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conservation efforts with marine life in fiji

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conservation efforts with marine life in fiji

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Placement location: Pacific Harbour, Viti Levu

Role: To work directly with the Fiji Shark Conservation & Awareness project

Main Research Focus: Scientific shark research, shark conservation, mangroves, education

Accommodation: Shared volunteer villa

Length of placement: From 2 weeks

Volunteers on Projects Abroad's Shark Conservation project in Fiji work on pioneering shark protection projects alongside respected scientists and shark research experts.

This project needs volunteers with a passion for marine wildlife and the great outdoors. The Fiji Shark Conservation Project offers you the chance to get up close to some of the most endangered and misunderstood animals in the world. Volunteers are welcome on a gap year, a career break, for university research, or simply as a way to volunteer abroad as a worthwhile travel experience.

Working directly with the Fiji Shark Conservation Project, conducting the work of internationally renowned shark research scientists, volunteers will be directly involved in scientific shark research work. Volunteers will also work within the local community on mangrove reforestation, recycling, and shark education initiatives. The volunteers and the conservation work are supervised by our resident marine biologist and local staff. We also work closely with other local and international marine conservation organizations, including the WWF Global Shark Program.

The project is based in Pacific Harbour, on the south coast of Fiji's main island of Viti Levu, just three hours from Nadi.

Volunteers do not need any previous diving or shark research experience to take part in the Fiji Conservation Project. However, volunteers must be able to swim and be medically fit to scuba dive. This project is not available for people who do not want to take part in the diving.

Dive Courses with Projects Abroad in Fiji

Volunteers who have not dived before receive the PADI Open Water dive course during their first two weeks on the project. Volunteers with an existing dive certification equivalent to the PADI Open Water qualification receive the PADI Advanced course. After their dive course, volunteers receive the Project Aware Shark Conservation Diver Course. Volunteers participating on the project for at least 4 weeks will also receive the Projects Abroad Survey Diver certification card. This is a PADI authorized specialty course which includes full training in underwater survey and research techniques.

Those who already have the Advanced certification or higher will receive the Project Aware Shark Conservation Diver Course during their first week, as well as the Projects Abroad Survey Diver certification, and an extra Shark Feed Dive during their project time.

All volunteers taking part in the Shark Conservation Project in Fiji for at least 8 weeks have the opportunity to train as a Divemaster during their time on the project. Read more about our Divemaster Add-On Course here.

Your Role on the Conservation & Environment Project in Fiji

As a volunteer on the Fiji Shark Conservation project you will observe and assist the local scientists with a wide range of on-going and long term research projects and activities, such as:

Tagging of baby sharks

Shark and Fish Indicator Species count surveys

Shark and Fish Indicator Species identification

Setting underwater cameras and retrieving data

Data collection, entry, and analysis

Critical Habitat Mapping and Local Ecological Knowledge surveys

Shark lectures

Implementing a local shark awareness education program

Shark nursery habitat project

Mangrove reforestation work

Recycling and climate change work

The Fiji Shark Conservation and Awareness Project and our partner dive organization, Beqa Adventure Divers are at the forefront of shark protection in Fiji. Their safety record on shark dives is 100%. There have been no shark related accidents or injuries to any divers on their shark dive trips.

The Projects Abroad Fiji Conservation Manager is also a professionally trained and experienced shark wrangler, having trained and worked in the Bahamas under the guidance of some of the most experienced shark experts in the world.

The weekly schedule consists of two dive trips per week where the scientists set underwater research equipment and volunteers participate in the two shark sighting surveys. You will also do two tagging boat trips a week to catch and tag juvenile sharks.
In terms of the diving, volunteers who are only able to stay for two weeks will do practice surveys after their dive course where they can join the marine biologist and longer term volunteers on survey dives, and observe and practice survey techniques.
A typical working day will run from 7am to 4pm. However, depending on the activities volunteers may be required to start earlier or finish later. The project runs on a Sunday - Saturday cycle, so volunteers should plan to arrive on a Sunday where possible. Expert local staff are on hand to supervise activities and provide support throughout.

The Goals of the Conservation & Environment Project in Fiji

The primary aim of the Shark Conservation Project in Fiji is to protect and conserve the eight species of sharks that inhabit Shark Reef, as well as the many other species present in Fiji's waters and to raise awareness of the need for shark conservation around the world.

The Fijian Government is in full support of the shark protection work in Fiji and sharks are currently at the top of the political conservation agenda.

Sharks play a crucial role in our oceans. Most sharks serve as predators at the top of the marine food pyramid, and so play a critical role in ocean ecosystems. Directly or indirectly they regulate the natural balance of these ecosystems, at all levels, and are therefore an essential part of them. Sharks usually hunt old, weak, or sick prey and help to keep the prey population in good condition, enabling these more naturally fit animals to reproduce and pass on their genes. The effects of removing sharks from ocean ecosystems, although complex and rather unpredictable, are very likely to be ecologically and economically damaging.

The shark research being carried out on the project in Fiji helps to ensure that scientists and marine protection lobbyists are provided with regular and consistent scientific data about the life history, reproductive information, movement, and biology of the sharks found in Fijian waters. This information is vital for devising successful conservation and management strategies, helping to keep these specific shark species off the critically endangered species lists.

