Fiji Research Articles

The Concept of Self and Success from an iTaukei Perspective in Fiji: Before and after Education and Development

Modernity has ushered poverty, crime and unemployment which were near nonexistent in traditional lifestyles. Perception of basic things in life lies on notion of vanua epistemology which has been disrupted, redundant and has been referred to as the ‘other’ knowledge by colonizers (Nabobo- Baba, 2006). An iTaukei (indigenous) self-perspective is crucial to understand in order to comprehend the iTaukei perspective of these basic things in life. Education and development have deeply impacted local communities in the Fiji Islands located in the South-West Pacific. Modernity alters the discourse of self in iTaukei villages. Some communities that were once communal and relational now become individualised and rationalised. It is interesting to note that with the development of infrastructure such as roads and jetties, iTaukei communities tend to become more economically and progress driven and have failed to nurture their century old customs of acknowledging and reciprocating relations with others and their surroundings. This drive towards economic prosperity and progress have also brought about its own shortfalls such as failing welfare system where iTaukei communities have filled up the streets as beggars or end up in prisons. This paper discusses the thought processes of iTaukei individuals in a typical indigenous Fijian community responds to the modern tenacities of today. It further examines the dynamics of social or communal living from an individualized perspective that rationalizes the behavior of the society in general.

Variability of diurnal temperature range over Pacific Island countries, a case study of Fiji

Diurnal temperature range (DTR) is an important index in climate change studies in addition to its influence upon environment and thermal comfort. Understanding variability in DTR at regional scales is, thus, important. In Fiji and other Pacific Island countries, DTR information is important in forecasting thermal comfort. This work is based on Fiji using gauge-based gridded mean monthly DTR data from the Climatic Research Unit (CRU). Annual and monthly DTR for the second half of the twentieth century to the present day are analyzed to establish temporal trends and spatial patterns. A combination of parametric and non-parametric tests was applied to investigate trend, correlation, simple linear regression, and interannual variability in the datasets. Findings show that DTR increases with an increase in latitude over Fiji. The mean monthly DTR between 6.58 and 7.37 °C in June and January coincide with winter and summer, respectively. Cumulative annual mean (CAM) of T, Tmx, and DTR showed increasing trends during the study period while the CAM of Tmn depicted a decreasing trend. Results suggest that DTR has a positive significant (insignificant) correlation with Tmx (T), but shows an opposing significant relationship with Tmn at 5% significance level. Each of DTR, Tmx, Tmn, and T experienced a general increase in values across the timeframe provided by the data. Records show an overall increase of 0.05 °C/decade in DTR. However, since the early 1990s, DTR has been characterized by a downward trend. Nonetheless, the overall trend of increasing DTR is explained by a greater increase in maximum temperatures over minimum temperatures. The observed rate of increase in DTR in warm months exceeds that in cold months. The findings form a baseline for further studies investigating the factors influencing DTR variability, and how the variability is affecting human thermal comfort.

