Empowering women and coastal communities for a healthy, resilient and productive mangrove forest ecosystem in the Rewa Delta, Fiji
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Mangroves provide a number of ecosystem services that are vital to the sustainability of coastal communities and livelihoods in the Rewa Delta, and are a high priority in climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies throughout the world; having exceptionally high carbon stocks of any ecosystem on earth. The loss of mangroves to the local and global community would not only mean the loss of their many individual benefits, but also the exacerbated eroding of the collective value of these services. The effects of climate change and global warming have not spared the six communities of the Rewa Delta (Nasilai, Natila, Naivakacau, Waicoka, Narocake and Muanaira) as it has eroded their shorelines. This has incited the villagers to observe the value of protecting mangroves and has encouraged these communities to plant mangroves and restore mangrove areas that have been cut down and damaged by cyclones. Subsequently, most of the women residing in the Rewa Delta rely on these mangrove ecosystems as sources of income and food for their families through fishing, catching crabs and collecting shellfish. Thus, women play such a critical role in the conservation of ecosystems; however, their contribution is often overlooked and undervalued, as such women in the Rewa Delta struggle to be included in community decision-making. Nevertheless, the project allows women to lead and advocate on environmental issues that might impact their lives adversely, improving security, skills development and education of both women and girls in the community. Hence, protecting and restoring their mangrove ecosystem is the most effective method for these six communities to benefit from this ecosystem socially, environmentally and economically.
Keywords: mangroves, women, ecosystem services, sustainability, climate change, coastal communities, livelihoods, rewa delta
ID: 3486331