Caqalai Hub Achievement Report

November 2016
Objective: Strengthening Coastal and Marine Resources Management

Strengthening Coastal and Marine Resources Management in

the Moturiki District
Global Vision International (GVI) aims to raise awareness of environment sustainability, inspire a sense of
stewardship in community members.

Formation of the Moturiki Yaubula Management Support Team

The Yaubula Management Support Team (YMST) is a body that provides support to the
vanua on matters pertaining to natural resources within a given district. YMST is a
committee consisting of community members who have been empowered on natural
resource management ranging from turaga ni vanuas (village headmen), womens
representative and youth representative.
The YMST provides a link between resource owners and the government (via the
Conservation Officer) and is the voice of the natural resource owners hence is the overseer
of natural resource development, conservation and management.

Figure 1 Moturiki's most priced yaubula or natural resource; the sea.

Despite being legally recognized as a District, the Tikina Moturiki has always fallen under the
umbrella of the Ovalau-Moturiki YMST and therefore has never had the chance to take true
ownership of the management of its own natural resources. GVI Caqalais Community
Outreach Coordinator, Tai originally from Moturiki himself - with support from the Marine
Research and Community Liaison Officers, have been working tirelessly to try to empower
the community members of Moturiki to form their very own Moturiki Yaubula Management
Support Team, henceforth referred to as MYMST.

After various meetings and deliberations, a MYMST was successfully formed on the 18th of
October 2016. The formation of the Moturiki Yaubula Management Support Team has been
formally endorsed by the Turaga ni Vanua (Moturiki High Chief) as well as by the Moturiki
Environment Committee. GVI Caqalai Base, in its capacity as a centre for marine
conservation, has been providing technical support and advice to the community members
and now also serves as an advisory member to the MYMST. By request, GVI Caqalai hosted
the first monthly meeting of the MYMST, which now consists of the chairman, village
headmen (Turaga ni Koro) of all 10 villages of the Moturiki District, a womens
representative, a youth representative and the District Representative (Mata ni Tikina). The
meeting was followed by a workshop aimed at enlightening the MYMST on certain climate
change adaptation practices and alternative livelihood projects.

The workshop included sections on waste management, the Crown of Thorns Starfish and
decompression sickness specifically in relation to untrained sea cucumber poachers. These
topics addressed what GVI identified as some of the main issues that were being faced by
Moturiki villages from previous community surveys.

GVI received a very positive response from the members of the MYMST, with requests for
workshops like the one they received to also be delivered to the 10 villages of Moturiki.

The Community Outreach Coordinator along with the Community Liaison Officers plan to
put together a scheme of workshops, including waste management, with the end goal of
making Moturiki District a No Plastic Zone, in addition to various other environmental
education workshops to be delivered to the Moturiki District in the year 2017.

Figure 2 The Moturiki Yaubula Management Support Team have already voiced their interest in Waste
Management Projects such as the Recycling Point on Caqalai Island and those in Dawasamu.
Global Vision International Environmental Excellence Award

A continuation from the environmental education classes being delivered to the two schools
within the Moturiki District, in collaboration with the teachers of Moturiki District School
and resident teaching volunteers from Latitude Global Volunteering, GVI launched and
sponsored an award to instil in students a sense of proprietorship over their natural
resources. The award is designed to encourage and reward students for the hard work they
have put into the weekly GVI Environmental Education Lessons, as well as to recognise
those who show a strong interest in protecting their environment.

Figure 3 GVI staff and volunteers taking part in a dance during the Moturiki District School Annual Prize Giving
Ceremony

The GVI Environmental Excellence Award will be annually awarded to the student who
showcases the most intelligible understanding of environmental processes and ecosystem.
The awardees name is engraved on the GVI Environmental Shield; they also receive a
package consisting of gardening tools that will contribute to the livelihood of the students
family and promotes sustainability practices in the community through encouraging organic
gardening.

On the 22nd of November, 2016, GVI Caqalai staff and volunteers attended the Moturiki
District School Annual prize giving ceremony and the GVI Program Manager was invited as
one of the guests to award the GVI Environmental Excellence Award for the first time. Six
other students who showed great interest in environmental matters also received runner-
up prizes and certificates.

GVI Caqalai intends to extend this award to Uluibau Primary School in 2017.