Photo: © Brent Stirton/Getty Images/WWF-UK

Ratu Aisea Katonivere, Chief of Macuata Province and Isabelle Louis, WWF Director, Asia & Pacific

At a training workshop in Fiji last year, Ratu Aisea Katonivere stood and introduced himself simply as, "Aisea, I am a conservation convert." It is an understated introduction for a man who is the paramount chief of the Macuata province on Fiji's second largest island. He explains that his newfound commitment to ocean conservation grew from "district and provincial meetings, [where] I heard stories from my people about the difficulties of catching fish-how the fish are getting smaller, how [the fishers] have to travel long distances to get a good catch, and how fishermen from far away are fishing illegally in our traditional fishing grounds." Determined to tackle these problems, he approached his fellow chiefs and the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area Network (FLMMA) to discuss how best to protect Macuata's marine resources. His resolve only increased when he discovered that Macuata's Cakaulevu Reef, also known as the Great Sea Reef, is one of the largest in the world. "For us it was just the Cakaulevu, a reef where our ancestors fished... Knowing that it was the third largest barrier reef changed that. Something had to be done to protect this great gift."

Photo: Courtesy of WWF

Prime Minister Qarase

Together, the local communities and their traditional leaders, the Fijian government, and conservation organizations created a management plan and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) covering a total of 59 square kilometers. The Macuata MPA network is the first step toward fulfilling Fiji's bold promise to protect 30 percent of its coastal waters within a network of effectively managed and financed MPAs by the year 2020.

For their leadership in protecting Fiji's unique marine biodiversity and in recognition of Fiji's ground-breaking commitment to ocean conservation, Ratu Aisea Katonivere and Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase are being honored with the Global Ocean Conservation Award. Each World Ocean Day, June 8, the award highlights outstanding progress toward meaningful change in ocean governance, industrial practices, public perception, or scientific knowledge.

And while Fiji's progress is inspiring regional leaders like President Tommy Remengesau of Palau to make their own declarations, for Ratu Aisea, the issue remains a personal one. "I felt very emotional when my son placed the last buoy marker at the MPA. It signified the passing of a gift from one generation to the next," he says. As a high chief struggling to balance the conflicts of tradition, growth and development, and resource management that his community faces, he hopes that someday we will all realize that "our only chance for the future is through conservation."

GOCA Winners 2005