Microbial Analysis of Drinking Water from Nadi to Lautoka Area in Viti Levu Fiji

Introduction: Access to sufficient and safe drinking water is essential for human health and welfare. Countries in the Pacific Region like Fiji frequently face issues with access to safe drinking water and supply problems. Fluctuations in water resource availability, often untreated water and faulty treatment facilities, pollution, lack of proper water management frameworks and most importantly lack of water monitoring resources are all factors that influence Pacific Island Countries. Apart from this, Pacific Islands and their water supplies are susceptible to climate hazards such as floods, cyclones and drought. The Western Division of Fiji Islands is highly prone to adverse climatic conditions; therefore regular monitoring of the various drinking water sources is essential to ensure safety of people. This study was conducted in the Lautoka to Nadi corridor where 25 sites were randomly selected for water analysis processing from January to February 2019. 
 Method: Physio-chemical analysis, such as measuring pH and turbidity as well as simple microbial analysis, was conducted on the water samples. Specific growth media was used to determine the different types of bacteria (Coliform, Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica) present in the water samples; Lauryl Tryptose Broth, Eosin Methlylene Blue Agar, Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate was used. Turbidity was measured using a digital turbidity meter and pH value was determined employing a digital meter.
 Results and Discussion: From the analysis it was determined that overall the pH levels of samples (6.02-8.30) falls within the permissible limits; whereas turbidity was generally higher in untreated water sources with ranges from 3 to 8 nephelometric turbidity units. Microbial content was higher in untreated water samples. Other sources such as springs and creeks recorded the most significant number of Coliforms when compared to other sources and some samples indicated the presence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica.
 Conclusion: From the study it can be concluded that all the water samples tested positive for bacterial contamination particularly Coliforms and it was higher in untreated water. Water from the Municipality had almost all physio-chemical and bacteria parameters within the World Health Organization limits, except for turbidity which was generally above 1NTU. However, this was not the case for untreated water which in some samples contained high levels of harmful bacteria. Monitoring needs to be carried out to better understand water quality and implement counter measures.

Ongoing Dispersal of the 7 August 2019 Pumice Raft From the Tonga Arc in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean

AbstractOn the 7 August 2019, a 195 km2 raft of andesitic pumice was produced at 200 m below sea level at an unnamed submarine volcano in the Tonga Islands (Southwest Pacific Ocean). Drifting chiefly westward, the raft reached the Fiji Islands on the 19 September. Yachts that crossed the raft as early as 2 days post‐eruption provided an outstanding data set of raft characteristics and pristine samples. Further, exceptional tracking of raft dispersal by satellite images allows us to contrast virtual particle tracking methods with ocean model currents to explore the relative influence of surface currents, wind, and wave action on pumice flotsam dispersal over up to 2 years. Attenuation of ocean waves by large and compact pumice rafts appears to reduce the effect of Stokes drift. The coupling of real‐time satellite observations with oceanographic Lagrangian simulations allows near‐real time forecasting for global maritime hazard mitigation.

Decolonizing International Relations: A Re-Memory of Indentured Servitude in Fiji and How it Impacts Our Present and Future

In response to the fourth coup in the Fiji Islands in as many as seventeen years, the international community demanded the restoration of democracy and order in the country. Historical memories of a British colonialism that brought Indians to Fiji as indentured laborers and proceeded to construct a ‘museum’ for the Euro-American imagination that resulted in such tumultuous conditions in Fiji are conveniently cast aside in a colonial globality masquerading as “liberal international order.” These memories, histories beyond the Western construct of the nation-state, histories of colonialism, are also missing from dominant discourses of realism, liberalism, constructivism and historical materialism. The case of Fiji serves as an example of a ‘postcolonial’ nation-state that current academic IR theory cannot offer much support to since it has a colonial epistemology, shackled and bounded within the confines of the Western-constructed nation-state system. Hence, this paper will shed the secure and comfortable land of the Euro-American, travel down the kala pani (Pacific) waters, and shipwreck on Vanua Levu, one of the many islands in the archipelago of Fiji, as the first Indian indentured laborers did when they were taken from one part of the British empire to another. In a place that is romanticized as paradise in the Euro-American imagination, we will pull back the curtains of the imagined museum and reveal a ‘post-colonial’ nation struggling with export-oriented dependent development while burning in the flames of ethnic-tensions created by the then British Empire and sustained today by a colonial globality. This colonial globality is emulated by the modern nation-state, in which differences are created and otherized, sustained within national spaces and across the inter-national. It is the crucial intervention of historical memory pertaining to the construction of the nation-state and the inter-national that makes possible this Discovery. We propose decolonizing IR through critique where the voices and histories subaltern to IR, but so crucial to the production of the local, the national and therefore, global, are put back on the agenda, which should ultimately provide for more honest and responsible scholarship.

