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Asia Dive News : Tabu waters: Protecting Fiji's Great Sea Reef Dakuwaqa, the Polynesian shark god, would have heard the ruckus coming from the small village of Naduri in a verdant corner of the Fijian archipelago on the morning of a new beginning.
Ancient fishing chants, many of which hadn't been performed in more than 50 years, and a lavish feast of local delicacies — clams, seaweeds, taro leaves, mangoes, guavas, coconuts and pineapples — were prepared over days for villagers and visitors alike.
That's what a waitui tabu (prohibited zone) is these days, a cause for celebration, especially when it will protect parts of Fiji's Great Sea Reef — the world's third largest barrier reef and home to a staggering array of life, some still unknown to science.
“Protecting the reef will ensure that one of our greatest assets remains intact and continues to be an important part of the traditions, culture and livelihoods of the people of Fiji, ” said Etika Rupeni of WWF's South Pacific Office in Fiji.
Waitui tabusI, or prohibited fishing zones, have been set aside in Fiji's Great Sea Reef to conserve the most diverse amount of species and habitats as possible.


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Congratulations to Tui Macuata Ratu Aisea Katonivere on his receipt of the 2006 Global Ocean Conservation Award for his work protecting Fiji's unique marine biodiversity.
"Conservation Convert" Crusades for Marine Protections in Fiji Ratu Aisea Katonivere, a self-described “conservation convert, ” is the paramount chief of the province of Macuata on Fiji’s second largest island of Vanua Levu.
The pride and joy of the Macuata province is the Great Sea Reef, locally known as Cakaulevu , which provides fishing grounds for the roughly 10, 000 indigenous people who live in villages scattered along the coastline..
Ratu Aisea tells us that his “conversion” came about three years ago, when he heard that the Great Sea Reef, covering an area of 78, 242 square miles, is the third largest barrier reef in the world.
Meeting with SeaWeb staff in Fiji, he said, “For us it was just the Cakaulevu – a reef where our ancestors fished and where people from all over Fiji now fish.
Knowing that it was the third largest barrier reef changed all that – something had to be done to protect this great gift from God.”.

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Regional-Scale Assembly Rules and Biodiversity of Coral Reefs -- Bellwood and Hughes 292 (5521): 1532 Data Supplement - Supplemental Data -- Science
Regional-Scale Assembly Rules and Biodiversity of Coral Reefs David R.
Locations of coral reefs used in assessing species composition of fish families.
Locations of coral reefs used in assessing species composition of coral families.
Steene, Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea (Crawford House, Bathurst, 1997).
Wellington, Corals and Coral Reefs of the Galapagos Islands (University of California Press, Berkeley, 1983).

Benefits



95% of Philippine reefs ruined – Reef Check : Marine and Ocean Conservation News from Earthdive
Philippine coral reefs, renowned for being home to amazing marine resources, are in terrible condition, according to the world's biggest reef conservation organization..
Blast fishing and an unregulated marine aquarium trade have destroyed much of the country's coral reefs over the years, said Reef Check, an international organization assessing the health of reefs in 82 countries..
'Despite its high biodiversity, the Philippines' reefs are very badly damaged.
Most of the reefs are very badly overfished, ' California-based Reef Check founder George Hodgson said at a press conference here on Saturday..
An unregulated marine aquarium trade has also put pressure on the coral reefs, which are destroyed by blast fishing to catch the most popular aquarium fish species..
The Philippines and Indonesia supply about 85 percent of the world's aquarium fishes, Reef Check-Philippine country director Domingo Ochavillo said..
'About 95 percent of the reefs in the Philippines have been badly damaged, but with just a little bit of effort, you can allow them to recover, ' Hodgson said..
Ochavillo said climate change would also significantly affect the recovery of the country's coral reefs, citing the death of 10 percent of the world's reefs in 1998, the hottest year since 1880..

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