国際島嶼教育研究センター
トップページヘ シンポ案内へ
Challenge of Integrated Disciplinary Research
-Natural Resources Use by People in the Pacific Islands-
Date:7 February 2015, 13:00 -
Place:The Interdivisional Education and Research Building , 5th Floor


    The balance between humans and nature is an everlasting theme. Because we human beings live and evolve in the natural environment our lives depend on it. In addition to that, we are constantly developing civilization and therefore our interaction with natural environment, especially the utilization of natural resources, has been undergoing change and adaptation. With the use of The Scientific Research Fund, we have been conducting research on the relation between humans and nature regarded from the viewpoint of “Integrated Disciplinary Research.” In our study of Fiji various research fields are integrated through three stages. In the first stage, the coexistence between humans and the nature was set as a key issue and we have researched the topic of resource utilization with a view to quantifying the factors related to the economic system and natural environment in coastal fishing villages. In the second stage, we classified the villages’ lifestyles into these types according to the popularity of monetary economy and on the basis of statistical analysis. Finally, in the third stage, a project on the Ecosystem Services was started. In this stage we pointed to the importance of bivalve “Kaikoso” in the ecosystem and then elucidated the relationship between traditional village institutions and current domestic and international influences. In this symposium we will report the outcomes of our research, especially those derived from the third stage, and draw attention to issues and problems that often emerge when integrated disciplinary research on the relation between humans and nature is conducted with a focus on the interaction between humans and nature in Pacific Islands.


●Program
Chair: Mousourakis, G. (Kagoshima University)

Key Notes Speech 1
     「Integrated Coastal Management Initiative in Gau Island, Fiji: The Activities
      and the Interesting Lessons Learned」
        ●Veitayaki, J. (School of Marine Studies, University of the South Pacific)
  •     Indigenous village communities on Gau Island, Fiji have been undertaking integrated coastal management over the last decade and are displaying a unique commitment to better manage their environmental resources to ensure better life for them and their children in the future. The people are continually confronting pressing challenges that need to be overcome if the results of the resource management activities are to be realized. The case demands that resources are strategically used and that governance is strengthened to convince the people that the better management of their environmental resources, the mainstay of life in these islands, is their best development option.
        All of the 16 villages and five settlements in Gau are part of the Lomani Gau initiative to pursue sustainable development to improve their lives as well as maintain the integrity of their ecological environment that provides the critical support services. While the people are undertaking sustainable development activities that protect their environment and enhance their lives and those of their future generation, pressing challenges and altering situation continue to pose difficulties that demand better governance.
        In this presentation, I will share the lessons from some of the processes and actions undertaken by the villagers in Gau to safeguard the environment that they will present to their future generations as the basis of future economic, social and cultural and ecological well being. The lessons from the challenges faced and the activities taken to address the difficulties will also be discussed.

Key Notes Speech 2
     「Re-examining the Rural Economy in the Pacific Islands: Accounting for Natural
      Resource Use by Women in Coastal Communities」
        ●Bidesi, V. (School of Marine Studies, University of the South Pacific)
  •     The discriminations embedded in gender relations resulting from existing social norms, conventions and practices are often reproduced in the sphere of economic activities which in turn influence the economic outcomes. Using the coastal fisheries sector in the Pacific Island Countries, the paper firstly reviews the shifts in rural development thinking through re-examining the dominant theories and policy thrusts and their impacts on environment, society and economy. It then goes on to discuss the context of sustainable development in small island developing economies within this framework where the sustainable livelihoods approach is most applicable. As a result, the multiple roles of women form the cornerstone of such an approach in rural coastal communities. Using an economic lens, the paper analyses some of the misconceptions and discriminations that result in terms of costs and benefits and how these translate into opportunities and constraints faced by women in particular and the coastal fisheries sector in general. The paper argues that integration of gender into economic analysis is important not only to change economic thinking but also in designing of more effective policies for natural resource use and sustainable development.

