Protected natural areas in the South Pacific

Forest and Bird, Volume 17, Issue 2, 1 May 1986, Page 12

Protected natural areas in the South Pacific

Birandra ach a is the conservation officer for the Fiji National Trust. This article is an edited version of his keynote address on the Pacific to the World Conference on National Parks held in Bali in 1982.

A: was common to most societies in the pre-industrial era, the inhabitants of the many islands in the Pacific Ocean had a pattern of living dependent very much on the coastal or terrestrial resources that were available to them at the time. The coastal dwellers were natural swimmers and seamen, which aided them to reap harvests from the seas and reefs. Micronesians were the only Oceanian people who did deep sea fishing.

Islanders living along waterways towards the middle of islands developed methods of obtaining game from the forests, including pigs (probably originally introduced by the early arrivals on the islands), birds and large lizards. Both coastal and inland peoples also practised slash and burn agriculture — primarily growing rootcrops and leaving the land fallow after harvest — and collected fruits and root crops growing wild near the settlements.

Conservation through "‘taboo" Enough examples can be given to illustrate that there was a great tradition of conservation practice in the Pacific, especially through the use of "‘taboo"’ areas or practices; these taboo systems had extraordinary socio-religious power. No doubt there were exceptions but these probably depended on the availability of plentiful supplies in relation to the size of human population. Where population pressures were high, the natural environment was destroyed, e.g. grasslands of Marquesas, Papua New Guinea and western Viti Levu (Fiji). In Fiji we also know that some bird species including a pigeon were hunted to extinction in the 18th century. The prehistoric inhabitants of the Pacific islands practised intelligent conservation, and used technologies adequate for those times; but they also depended on the sanctions of social customs to be successful. During the past century, as visits to this region increased with arrivals from Europe and Asia, a commercial value was established for almost all resources. The introduction of new methods of transportation and communication also brought the indigenous inhabitants of this region in contact with new ideas, styles of living and technologies for resource use. This has affected and will undoubtedly continue to affect the traditional conservation concepts in the future. Even if the intentions of the new arrivals were good, their end result has been the slow eradication of traditional practices that maintained the delicate balances between humanity and nature. Tourism, industrialization and the introduction of intensive agricultural systems based on exotic species of plants and

animals are bringing about far-reaching changes. The rapid deforestation of the higher islands that has taken place is a major concern to scientists, conservationists and other inhabitants of this realm. The forests on quite a number of islands are being extracted for export earnings; mines on different islands are fast removing the mineral wealth of the islands. Records show an increase in fish catch every year

with the introduction of modern fisheries technologies. The rapid increase in tourism in the region has also led to modifications and alterations in the landscape and seascape of the coastal areas. The increase in population has created a demand for more lands for settlements and therefore removal of forests or reclamation of swamps (mangroves), involving quite large earthworks. Some of the changes may be necessary to respond to people’s

needs and aspirations, but present exploitation tends to be on a "‘grab what I can now" basis with little or no concern for the future. The point is not to stop utilization of resources but to ensure there is a wise use so that the balance of nature is maintained. Problems and prospects In the Pacific one of the most important features in planning for protected areas is the question of land tenure and traditional rights. On most of the island nations a large percentage of the land is owned by the communal owners. The ownership of this land passes from one generation to the next and it cannot be alienated. A majority of the existing protected areas are on land already alienated to the government in the past. Today almost all areas that are in dire need of protection lie within customary ownership. It is a very slow process to convince the customary owners of the importance of conservation areas and the long term benefits associated with such designations. The other problem faced by a lot of the island nations is finance to establish and

manage protected areas. The economies of the nations are such that protected area systems are not recognised as being of high priority because the returns from these areas cannot be counted in dollars. In Fiji we have realised that if forest areas are to be protected then the communal owners must be compensated with the same amount of money that they would receive if their timber had been logged. To raise this amount of money within this country is a very massive task. The smaller nations in the Pacific are faced with further problems of employing personnel to manage areas. The management costs involved if the islands are widely scattered are fairly high and almost all nations other than Papua New Guinea lack trained personnel or funds to train their manpower needs. Conservation education vital One of the major factors that encourage the creation of protected areas in the Pacific is conservation education, which has been included in almost all school curricula. Also the attendance at seminars, workshops and conferences has enlight-

ened many decision makers towards protected area concepts. At national levels the renewed interest in traditional cultures and lifestyles has given rise to rethinking about the traditional conservation practices and methods of resource use. The interest of industrialized countries in keeping island nations in this region as "islands in sun with white sandy beaches fringed by coconut palms and with a backdrop of tropical forests’ has meant that some funds are available from tourist ventures for protected area systems. Also the pressures from the scientific community in relating the extinction of species to man’s impact on island eco-sys-tems has contributed towards an increased awareness of protected area systems. Finally, the rapidly depleting resources of the island nations should give rise to thoughts of the use of national parks and reserves as key mechanisms in maintaining the life support systems necessary for human survival. The governments in the region should recognize that parks and reserves are basic elements in balanced resource management. #&