Fiji: a community workshop to better prevent fires in the Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park

On Friday 14 March 2025, the National Trust of Fiji held a fire management planning workshop at the Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park, with support from the Kiwa Initiative. The event was part of the project “Building coastal resilience: forest restoration, invasive species control and the Heritage in Young Hands programme in the Sigatoka Sand Dunes ecosystems”, implemented by the National Trust of Fiji.

Each year, fires devastate the park’s natural and reforested areas, gradually turning forest landscapes into grasslands, accelerating dune erosion, and threatening soil fertility, food security, the health of neighbouring communities, and even the park’s tourism appeal.

In response to these challenges, the workshop aimed to lay the groundwork for a Fire Management Policy for the park. The event brought together 22 participants, including representatives from the Kulukulu community, local NGOs, schools and government agencies.

The workshop objectives were to:

• identify the main causes of fires in and around the park;
• propose concrete strategies to protect people, property, and fragile ecosystems;
• define safety measures, such as emergency exits and access routes for response teams;
• plan training for park rangers and community members;
• strengthen collaboration between firefighters, rangers and the local community.

Community input at the heart of the discussion

Key recommendations emerged during the workshop. Mosese Volavola, from Yadua village, stressed the need for a stronger presence of park rangers in surrounding communities and for closer collaboration with existing local committees.
Preetika Devi, a teacher at Kulukulu Public School, emphasised the importance of youth education in shifting long-term behaviours around fire. She recommended expanding community awareness campaigns and fire safety training.

Other suggested strategies included staff training, building a fire lookout tower, installing warning signs, launching integrated community patrols with the National Fire Authority and police, penalising fire offenders, and securing illegal access points.

This workshop is part of a project funded by the Kiwa Initiative, which promotes community-based approaches to climate risk management.