Prime Minister and COP23 President Voreqe Bainimarama has urged all Fijians to protect the coral reefs for the future generations.

While speaking at the global launch of the International Year of the Reef at Nukubati Island in the province of Macuata yesterday, he appealed to all Fijians to give the future generations the ability to enjoy Fiji’s Great Coral Reef.

“We can do it. And we can do it by committing ourselves to change. To change the way we all live in relation to our surroundings. To live more in harmony with nature,” Mr Bainimarama said.

“Every person in our community from the very young to the old can be warriors for a more sustainable future and protectors of the health of the reefs.

“This is a global event of relevance to every single person on earth. But it has a particular resonance for the Fijian people because of where we are today- on the edge of one of our most precious national asset, the Great Sea Reef or Cakaulevu Reef, as it is known in iTaukei.”

Mr Bainimarama said that throughout the world, coral reefs occupied less than one tenth of one per cent of the ocean floor.

“They are home to a quarter of all known marine species. They are not only sources of food and economic wealth but places of infinite complexity, variety and beauty,” he said.

He urged all Fijians to do their part in protecting the coral reefs.

Edited by Mohammed Zulfikar

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