Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: How Ms. Thomas fell in love with nature

5 December 2013, Suva Fiji -

 A young woman in a smart green dress - or jaba - stood before hundreds of people at the Vodafone Arena and opened her presentation in her indigenous Fijian (iTaukei) language with an introduction of herself.

Ms. Nunia Thomas hails from Drauniivi in Ra and in her introduction she identified her clan and family animal totem. Then she addressed the rest of the room in English to translate her introduction.

Acknowledging her cultural identity and mentors before passionately advocating the importance of the environment and biodiversity is a trademark of Ms Thomas.

The 32-year-old is the director of Fijian conservation group Nature Fiji-Mareqeti Viti. She completed post-graduate studies at the University of the South Pacific (USP) in 2007 and is now one of Fiji’s leading herpetologists.

Ironically, Ms. Thomas talks about her path to her present work as an accident and blessing.

Ms. Thomas is the middle child of five siblings of the late Mr. Saimoni Aca Thomas and Mrs. Mereseini Thomas.

Ms. Thomas described her late father as a feminist who encouraged her to be a strong and independent woman. She described her parents as her mentors and advisors.

Ms. Thomas had a keen interest in language, literature and law but followed her parents' advice to pursue science.

“I was naturally interested in science anyway so I kept at it but at university level I wanted to do law,” she said. “I initially was going to disobey my parents' advice.”

Ms. Thomas is a former student of St. Joseph’s Secondary School and at school, her English teacher, Mrs.  Luvena was her mentor. After leaving high school she met her Mrs. Luvena on a bus, who advised her to pursue science.

After high school, Ms. Thomas applied for admission to the biology and chemistry program me at USP but because of limited space, she had to consider the only other option - environmental science.

“I looked at it and I thought okay, I’ll go into environmental science and I did. It was geography and biology and I fell in love with geography right then and there,” she said.

Thomas said her main inspiration were her lecturers and professors and the friends she made within the programme.

Ms. Thomas graduated in 2002 and became a graduate assistant at USP’s South Pacific Regional Herbarium. She then secured a scholarship to go into post-graduate studies and was approached in 2007 by Mr Dick Watling to join Nature Fiji-Mareqeti Viti. After graduation, she joined Nature Fiji-Mareqeti Viti as their first recruit and since then has been involved in various projects and preparing of research papers.

Her message to young people is listen to the advice of parents and mentors before making a decision. Ms. Thomas said she has had many challenges on her journey but she was taught by her parents to view the challenges as an opportunity. She hopes in the future, she could work with children and instil values in young people to have a better appreciation of their culture and nature.

Originally published on the SPREP blog and the 9th Pacific Islands Nature Conservation and Protected Areas conference bulletin

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Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: Conservation efforts must benefit all

5 December 2013, Suva, Fiji - Management efforts for conservation should benefit as many people as possible, says a representative of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

WCS program director Dr. Stacy Jupiter said it was important to consider village communities for sustainable development.

“One of the things we really need to think about is managing as holistically as possible, so thinking about how you can design management interventions that will offer the most benefits for the most people.”

Dr. Jupiter said areas like the Vatu-i-Ra passage in Fiji were really important for driving productivity, providing nutrients and habitats for the fish and marine life and should be managed well.

WCS worked with several communities including in the Bua, Lomaiviti and Ra provinces, especially with protected areas.

“Each area has their own complementary plans and we can think about not just the community interest but also how you overlay that with economic development in a sustainable way,” she said.

Dr. Jupiter said some challenges in communities included lack of information.

She said people were conscious that marine protected areas would shut out activities, not realising it was mainly about ensuring the activities in the area were sustainable.

“You don’t want to put logging directly upstream from fresh water sources that people use for drinking water because it compromises the ecosystem that people really need.”

Dr. Jupiter said the 9th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas was a good opportunity to improve national and international policies on the environment.

“One of the most important things to recognise is that Fiji is still at an advantageous position compared to other places in the world because things are still in good shape,” she said.

She said that the conference was valuable because it brought the government and NGOs on board for a collaborative discussion on sustainable development.

“It’s good; this is really a place where you get to meet people from all across the Pacific who are responding to the same issues and its valuable for the exchange of ideas.”

Originally published on the SPREP blog and the 9th Pacific Islands Nature Conservation and Protected Areas bulletin

Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: Conservation efforts must benefit all: Dr. Stacy Jupiter attending the CBD COP10 in Nagoya, Japan By Maryann Lockington, journalism student at the USP 5 December 2013,...

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Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: From Pakistan to the Pacific islands - one man's j...

3 December 2013, Suva Fiji - When Mr. Hamza Malik left Lahore in Pakistan to come on an internship at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Suva, he knew he was coming for new experiences, especially as it was his first time to be over the ocean.

Mr. Malik hails from Bahawalpur in Punjab, a city of about 800,000 people located in the central western region of Pakistan, several hundred kilometres away from Karachi and the Arabian Sea.

Mr.Malik was among those who gathered in Suva this week for the regional nature conservation conference.