Variations in extreme wave events near a South Pacific Island under global warming: case study of Tropical Cyclone Tomas

The intensification of tropical cyclones (TCs) and wind-induced ocean waves is expected to be amplified under global warming conditions. In 2010, strong TC Tomas approached the Fiji Islands and caused severe damage. Here, an ensemble simulation technique is combined with a pseudo-global warming (PGW) method to investigate future variations in TCs and wind-induced ocean waves. Ensemble PGW simulations were implemented using the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model with five different future projections. Hindcast and PGW simulations showed similar tracks of Tomas. In four PGW simulations, the central pressures of the simulated TCs decreased. Enhanced near-surface wind was recognized in three PGW simulations around the Fiji main island (Viti Levu). In the other two future simulations, the surface wind speed was weaker than the one in the present climate because of the slight eastward shift in the track and delayed development of the TC. WaveWatchIII (WW3) was applied for offshore wave simulations forced by the wind field obtained by WRF simulation results. In three future simulations, a clear increase in the maximum significant wave height (Hs) was found on the southeastern coast of Viti Levu. One future simulation yielded almost the same offshore wave characteristics as those under the present climate. In another future simulation, the ensemble mean Hs was as high as that in the present climate, but extremely large Hs values were found in several ensemble members. Future simulations using multiple global climate model (GCM) projections showed possible variations in TCs and wind-induced ocean waves which is useful for the risk assessment of various hazards.

Traditional knowledge, social capital, and community response to a disaster: resilience of remote communities in Fiji after a severe climatic event

This article examines responses by four remote communities in Fiji to the extensive damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Winston (TCW) of 2016, differences among these communities, and factors that make a particular community more disaster-resilient than others. In Fiji, traditional knowledge of climate and disaster mitigation has been known to contribute to better disaster management resilience by communities. TCW of 2016 is one of the strongest cyclones that have struck the islands of Fiji, and many of its remote communities were severely damaged. Responses to the damage caused by TCW varied from community to community, and resilience was shown to depend on the availability of traditional knowledge of climate and disaster mitigation as well as the effective mobilization of social capital exhibited in the long-standing tradition in Fijian villages of mutual help within the community. Our findings suggest that communities without such resources are often left out in recovery processes and may be in particular need of support.

Unique Opportunities of Island States to Transition to a Low-Carbon Mobility System

Small islands developing states (SIDS) contribute minuscule proportions to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption, but are highly exposed to climate change impacts, in particular to extreme weather events and sea-level rise. However, there is little research on potential decarbonization trajectories unique to SIDS. Here, we argue that insular topology, scale, and economy are distinctive characteristics of SIDS that facilitate overcoming carbon lock-in. We investigate these dimensions for the three islands of Barbados, Fiji, and Mauritius. We find that insular topologies and small scale offer an opportunity for both public transit corridors and rapid electrification of car fleets. The tourism sector enables local decision-makers and investors to experiment with shared mobility and to induce spillover effects by educating tourists about new mobility options. Limited network effects, and the particular economy thus enables to overcome carbon lock-in. We call for targeted investments into SIDS to transition insular mobility systems towards zero carbon in 2040. The decarbonization of SIDS is not only needed as a mitigation effort, but also as a strong signal to the global community underlining that a zero-carbon future is possible.

Echo workforce development in the Fiji Islands

Echocardiography has a wide scope of practice and requires many years of training and experience for one to be proficient; however, contextualised echo may be taught for the purpose of screening for rheumatic heart disease (RHD). In recent experience in the Fiji Islands, an echo workforce training programme was implemented with the intention of teaching general sonographers and physicians echo for the purpose of screening RHD with very positive results. This course was completed over three separate one week courses in a clinical setting.

