'It Hurts Us So Much': This Chief Wants All Villages To Stop Turtle Harvesting

The people of Kavewa Island on Vanua Levu have always had a special relationship with the sea turtle.

For generations, the turtle was a source of food, income, and an inte­gral part of traditional ceremonies.

But over the past 20 years, things have changed for this small island community.

Situated off the coast of the Macu­ata Province, the island, home to 22 households and 98 villagers includ­ing children, noticed the number of turtles decreasing.

And these days, instead of eat­ing turtles – or selling them at the market - they are championing the course of turtle conservation in the country.

A New Breed

It all began in 2009 during a visit by a team of volunteers from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pacific.

University students and non-gov­ernmental organisations travelled to the area to study turtle breeding areas.

Across from Kavewa, close to a five-minute boat ride, is Katawaqa Island, an uninhabited island where turtles breed.

kavewa island at sunset

He hoped that one day, they would understand why it was so impor­tant to conserve these special sea creatures.

“This hurts us so much,” he said.

“Just to see and hear them keep doing it despite [us] telling them the consequences of their actions.

“They do not look into the future; they do not have a vision.

“We do this for the future of our people and especially for our chil­dren who are growing up, I want this tradition to go on.”

• The Fiji Sun would like to thank WWF Pacific, ABC International Develop­ment and the Australia Pacific Climate Partnership for their support for this story.

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