He is working in Fiji to develop the eco-internship programme at WWF Fiji. He spoke about his experiences recounting some highlights of the past two months.

When shooting his documentary in Yadua Taba Island in Bua, Mr. Malik said the first turtle they caught was named after him.

The lead up to meeting Hamza the turtle began around Mr. Malik's passion for photography and documentary filming. During his two months in Fiji, Mr. Malik has travelled to at least six islands including Yadua Taba, Yaqaqa, Kavea and Yadua.

"Camera work here was a challenge because I had to learn how to film in the tropics," he said.  He was a part of the team that went to Yadua Island for turtle monitoring so he shot some footage for his documentary film.

"I learnt how to tag turtles," he said. "We also did sea grass monitoring because that is their main diet."

Mr. Malik filmed scenes during the turtle-tagging and the first big turtle tagged was named after him. He was also part of the team that carried out beach profiling at Yadua Taba Island for the turtle nesting grounds.

"We went to Yadua Taba and that was also a sanctuary for crested iguanas," he said.  Mr. Malik said he loved working with young people and got the opportunity to work with tertiary and high school students.

"It is fascinating how youth here are so aware of their environment compared to other parts of the world," he said. "It is very important to work with students because we need to instill these values in them so that they can be our future ambassadors."

At the conference, Mr. Malik has been immersed in listening to the speakers and talking with those interested in the WWF Fiji's display booth. Mr. Malik said education on environmental awareness and civic responsibility is important.

"It is the first time for me to see NGOs on a single platform and I think it is important that we work in a partnership as a family," he said.  He also talked about some of his experiences in Fiji and meeting new friends.

"I enjoy the night grog sessions and eating fish every day," he joked. "It's been a lifetime experience and I have my first-ever snorkeling gear."

Mr. Malik expressed his love for the culture, food and the people.

"It's been fascinating having hands-on experience with island communities," he said.  "Conservation is important and I've learnt about rain water storage and water management."

Mr. Malik will be leaving in February 2014 and he hopes to make use of what he has learnt here in Pakistan.

Originally Published on the SPREP blog and the 9th Pacific Islands Nature Conservation and Protected Areas conference bulletin.

Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: From Pakistan to the Pacific islands - one man's j...: By Maryann Lockington, journalism student at USP 3 December 2013, Suva Fiji -  When Mr. Hamza Malik left Lahore in Pakistan to come on a...

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The Samoan teenager who leads a growing chorus of small voices

3 December 2013, Suva Fiji - Fifteen-year-old Brianna Fruean was one of the young environmentalists who travelled to Suva for the regional nature conservation forum this week. It does not take long to figure out that Ms Fruean is not your average teenager, having already formed an organisation of her own in Samoa.

Ms Fruean was always interested in environmental issues and started a children's eco-group called Small Voices with her friends at Vaiala Beach School when she was 11 years old.

"My mum and sister help me out a lot. My dad is my main inspiration and he was the one who taught me how to speak," she said.

Ms Fruean lost her father in March this year and lives with her sister and mother in Samoa.

She is also one of the youngest participants of the Pacific Youth Environment Network (PYEN).

"I came to help out as a facilitator for PYEN so that I can be involved in a youth network that spreads across the Pacific," she said.

Ms Fruean first represented Samoa in 2009 to the United Nations Environment Programme Tunza conference in Daejeon Korea and also in Nagoya, Japan in 2010. In 2010 she helped initiate a tree-planting event as a way to raise awareness.

"Samoa had pledged to plant one million trees and I thought we could contribute by planting trees," Ms Fruean said.  She was referred to the CEO of Environment who helped her get the event started. 

The organisation for children called Small Voices in Samoa has now spread to at least five other schools since it was founded in 2010.

"The cool thing about Small Voices is although not all members will go into environmental studies, whatever they do, they'll always have a green mindset," she said. Ms Fruean said that she was hoping to expand Small Voices in the future.

"Once Small Voices gets established fully in Samoa, I'm thinking to start one in Fiji," she said. "I want to make it a good-size network that can continue when I leave."

Originally published on the SPREP blog and Pacific Islands Nature Conservation and Protected Areas Conference bulletin

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A budding conservationist

Thursday, December 5, 2013

6 December 2013, Suva Fiji - A new youth group in Lautoka is making waves, trying to build a platform for youth in the Western Division of Viti Levu.

The Creative Environment Advocacy Social Empowerment for Youths (Creative EASEY) is an initiative that was formed in December 2012 by Mr. Jone Nawaikula for young advocates on their respective issues.

Creative EASEY representative 17-year-old Pravneil Chand animatedly advocated for youth involvement at the Pacific Youth Environment Network (PYEN).

He said that Creative EASEY was a much needed achievement for the youths in the western division.

“It was important to have a link with the Ministry of Youth and National Youth Council because there wasn’t much being done in the West,” he said.

Mr. Chand joined Creative EASEY in September this year and is currently the youngest member of the youth group.

“I was approached by Creative EASEY after school about a gardening workshop in September,” he said. “As soon as I joined, I found out that this was my passion.”

Mr. Chand said that Creative EASEY was involved in advocating for women’s issues, children’s rights and awareness on abuse.