Toward mapping potential groundwater recharge zones across Viti Levu and Vanua Levu (Fiji islands)

Water access in Fiji is a critical issue as not everyone can access reticulated water sources which poses heavy dependence on groundwater sources. Along with its various uses, groundwater sources have been left vulnerable to contamination and depletion over the years due to changes in climatic patterns and human influence. Traditional hydrometric groundwater survey is performed monthly to help determine recharge potential areas in Fiji but doesn’t cover all the water sources nor considers all the factors contributing to groundwater recharge. GIS, presents a contemporary approach to identify potential recharge areas which has been used in this study. In this study, the Multi Influencing Factor technique was used to determine the weightage of the factors aspect, slope, soil drainage, drainage density, parent materials and rainfall which are believed to have potentially contribute to groundwater recharge. The basic GIS tools of overlaying and reclassification was used to denote the relationships between the factors and groundwater recharge and the potential groundwater recharges areas for Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Results have shown that higher potential areas are mostly areas with lower altitudes such as plains, wet areas (windward side), water bodies, excessively drained soils and parent materials with high exposure to weathering. Low ground water recharge potential areas are mostly mountainous, poorly drained soils, dense vegetation and poorly permeable bedrocks. These information is compared against existing boreholes and findings are to assist the government to invest more in those areas that have high recharge areas.

Lost Material Stock in Buildings due to Sea Level Rise from Global Warming: The Case of Fiji Islands

This study developed a methodology to estimate the amount of construction material in coastal buildings which are lost due to climate change-induced sea level rise. The Republic of Fiji was chosen as a case study; sea level rise is based on predictions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the years 2050 and 2100. This study combines the concept of a geographic information system based digital inundation analysis with the concept of a material stock analysis. The findings show that about 4.5% of all existing buildings on Fiji will be inundated by 2050 because of an expected global sea level rise of 0.22 m (scenario 1) and 6.2% by 2100 for a sea level rise of 0.63 m (scenario 2). The number of buildings inundated by 2050 is equivalent to 40% of the average number of new constructed buildings in Fiji Islands in a single year. Overall, the amount of materials present in buildings which will be inundated by 2050 is 900,000 metric tons (815,650 metric tons of concrete, 52,100 metric tons of timber, and 31,680 metric tons of steel). By 2100, this amount is expected to grow to 1,151,000 metric tons (1,130,160 metric tons of concrete, 69,760 metric tons of timber, and 51,320 metric tons of steel). The results shall contribute in enhancing urban planning, climate change adaptation strategies, and the estimation of future demolition flows in small island developing states.

Genomic and phenomic analysis of island ant community assembly.

Island biodiversity has long fascinated biologists as it typically presents tractable systems for unpicking the eco-evolutionary processes driving community assembly. In general, two recurring themes are of central theoretical interest. First, immigration, diversification, and extinction typically depend on island geographical properties (e.g., area, isolation, and age). Second, predictable ecological and evolutionary trajectories readily occur after colonization, such as the evolution of adaptive trait syndromes, trends toward specialization, adaptive radiation, and eventual ecological decline. Hypotheses such as the taxon cycle draw on several of these themes to posit particular constraints on colonization and subsequent eco-evolutionary dynamics. However, it has been challenging to examine these integrated dynamics with traditional methods. Here, we combine phylogenomics, population genomics and phenomics, to unravel community assembly dynamics among Pheidole (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) ants in the isolated Fijian archipelago. We uphold basic island biogeographic predictions that isolated islands accumulate diversity primarily through in situ evolution rather than dispersal, and population genomic support for taxon cycle predictions that endemic species have decreased dispersal ability and demography relative to regionally widespread taxa. However, rather than trending toward island syndromes, ecomorphological diversification in Fiji was intense, filling much of the genus-level global morphospace. Furthermore, while most endemic species exhibit demographic decline and reduced dispersal, we show that the archipelago is not an evolutionary dead-end. Rather, several endemic species show signatures of population and range expansion, including a successful colonization to the Cook islands. These results shed light on the processes shaping island biotas and refine our understanding of island biogeographic theory.

