676 communities face possible relocation in Fiji as Climate impacts escalate

Fiji may be forced to relocate up to 676 communities as rising seas, extreme rainfall, and landslides intensify under climate change, says Fiji’s Special Advisor Climate Action David Lund.

Mr Lund made this revelation at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme’s (SPREP) Pacific Loss and Damage dialogue in Apia, Samoa on Tuesday.

“Seventy-six percent of our population lives within five kilometres of the coast, and 27 percent within one kilometre,” Lund said.

“Relocation is not just a coastal issue, we have highland villages being washed away by floods and buried by landslides.”

Fiji has already moved six communities, with another 40 to 50 under major concern and 17 on a government “red list” for urgent engagement.

Relocation, Lund stressed, is a measure of last resort and a direct response to loss and damage.

“It’s not adaptation in the traditional sense, it’s about leaving your traditional land and livelihoods behind,” he said.

One stark example was Tukurakai Village, where a landslide in the highlands killed two people and destroyed half the settlement.

The survivors endured years in temporary shelters before being moved to a safer site.

Right now, construction is underway in Nabavatu Village in Vanua Levu after saltwater intrusion and coastal erosion rendered the old site uninhabitable.

“These are deeply complex processes,” Lund said.

“Every relocation involves land negotiations, hazard assessments, psychosocial support, and coordination across at least 15 ministries. Without sustained finance, it simply can’t be done.”

Fiji’s relocation fund

Fiji’s dedicated Climate Relocation of Communities Trust Fund is emerging as a model for the pacific and the world, offering a structured, law-backed and community-led approach to moving entire villages threatened by climate change.

Mr Lund said the fund’s legal framework, strict financial guidelines, and multi-ministry coordination make it a replicable blueprint for other nations facing climate-induced displacement.

“This is a long-term system for dealing with what is unfortunately a long-term issue,” Lund said. “By linking relocation to legislation, we provide donors with certainty that funds will be spent on defined, lawful activities.”

The trust fund, established in 2019 and strengthened under Fiji’s 2021 Climate Change Act, pools contributions from multiple domestic and international sources, including past revenue from Fiji’s environment and climate change levy.

Importantly, contributions cannot be earmarked for specific villages.

“That allows us to strategically manage resources,” Lund said.

“It means we can prioritise the most urgent relocations rather than responding to donor preferences.”

Fiji’s relocation process is underpinned by detailed standard operating procedures that guide every stage, from hazard assessment to post-move community support, involving at least 15 ministries. The approach has already facilitated six community relocations, with hundreds more potentially required in the decades ahead.

“This is not a project, it’s a permanent national mechanism,” Lund said.

“And the same principles could be applied to other loss and damage needs, like agricultural recovery or coastal protection.”