Fiji — Lau Seascape

332,000 square kilometers of new conservation

Lead Partner: Conservation International-Fiji

The Lau archipelago is home to more than 200 species of hard corals.

The Lau Archipelago, Fiji’s most remote island group, is consistently ranked among the highest priorities for conservation. Expeditions to the region recorded 531 reef fish species, including at least six new species, and evidence of an endangered humpback whale nursery grounds.

The Lau archipelago is similarly replete with diverse coral reefs, with more than 200 recorded species of hard corals—a level of biodiversity typically only known in the Coral Triangle.    

At the Ministry of Fisheries suggestion, Fiji has expanded the proposed boundaries of the Lau Seascape to include an additional 283,000 square kilometers within the Lau Province. This extraordinary area is a hotspot for species richness and endemism, and provides food, cultural value, and livelihoods for the 10,000 people who call Lau home.   

The Blue Nature Alliance is working with the government and local communities to support establishment of a multiple-use ocean conservation area of approximately 332,000 square kilometers of offshore waters, while strengthening the management of iQoliqoli areas (traditionally managed coastal and reef areas) throughout the Lau Province. 

As part of this engagement, the Alliance is supporting the design of a sustainable financing plan for the Seascape, including the development of a plan for sustainable tourism growth that contributes to MPA management while preserving the ecological and cultural integrity of the Seascape.