Microbial functional structure and stable isotopic variation of leptocephali across three current zones in the western South Pacific

The ecology of leptocephali remains poorly known but they appear to feed on marine snow that can vary spatially and temporally according to the food web dynamics. This study provided new information about the position of leptocephali within the functional structure of microbial plankton and other food web components of the western South Pacific (WSP) region at a large geographic scale including the New Caledonia, Fiji, and Samoa islands. The hydrographic structure varied with latitude, and nutrient levels were generally low but somewhat variable. Stable isotopic signatures were examined in relation to the 3 current zones of the eastward flowing South Equatorial Countercurrent (SECC; north), the westward South Equatorial Current (SEC; mid-latitudes), and the eastward South Tropical Countercurrent (STCC; south), and all zones were found to be primarily based on a heterotrophic planktonic functioning that were co-limited by inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus, with biomasses of planktonic groups varying with depth. Isotopic signatures of leptocephali were compared to the signatures of other mesozoplankton, micronekton, and Trichodesmium components of the food web, and in relation to the signatures of particulate organic matter (POM) that varied among the 3 collection depths. The isotopic signatures of six taxa of leptocephali, other taxonomic groups and POM showed interesting variability according to latitude and among some stations. The presence of Trichodesmium at the surface in the STCC zone influenced the isotopic signatures of POM and thus the signatures of leptocephali. The signatures of leptocephali were therefore linked with the overall food web and were consistent with the larvae feeding on marine snow components of POM. The two apparent groups of leptocephali with different isotopic signatures that have also been observed in other oceanic areas may be explained by feeding behavior at different depths or on different types of marine snow.

Study on Probabilistic Inundation Hazard along the Coast of South Pacific Islands: Case Study at Lakeba Island in Fiji

Study on Probabilistic Inundation Hazard along the Coast of South Pacific Islands: Case Study at Lakeba Island in Fiji

Development and usability of a mobile tool for identification of depression and suicide risk in Fiji.

In Fiji and other South Pacific island countries, depression and suicide are of great concern. There is a pressing need to rapidly identify those at risk and provide treatment as soon as possible. Design, develop and test a mobile health tool that enables CHNs to easily and rapidly identify individuals at risk for suicide and depression and provide guidelines for their treatment. Using Android Studio, a native app called ASRaDA was developed that encoded two validated scales: Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D), and Suicide Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R). The usability of the app was measured using the System Usability Scale by community health nurses in Fiji. Out of a maximim possible of 100 on SUS, ASRaDA was scored at 86.79. Mobile tools with high usability can be designed to aid community health nurses in Fiji and Pacific island counties rapidly identify those at risk for depression and suicide.

Natural occurrence and distribution of entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernematidae, Heterorhabditidae) in Viti Levu, Fiji Islands.

In Fiji, little or no attention has been given to entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) in biocontrol programs due to the lack of awareness about their occurrence and distribution in Fiji. A survey of EPNs was conducted for the first time in Fiji Islands in 2012 and 2013, throughout the eight provinces in Viti Levu to determine the occurrence and distribution across different habitat in Viti Levu. The soil samples from various habitats were collected and assayed for the presence of EPN using Galleria mellonella as baits. EPNs were recovered from five out of seven provinces with 35 positive sites (7.3%) out of 478 sites sampled. The only EPN genera encountered was Heterorhabditis. Steinernema was not isolated from any of the samples. Characterization of isolates was done by using morphometric and molecular examinations and isolates were identified as Heterorhabditis indica. H. indica isolates were primarily recovered from leeward side of the Viti Levu Island along the coastline and riversides, being more prevalent in lighter soil with pH > 6. Further, this study found significant association between habitat type, soil type, soil pH, average annual rainfall and EPN occurrence. This is the first record of naturally occurring EPNs in Fiji. The found nematodes will serve as the basis for efficacy screening with the ultimate aim of delivering effective, more sustainable and environmentally safe control for agricultural pests in Fiji.

