beach and rainforest. But its exclusivity belies the generous contribution Walker makes to ocean conservation in Fiji through a number of well-funded initiatives, including the Kokomo Turtle Conservation Project to protect the Green and Hawksbill turtles in its waters, and the Manta Conservation Project with the Manta Trust which tags and tracks the reef's manta rays using sophisticated acoustic and satellite transmitters to better understand their migratory behaviour. The resort transplants live corals to restore the reef, propagates mangroves for other islands, undertakes regular beach clean-ups of rubbish and to remove destructive crown of thorns starfish. An immaculately planted 2.2 hectare organic and hydroponic garden crowns the island, supplying fresh fruit and vegetables, herbs, eggs and honey to the resort's restaurant - truly farm to table. kokomoislandfiji.com

Five more good things in Fiji

Sheraton Golf and Beach Resort

This popular resort is working with NGO Friend Fiji to transform part of its golf course into an organic garden. sheraton.com-fiji.com

Likuliku Lagoon Resort

The resort is restoring the habitat of the Mololo Island Crested Iguana and breeding and documenting the once thought extinct species. likulikulagoon.com

Vomo Island

The luxury resort partners with Pack for a Purpose Fiji to help guests to make a lasting impact by donating vital supplies to two local villages in the Yasawa Group. vomofiji.com

Como Laucala Island

This celebrity haven prides itself on being 86 per cent self-sustainable with its 97 hectares of farmland supplying the kitchens and spa. comohotels.com

Fiji Surf Co

Fiji's first locally owned surf charter company, heavily involved in ocean sustainability for 30 years, has developed the world's first charcoal-based reef friendly sunscreen. fijisurfco.com.fj

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Fiji Airways flies to Nadi twice daily from Sydney, with daily flights from Melbourne and Brisbane, and twice weekly flights from Adelaide. See fijiairways.com

Lee Tulloch was a guest of Fiji Airways, Nanuku, Six Senses Fiji and Kokomo Island.