On all Projects Abroad Conservation projects we strive to involve the local communities in our programs. In Fiji, Conservation volunteers work with local villages on a weekly basis to plant mangroves and with school children and local people once or twice a month on our monthly outreach program. Making sure the next generation are aware of the conservation issues that affect them is very important.

As part of the weekly mangrove work volunteers will calculate the carbon footprint of their return flight to Fiji and will work with the Mangroves for Fiji Project to produce and plant enough mangrove plants to offset their carbon impact on the planet.

You can read more detailed information about the aims of the project in our Shark Conservation Management Plan.

Food and Accommodation on Conservation & Environment

Volunteers live together in villa style accommodation in Pacific Harbour, with 2 - 4 volunteers sharing a room. A local housekeeper looks after the volunteer accommodation and prepares three meals a day. Packed lunches are provided on days in the field.

You will be met at the international airport in Nadi and be transferred by bus to Pacific Harbour, three hours away.

The local food consists of plenty of rice, bread, chicken, and starchy root vegetables, as well as Indian curries. Tropical fruit like papaya, mango, pineapple, and watermelon are available in season. Vegetarians can be easily accommodated.

Pacific Harbour is known as the adventure capital of Fiji. In your spare time you can zip line, go kayaking, white water rafting, visit breath taking waterfalls, and hike through the rainforest. For those looking for more relaxing activities, Pacific Harbour boasts one of the finest beaches on the main island, where you can sunbathe, go for a swim, or join the locals in a game of beach volleyball or beach rugby. You can also spend time at the Cultural Arts Village which has a great selection of gift shops and restaurants.
You can join the Conservation & Environment project in Fiji for two or three weeks if you don't have time to join us for four weeks or more. This project has been selected by our local colleagues as being suitable for short term volunteering for both the host community and the volunteer. Although you will gain a valuable cultural insight and work within the local area please be aware that you may not be able to make the same impact as someone volunteering for a longer period.
If you are a high school student and first-time traveler you may want to consider our High School Special programs in Fiji.

Volunteer Profile

This project is a popular option for many of our volunteers and we recommend that you apply as early as possible to secure a placement. Ideally, you should apply at least 6 months before your start date. Please contact us for information about availability and late notice bookings.

While you're in Fiji, you might also consider joining a 1 week Culture & Community Project. For more information, please visit our Community Village Project in Fiji page. Our Combinations Page explains how you can combine not only projects, but also destinations.

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Volunteer Shark Conservation in Fiji | Projects Abroad

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Placement location: Pacific Harbour, Viti Levu Role: To work directly with the Fiji Shark Conservation & Awareness project Main Research Focus: Scientific shark research, shark conservation, mangroves, education Accommodation: Shared volunteer villa Length of placement: From 2 weeks Volunteers on Projects Abroad's Shark Conservation project in Fiji work on pioneering shark protection projects alongside respected scientists and shark research experts.

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We are very excited here at Island Spirit by the recent news that the Ministry of Fisheries in Fiji will be ramping up protection efforts for our beloved Rainbow Reef in Taveuni and the Waivunia marine reserve.Work began on the gazetting of the Rainbow Reef in April, that is surveying and cataloguing information pertaining to the health of the reef. The area is known as the ‘soft coral capital of the world’ and as we know, it is gravely under threat from climate change and the environmental changes in the waters that come with that.

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Cette vidéo traite de Rainbow reef - Fiji

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The Rainbow Reef is a barrier reef located between the islands of Taveuni and Vanua Levu in northeast Fiji. This video is a combination of 2 different dive sites on Rainbow Reef: Fish Factory and Jerry's Jelly. Both dives are relatively shallow at 20 meters (60 feet) maximum depth.

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The Great White Wall is one of those sites where timing is everything. Reviews range from ‘stunning' to ‘disappointing' since a lot depends on the extent of current. When you hit it just right it can be an amazing and unique experience, and the jewel in Taveuni's crown.
Beginning in a tunnel-like cave, you will cruise over colorful sponges and crinoids, past resident moray eels and lionfish lurking in the sheltered spots. Leaving the cave is like being spat out of a water slide, as you emerge into the blue exiting a hole in a sheer wall. The wall is also unlike any other. It is covered in soft corals, 95% of which is a bluely-whiteness. When the corals are in full bloom the effect is extraordinary.

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The Strait almost single-handedly earns Fiji its title as "The Soft Coral Capital of the World.''

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The Rainbow Reef is a reef in the Somosomo Strait between the Fijian islands of Taveuni and Vanua Levu. It is one of the
most famous dive sites in the South Pacific.

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this reef has a rainbow of colors hints why its named the Rainbow reef. for years this reef has been used as a tourist attraction. Huge businesses also thrive on collecting coral and selling it as souvenirs or exporting it for sale in the aquarium trade.

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this reef has beautiful aquatic plant life. that provides shelter for smaller fish. home to millions of beautifully colored anthias and other pelagic fish. Larger species of marine life lurk there too, including manta rays, barracuda and harmless reef sharks.