Biodiversity conservation in Tonga and Fiji is vital for the development of its tourism sectors and must be managed properly to sustain the natural habitat, while providing a livelihood to communities.

The importance of preserving biodiversity was made clear at this month’s High Level Roundtable discussions of the Thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP13) in Cancun, Mexico.

The conference brought together for the first time Ministers from Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry and Tourism to help “Mainstream Biodiversity for Well-being”.

They were told that the tourism sector accounts for nine per cent of the world’s gross domestic product, six percent of exports and contributes directly or indirectly to one in 11 jobs. 

Visits to natural areas are estimated to account for 50 per cent of all leisure travel and in some developing countries, tourism revenue can account for up to eight per cent of gross domestic product.

Tonga's conservation efforts

Tonga’s Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Siaosi Sovaleni said that Tonga as a nation recognizes it cannot separate conservation from development.

“What we do from a biodiversity conservation perspective needs to be linked to the improvement of people’s livelihoods and creation of jobs, that is we must add value to conservation efforts so there is an incentive for communities to be involved and for government and partners to allocate resources to these activities.”

Tonga, like Fiji, has already implemented a programme as part of a ridge to reef management approach, focusing on managing the conservation and rehabilitation of the natural habitat and at the same time supporting ecotourism, which provides a livelihood for communities.

An example is the whale-watching industry, which is an extremely valuable tourism income source in Tonga, generated by the annual migration of humpback whales that frequent its waters, mainly in the Vava’u island group.

“Decisions regarding the management of whale-watching, the enforcement of regulations, the development of infrastructure and other attractions and developing reliability and cost of airline connections are critical for the future for whale watching as a tourist attraction,” said Hon. Sovaleni.

He added that Tonga is planning to hold a ‘Whales in a Changing Ocean’ Conference, April 4-6 next year.

“An important strategic objective of the conference will be to provide a forum to discuss helping whale tourism initiatives and future co-operation on such projects in the region.”

Fiji - a model destination for conservation and tourism

In Fiji, tourism and travel alone is a major revenue earner contributing to 37% of its GDP.

Mr Joshua Wycliffe, the Permanent Secretary of Fiji’s Ministry of Environment, Local Government and Housing said that no destination is better “when it comes to conservation being modeled and exhibited through tourism”.

“If we are to protect and conserve our species then we as nations will need to coordinate information and best practice protocols far better than we do today.”

“Fiji has committed to securing our marine and terrestrial life through special frameworks like our very own, home-grown Green Growth Framework, marine protected areas and terrestrial conservation through programs like our Ridge to Reef project,” he said.

The High Level Roundtable discussions were held in Cancun on December 2-3, 2016, followed by the CBD COP13 from December 4-17.

The parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity include the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.