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Mapping Social Values of the Sigatoka River Estuary, Nadroga-Navosa Province, Viti Levu, Fiji

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Abstract

Biophysical impacts tend to dominate environmental impact assessments (EIA), yet social values of the environment have an important role to play in decision-making. To foster the inclusion of social values in EIA we developed and applied public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) methods to map Fijian social values of the Sigatoka River estuary in Nadroga-Navosa Province, Viti Levu, Fiji, and threats to these values. Mapping interviews with 31 participants reveal that the estuary is valued as a source of food, primarily for subsistence but also for income and is overlayed with intangible sociocultural and spiritual values that are connected to physical locations and/or are virtual in space. Current and potential threats to these values include episodic (e.g., mining) and chronic events (e.g., pollution). We conclude that PPGIS offers an approach to map social values of an environment that are predictive of land use conflict and can be used in EIA to understand the human impacts of a proposed development.

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Acknowledgements

This research is dedicated to the memory of Peniasi Vakili and his legacy as an environmental steward of the Sigatoka River, and to Ita Masiwawa who guided us with her strength and kindness. We thank the participants for sharing their understanding of the environment and the Nadroga-Navosa Provincial Council for governing the research. Thank you Craig Powell, Teresa Rietberg, and Sr Lanieta Burasia Matavesi for initiating the research and intellectual inputs. Thank you Mereoni Mataika, Kiniviliame Ranololoa, Danny Rietberg, Bob and Coral Kennedy, and Angie and Paulini Lalabalavu for intellectual inputs, and Roger Kitson, Danielle Rietberg, and Mikayla Cover for assistance with data collection. We thank Dr. Jeremy Hills, Director, Institute of Marine Resources at the University of the South Pacific, Suva, for partnership and in-country support. Thank you Marie Puddister for creating the map in Figure 1. The work was supported by the University of the Sunshine Coast Fellowship program and the Canada Research Chairs Program.

Funding

This study was funded by a University of the Sunshine Coast Fellowship Grant and the Canada Research Chairs Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Global & International Studies, Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Program, University of Northern British Colombia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, 42N 4Z9, Canada

    Tristan D. Pearce

  2. Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia

    Tristan D. Pearce, Javier Leon, Renee Currenti, Matthew Brown, Brendan Doran & Halena Scanlon

  3. Department of Environment, Nadroga-Navosa Provincial Council, P.O. Box 267, Talenavuruvuru, Lawaqa, Sigatoka, Fiji

    Lui Manuel & Ilaitia Ikurisaru

  4. School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia

    Javier Leon & Halena Scanlon

  5. Priestly International Centre for Climate, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK

    James Ford

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  1. Tristan D. Pearce
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Correspondence to Tristan D. Pearce.

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Ethical Approval

Approval for the research was granted by the Fiji Immigration Department, which oversees research in Fiji and study protocols were approved by the Human Research Ethics Boards at the University of the Sunshine Coast (A/15/751) and University of the South Pacific (Pearce/2017).

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Pearce, T.D., Manuel, L., Leon, J. et al. Mapping Social Values of the Sigatoka River Estuary, Nadroga-Navosa Province, Viti Levu, Fiji. Hum Ecol 49, 579–594 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-021-00258-5

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