“These are all very important issues but we need more environmental awareness and that’s why I’m here,” he said.

Mr. Chand hopes to take back what he learnt at the PYEN workshop to share with his youth group in Lautoka.

“I’d like to go back and run a workshop with other youth on nature conservation,” he said.

Mr. Chand added that he would also like to work on waste management projects and advocacy.

“We don’t separate our rubbish into plastics, paper and so on which I think is something we should push for,” he said.

He said he was enthusiastic about future projects with Creative EASEY.

“We’re hoping to visit the Yasawa Islands and take with us some supplies for them with help from US funding,” he said.

He hoped that Creative EASEY could branch out to other nearby towns and partner with PYEN to assist in projects.

Originally published on the SPREP blog

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Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: Today I learnt…..

Bionesian....Pacific Biodiversity: Today I learnt…..: 6  December 2013, Suva, Fiji - We hear from the journalism students providing you with coverage of the 9th Pacific Islands  Conference...

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Profile: Jope Tarai

(published by Wansolwara)

ON a panel to discuss national politics last month, a largely unknown young man sat shoulder-to-shoulder with three of Fiji’s prominent political figures, Sitiveni Rabuka, Shamima Ali and Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi.

Jope Tarai was the young charismatic voice that represented USP students and by the end of that evening, he had the room silent in admiration. Human rights advocate Faye Volatabu was particularly impressed and encouraged to find a positive young youth who called for youths to do what they can, in the community.

That voice belonged to Jope Tarai, a postgraduate governance student and teaching assistant at USP. An advocate for youth and youth participation, Jope stamped his place as an inspirational young speaker and as a commendable panelist among his seniors. As expressive and outspoken as he is on stage, he seems to be a humble person at heart, as he kept shying away from speaking about himself.

Though a son of Tailevu, Tarai chose to identify himself with his mother who is from Waikete. He talked about how closely he was tied to his mother. He seemed disinclined to discuss his father, but later briefly explained some of the hardships he faced growing up.

“My father was a very ruthless man, he said. “I had to go through a classic case of domestic violence and my paternal family was where certain families were for certain children really don’t care.”

It was curious that Tarai initially pursued a degree in science for his undergraduate study.

“I pushed myself to do it because it was my mom’s wishes and my mother was the driving force behind everything for me,” he says.

Unfortunately, Tarai’s grades dropped because of his lack of interest in the subject and he became more interested in other things.

“I would notice issues that I would usually feel weird that my friends didn’t notice especially around campus and around the country,” he explains.

“There are a lot of things you notice but just to talk about those things compounded with the cultural barrier that we have there are some things for us  young people that we don’t talk about.”

Towards the end of his last semester, Tarai had one more elective he had to do and that was politics.

“The politics electives had a much higher grade and I knew that this was a turning point for me,” he said.

Sandra Tarte was Tarai’s lecturer in 2011 in two of his undergraduate courses for Politics and International Affairs Program.

“He is mature, thoughtful and hardworking and is deeply interested in current affairs and world and regional politics,” she says candidly about him. “I can confirm that Jope is an exceptionally talented student, who has an obvious aptitude for the subject of international affairs.”

Tarai graduated with his degree in Science and began working part-time, as well as a tutor for Korean students.

After realising his passion for politics, Tarai returned and enrolled for an undergraduate study in Politics. During his studies in his 300-level, he was approached by a lecturer who suggested for him to apply for postgraduate studies.

“I applied, a few months later a response came that they accepted my application,” he said.

Taiai says politics was a learning point for him.

“Politics opened it up for me why these things were not that way,” he said. “The more you know the more you want know about other things.”

Tarai began his advocacy work trying to get young people to learn how to ask questions. He started with the Inter-disciplinary Climate Change group and was involved in FALE and Radio Pasifika. Radio Pasifika still continues to run the climate change program called Talimagimagi.

Tarai became involved on more public platforms like student debates where he met Glen Finau during the FBE inter-school debates.

The FBE team was approached by the journalism department for a debate on the topic, “Media Freedom is essential for democracy.” Finau asked Tarai’s assistance for the debate team because he felt that the topic was outside the field of economics.

“He graciously accepted my request and was instrumental in getting the team ready and the main reason for our victory in that debate,” Finau says.

Tarai captained the USP debate team that won the 3rd Europa shield last year and also won Best Debater Award.

Finau said that Tarai was the heart of the team and a great leader.

“He has a true gift in public speaking. Anyone who is in attendance when Jope speaks cannot help but be mesmerised by his eloquence and inspired by his ideas,” he said.

Tarai continues to strive for youth participation and promotes their engagement with the happenings of society.

“We can’t drive any organisation, we can’t drive any student movement without the students so that was basically the first piece of what I want to learn to just get people to think or talk and not rely so much on other people to think for them,” he says.

Finau said that he could see Tarai becoming a leader for society in the future.

“In a time when there is a lot of uncertainty and a lack of true leaders, we need more youths like Jope. He is making a great change and he is empowering and giving a voice to many youths in Fiji.”

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