Implications of Seagrass Ecosystem Degradation on Marine Resources and People’s Livelihood: A Case Study from Komave Village, Fiji

Abstract

Tropical coastal zones have rich marine ecosystems; however, they have been enduring severe environmental hazards, particularly from anthropogenic activity and the effects of climate change. Seagrass ecosystem is one of the most productive yet undervalued marine ecosystems. The residents of Komave village, located on the mainland of Fiji have witnessed marked losses in seagrass cover over the last decade. Several of the village men in Komave are unemployed and rely on the coastal resources through fishing, livestock and agricultural farming for their socioeconomic livelihood. This research explores the impact of loss of seagrass cover on the villagers’ livelihood. This paper highlights the observations and experiences of the Komave villagers, in light of the interviews and discussions carried out at the community. A random sampling method was also used over a period of two years (March, 2015 – April, 2017) to monitor the seagrass habitat. The possible anthropogenic and natural factors contributing to the loss of Seagrass were gotten from the interviews and sampling physical environment. The nitrate content analysed from the random samples, reported values from 190 mg/L to a maximum value of 362.8 mg/L. It was also revealed that the areas where nitrate concentrations were greater than 300 mg/L, there was 0% sea grass cover in total, which confirms that if high levels of nitrates are present, sea grass cover is highly impacted. This paper concludes by providing recommendations for managing seagrass to enhance fisheries productivity in this tropical coastal community.