{"id":2793,"date":"2015-06-05T23:23:54","date_gmt":"2015-06-06T06:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coral.org\/news\/namena-is-a-source-of-life-and-not-just-marine-life-2\/"},"modified":"2021-10-08T07:21:05","modified_gmt":"2021-10-08T14:21:05","slug":"namena-is-a-source-of-life-and-not-just-marine-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coral.org\/en\/blog\/namena-is-a-source-of-life-and-not-just-marine-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Namena is a Source of Life, and Not Just Marine Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of my favorite things about working for CORAL is hearing about the direct impacts we have on local communities and people\u2019s lives. It\u2019s not every day that you hear about conservation efforts that have enhanced people\u2019s lives, and it\u2019s such a powerful thing to know that communities can really thrive and benefit from protecting their natural resources. So when I hear about how our work translates into benefits for local communities, it warms me from the inside out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sereima Kalouniviti, received a scholarship from the sale of Namena dive tags in 2007, and is now working for the Secretariat of the Pacific Community<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I had one of those moments recently when speaking with Juliane Diamond, one of our program managers. She was in Fiji last month, and attended a stakeholders meeting for the Namena Marine Reserve. The meeting was held by the Kubulau Resource Management Committee (KRMC), a local NGO we\u2019re working with to protect the Reserve. Juliane was there along with about twenty other people\u2014a mix of community members, dive operators, KRMC members, local authority figures, and more. They joined together to talk about the year\u2019s progress, and the future of the reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we met to talk about her trip, Juliane reminded me that the Namena Marine Reserve sold over 1,600 dive tags last year\u2014more than ever before. They sold so many that they ran out halfway through the year and had to order more. The dive tags generate much needed revenue for the reserve and not only help fund management efforts, but are also used to directly benefit the neighboring Kubulau community. So these extra funds mean that the local community can install shelters and make repairs at bus stops, so community members don\u2019t have to wait for buses in the rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The funds are also used to provide scholarships for children of the Kubulau community to go to school. Juliane had a chance to catch up with Sereima Kalouniviti, a scholarship recipient from 2007. She received a scholarship to help her complete her bachelor\u2019s in Applied Science, and is now working for the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. \u201cI felt relieved that there was something there that could help me finish my degree and get to graduate,\u201d said Kalouniviti. \u201cIf [the scholarship] hadn\u2019t existed, I don\u2019t know if I would have been able to afford it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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About twenty community members, dive operators, KRMC members, and local authority figures met to discuss the future of the Namena Marine Reserve.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

According to Aborosio Dulunaqio, a KRMC member, \u201cNamena is a source of life for Kubulau.\u201d And it really is. Surrounding the tiny island of Namenalala, the approximately 70 square kilometer Namena Marine Reserve was established in 1997, when community members successfully banned commercial fishing within the region. We\u2019ve been working with the community to help them address illegal poaching in the Reserve, and to help enhance the dive tag system and generate more revenue for the Reserve and the community. While the reserve helps preserve such an incredible underwater treasure and popular dive spot, it is also so much more. No one could have said it better than Fiji resident and KRMC member Tevita Uluiburotu: \u201cCORAL and Namena carry the hopes and future generations of Kubulau.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about the Namena Marine Reserve and the Kubulau community, visit www.namena.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of my favorite things about working for CORAL is hearing about the direct impacts we have on local communities and people\u2019s lives. It\u2019s not every day that you hear about conservation efforts that have enhanced people\u2019s lives, and it\u2019s such a powerful thing to know that communities can really thrive and benefit from protecting… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2512,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_genesis_transparent_header":false,"_genesis_hide_siblings_nav":false,"_genesis_hide_flyout":false,"_genesis_subtitle":"","_genesis_subheading":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2793","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-coral-updates","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"template_part":"\n

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