A Residential Satisfaction Assessment of Public Rental Board Housing in the Greater Suva Urban Area, Fiji Islands

Residential satisfaction is an important measure of overall quality of life and determines how individuals respond to their housing environment. The study examines the level of tenants’ satisfaction with Public Rental Board (PRB) flats in the Greater Suva Urban Area (GSUA), Fiji. The objective of the study is to investigate the factors affecting the residential satisfaction of tenants of PRB rental flats using a survey instrument measuring tenants’ perceptive responses to the various facets of their housing environment. The study finds that PRB tenants have relatively higher satisfaction level for the building quality features and neighbourhood factors, whilst lower satisfaction level is recorded for the building physical design and housing management services. Physical building design features such as the size of bedrooms, dining areas, together with housing management features such as handling of tenant’s complaints, and treatment of tenants, have been rated by tenants to be below satisfactory levels. The factorial ANOVA on the survey data indicates that there are no statistically significant differences in residential satisfaction levels attributed to independent variables such as age, education level, and family type. However, residential satisfaction levels were statistically different among the six PRB estates examined in the study.

Natural radioactivity measurement of gold mine tailings in Vatukoula, Fiji Islands

Gold mining is one of the primary industry in Fiji, and it could expose the naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) that may produce health risk to the people working in mining. The present study focuses on the assessment of soil samples in the vicinity of gold mining to assess the concentration of these nuclides. The average activity concentrations of Uranium (238U), Thorium (232Th) and Potassium (40K) in the soil samples from the gold mining area in Vatukoula, Fiji were computed using NaI(Tl) detector. The activity concentrations varied from 30.7 Bq kg−⁡1 and 175.73 Bq kg−⁡1 for 238U and 40K with the absence of 232Th in the decommissioned site. 19.49 Bq kg−⁡1, 123.06 Bq kg−⁡1 and 86.86 Bq kg−⁡1 was determined for 238U, 232Th and 40K of the commissioned sites respectively which is less than the world averages according to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation report [1], except for 232Th which is expected to be higher due to the mineral composition of monazite derivatives. Our preliminary results on the activity of these radioactive nuclides demonstrate that the mining activities at Vatukoula poses no significant radionuclide hazard to the miners and the general public.

Elections and the chain of democratic choice

This special issue of The Journal of Pacific Studies covers the 2018 general elections in the Republic of Fiji Islands and the 2019 general elections in Solomon Islands. In 2000, the two countries experienced the overthrow of democratically elected governments. On 19th May 2000, nine armed soldiers of the Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces led by failed business executive George Speight entered the Fiji parliament and held the Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and his government hostage. A little over two weeks later on 5th June, Andrew Nori and the Malaita Eagle Force, a faction in the armed conflict in the Solomon Islands held elected Prime Minister Bartholomew Ulufa’alo hostage at gunpoint, and forced him to resign. These martial acts ruptured the constitutional rule of law and impaired democratic institutions and mechanisms in both countries.

Landslide Hazard Zonation from a GIS Perspective and Urban Planning Solutions in Central –Division of Fiji Islands

As is a characteristic of rainfall-induced surficial landslides, the mass movement occurred where the landform or configuration of the bedrock surface facilitated the concentration of slope water. More than half of the landslides originated in slope depressions or drainage lines, with initial failure taking place on an upper slope, ridge or summit. The present study aims at assessing the rainfall intensity, site-soil-geology and seismicity of the central division of Viti Levu, Fiji Islands using the GIS and remote sensing techniques. Rainfall intensity, Site-soilgeology, geomorphology and SRTM DEM data were the main sources of layers used to carry out such analysis using the Frequency Ratio methodology and ArcGIS Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA). The final result of Land Slide Potential Zone (LSPZ) indicates the ‘low’, ‘moderate’ and ‘high’ zones. The result presents a readable map for people to simply identify their state of vulnerability within the study area. Thus, this research will assist professionals such as urban planners, engineers and legislators to implement sustainable developments whilst reducing the risks of disasters.