Project Summary
Countries: Fiji
Delivery Partner: Bioversity International
Project Partners: Nukubati Resort Pte Limited, Pacific Island Food Revolution Ltd New Zealand , University of the South PacificCenter for Sustainable Futures (IAS Section)
Principal Investigator: Dr Gina Kennedy, Principal Scientist, Bioversity International
Challenge
Communities in Small Island Developing States face interconnected challenges of climate vulnerability, biodiversity loss, and limited economic opportunities. This research will develop a contextualized, evidence-based approach that leverages the expanding ecotourism market to catalyze climate-smart, biodiversity-based supply and demand solutions.
With Vanua Levu, Fiji as the case study, we will demonstrate how restoring the use of local biodiversity can diversify community incomes, reverse ecological decline, and strengthen climate resilience, creating a transformational pathway for SIDS. Applied, evidence-based research will build resilience by increasing both the supply and demand of native biodiversity. Communities, in collaboration with the research team, will co-develop solutions for biodiversity-based landscape restoration and climate-smart agriculture to boost supply, while culinary and gastronomy opportunities will be tailored to meet the growing demand of ecotourism.
The project will directly benefit actors across ecotourism value chains, including input suppliers (seedlings, planting materials, compost), local producers (farms and markets), and the culinary sector (food processing and preparation), with intentional focus on women and youth. Additional beneficiaries include policymakers, government agencies, researchers, donors, and the broader tourism industry in Fiji and other SIDS, who will gain evidence and tools to guide investment, implementation and policy decisions.
More on the project will be added soon.
In the meantime, explore our Projects page to discover the diverse portfolio of initiatives GCBC is supporting around the world, and see where our research is making an impact.