Report 1
     「Factors Influencing the Natural Resource Use in Semi Self-sufficient Communities」
        ●Nishimura, S., Kawai, K., Kobai, T., Torii, T. and Kitolelei, J. (Kagoshima University)
  •     It is a very important issue how to use the natural resource in semi self-sufficient communities where the people are heavily depending on the agricultural products and marine resources in the community both for their food and source of income. We argue what factors decide the mechanism of the resource use by comparing several semi self-sufficient communities in Fiji which locate in deferent geographical zones. We focus on the kinship system (yavusa and mataqali), accessibility of each community to the main market, intervention of the Government and NGO, religion and so on. We also discuss some useful economic approaches to understand the mechanism of the resource use such as Micro-Macro Loop (Shiozawa 1995) and the Thünen rings (1826).

Report 2
     「The Change and Challenges of Resource Management System in Fiji」
        ●Torii, T., Kitolelei, J., Nishimura, S., Kawai, K. and Kobai, T. (Kagoshima University)
  •     The objective of our study is clarified of the current situation and challenges of Fisheries Resource Management System in Fiji through a case study of some Village.
        There were no rules in some of the village in Fiji related to the management of fishing grounds and fishery resources. Villager caught fish and shellfish for consumption by their families and selectively caught shellfish of certain sizes suitable for consumption.
        However, with the spread of the monetary economy throughout the country, and development and adoption of fishery equipment and devices, the way fishery resources are used have dramatically changed. Specifically, there have been shifts from self-sufficient use to commercial use of fishery resources and from traditional fishing methods to efficient fishing methods. As operators started harvesting more fishery resources than necessary for self-consumption, a new lifestyle has been established in which extra fishery resources harvested are exchanged for money at the markets. Changes in economic environment and technological advancement have increased pressure on fishing, threatening the fishery resource level, while the order established during the era of self-sufficiency only has become insufficient for securing sustainable resource use.
        The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries introduced the Inside Demarcated Areas Fishing License system in 2013. If the villagers want to sell their fishing products in the market, it is necessary that they pay registration fee and get the license. And they should follow the ministerial regulation.
        However, households less than half had the license. And it was observed that licensees do not correctly understand all the regulation rules. The current system in which fishery operators are trusted to learn about the regulation by themselves has limitations. If the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries wants to enforce the regulation without exception, it is necessary to notify fishery operators on the regulation details thoroughly. And it is also necessary to examine a transmission course of the information.

Report 3
     「Comparison of Fisheries Management in Fiji」
        ●Kitolelei, J., Nishimura, S., Kawai, K., Kobai, T. and Torii, T. (Kagoshima University)
  •     Coastal fisheries management is important to Pacific Island communities, as they are fisheries-dependent economies. This study aims to analyze coastal fisheries management in Fiji and the difficulties that are faced within achieving effective coastal fisheries management. The purpose of this research is to analyze the current management system and practices in coastal communities. The challenges faced in managing community-based fisheries in Fiji include the lack of understanding of fishing boundaries, fishermen activities, fisheries rules, fisheries practices and the impact of fisheries market.

Report 4
     「Comparison of Dietary Habit for Fijian Local People Using Stable Isotope Ratio」
        ●Kobari, T., Kawai, K., Nagai, A., Torii, T., Nishimura, S. and Kitolelei, J. (Kagoshima University)
  •     Fijian dietary habits are compared among the three local villages. We also analyzed stable isotope ratio of dietary items and Fijian kids’ hairs to explore an approach to compare dietary habits. Vegetables and cereals are major dietary items and seafood was important as protein items in all villages. Regardless of accessibility to urban areas, both locally produced and market-derived items were equally used. The stable isotope ratio was specific to seafood among dietary items and different for Fijian kids’ hairs among the three villages, suggesting an useful approach to compare their dietary habits. The stable isotope ratio of Fijian was close to those of Indian and Chinese but represented more fish-eating.

Report 5
     「Bivalve Resources Use by Local People in Fiji」
        ●Kawai, K., Kobai, T., Torii, T., Kitolelei, J. and Nishimura, S. (Kagoshima University)
  •     The coastal village’s lifestyle in Fiji is mainly dependent on farming and fishery. “Kaikoso” are a major fishery resource, and are collected by women and sold as a source of income. Kaikoso are bivalve and feed on organic matter in the seawater; they inhabit the coastal sites between mangroves and coral reeves, and are more abundant than on other islands. This presentation will demonstrate the ecological importance of Kaikoso to mangrove-tidal flat ecosystems and the islands’ economic and social systems.

Discussion





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