Vava'u Environmental Protection Association (VEPA)
Conservation – Education – Community – Future
Tag: Vava’u Ocean Initiative
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2021 in a very brief review…..
2021 was an intense year for the VEPA board and team, achieving many goals and highlights through the year. We know that vast challenges still lay ahead and that no one year will provide a solution however every small step taken is one step closer. We are as always very thankful to our funding and…
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Field Blog: Partnerships for community fisheries
Blog by Sesimani Loni, SMA Project Manager, Vava’u Ocean Initiative Fisheries is one vital part of food security for all human being and here in Tonga most people rely on fisheries for daily consumptions and income however due to depletion of marine resources, especially from our coastal waters. The Ministry of Fisheries and Government of…
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S.E.A Program Coming Soon……
Under the Vava’u Ocean Initiative in partnership with the Waitt Institute and Ministry of Fisheries, we are excited and delighted for the upcoming launch of the Special Management Area (SMA) Environmental Ambassador Program (S.E.A). Special Management Areas (SMAs) are a community based fisheries program under the Ministry of Fisheries since 2002, which allows for communities…
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Part 1: Overview – Near-shore, Vava’u
Up until the 1990’s, ocean areas within Tonga were declared as open access for all Tongans, in the hopes of allowing everyone equal and fair sharing of its resources. Over the years this caused a serious downfall in the status and health of the marine habitats, fish and invertebrate resources, that the communities heavily rely…
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Cultural Food Preperation
Coastal fisheries are critically important to community livelihoods and reef habitat health. Programs such as community managed reefs (SMAs) are being developed to provide benefits to both biodiversity and livelihoods. In Tonga, many communities still practice traditional food preservation methods; in part due to limited electricity sources to freeze or refrigerate produce especially on the…
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Exploring the marine resources of Tonga
In May of 2017, a team of international and national marine researchers joined together on board the Yacht Plan b, through the Waitt Institute, to survey the near-shore marine habitats of Ha’apai and Vava’u for the Vava’u Ocean Initiative. The marine surveys included coral cover, fish diversity and biomass and mobile invertebrates such as sea…
Vava'u Environmental Protection Association (VEPA) 