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ECAL in Action How Your Environment and Climate Adaptation Levy is Building a Better, Stronger Fiji Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 1 Contents What Is ECAL?

.................................................................. 3 ECAL Usage in Numbers ................................................ 4 Projects Funded by ECAL as at 30 April, 2019 .......... 5 How is ECAL Collected?

................................................. 6 How is ECAL Used?
......................................................... 7 ECAL in Comparison ....................................................... 8 ECAL Project Spotlight .................................................11 Clean and Safe Water to All Fijians ...........................12 Resilient Roads ..............................................................13 Coastal Protection .........................................................14 Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 2 What Is ECAL?
Fiji is a Small Island Developing State with big aspirations.

We Fijians are determined to build an inclusive, prosperous, resilient and low-carbon future for ourselves, and remain steadfast in the battle against climate change, the single greatest threat to our future.

We aspire to achieve sustainable socio-economic development that preserves our unique and pristine biodiversity, enabling our people to pass on our worthy inheritance of environmental stewardship for future generations.
Meeting those aspirations will require innovative financing mechanisms that enable the mobilisation of large scale resources that meet Fiji’s development agenda in a climate- centric and environmentally sensitive manner.

In this regard, the Environment and Climate Adaptation Levy (ECAL) is a consortium of taxes on prescribed services, items and income1.
It helps fund critical work across Fiji to protect our natural environment, reduce our carbon footprint, and adapt our economy, our communities and our infrastructure to the worsening impacts of climate change.

When you spend time in Fiji, and pay ECAL, you are helping us secure our future by boosting our climate resilience and reducing our national greenhouse emissions.
ECAL is collected by the Fiji Revenue and Customs Services (FRCS) and administered by the Ministry of Economy in accordance with the Finance Management Act 2004 and the Financial Instructions 2010.

Proceeds from ECAL are used to finance selected projects programmed in the National Budget.
Since its introduction in the 2017-2018 financial year, the Environment and Climate Adaptation Ley has collected FJ $270.2 million in proceeds of which FJ $255.9 has been used to finance 102 projects to date programmed in the National Budget to address climate change and environmental conservation.

This innovative fiscal financing tool has helped raise unprecedented levels of public finance to support climate change and environmental conservation programmes.
To enhance community level actions to manage the impacts of climate change, the Fijian Government will soon allocate a certain percentage of ECAL proceeds into a Climate Change Relocation Trust Fund to help raise bilateral and multilateral donor funding to relocate low lying vulnerable coastal communities facing the brunt of climate change.
This bulletin gives a comprehensive breakdown of how ECAL is collected, managed and utilised and includes information on specific projects that ECAL funds have helped make possible.

1 ECAL is a broader version of the Environmental Levy introduced in 2015.
According to the Environmental Levy (Budget Amendment) Act 2017, ECAL is made up of the following: 10% tax on importation of luxury vehicles; Miscellaneous - inclusive of 10% charge on super yacht charters and dock- ing fees; 10% income tax on individual earnings of more than FJ $270,000; 20 cents levy on plastic bags; and 10% ECAL on prescribed services offered by business with a turnover of FJ $1.5 million.
©Photo by Luke Gordon Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 3 Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 3 ECAL Usage in Numbers ECAL Usage in Numbers ECAL Usage in Numbers ECAL Usage in Numbers Number of projects funded as at 30 April, 2018 Number of projects funded Number of projects funded as at 30 April, 2018 as at 30 April, 2018 ECAL Usage in Numbers ECAL Usage in Numbers ECAL Usage in Numbers ECAL Usage in Numbers ECAL Usage in Numbers Number of projects funded Number of projects funded Number of projects funded as at 30 April, 2019 as at 30 April, 2018 as at 30 April, 2018 Number of projects funded as at 30 April, 2018 ECAL funds collected as at 30 April, 2018 ECAL funds used as at 30 April, 2018 ECAL funds collected as at 30 April, 2018 ECAL funds collected as at 30 April, 2018 ECAL funds collected as at 30 April, 2018 ECAL funds collected as at 30 April, 2018 ECAL funds collected as at 30 April, 2018 ECAL funds collected as at 30 April, 2019 Number of projects funded ECAL funds collected as at 30 April, 2018 as at 30 April, 2018 FJ $110.6 FJ $110.6 FJ $110.6 FJ $110.6 FJ $119.7 FJ $110.6 FJ $110.6 FJ $110.6 FJ $106 46 46 46 56 46 46 46 million million million million million million million million million ECAL funds used as at 30 April, 2018 ECAL funds used as at ECAL funds used as at 30 April, 2018 30 April, 2018 ECAL funds used as at 30 April, 2019 ECAL funds used as at ECAL funds used as at 30 April, 2018 30 April, 2018 ECAL funds collected as at 30 April, 2018 ECAL funds used as at 30 April, 2018 FJ $106 million FJ $106 FJ $106 million million Disaster Relief and Response FJ $110.6 FJ $105.5 FJ $106 FJ $106 FJ $106 million million million million million Usage of ECAL funds Usage of ECAL funds Usage of ECAL funds Usage of ECAL funds Usage of ECAL funds Usage of ECAL funds Usage of ECAL funds Usage of ECAL funds Disaster Relief and Response Disaster Relief and Response Disaster Relief and Response Disaster Relief and Response Disaster Relief and Response Disaster Relief and Response Rural Development Meteorology Services
 Meteorology Services Meteorology Services Disaster Relief and Response Meteorology Services Meteorology Services Meteorology Services Cyclone Rehabilitation Rural Development Meteorology Services Rural Development Rural Development Urban Development Rural Development Cyclone Rehabilitation Rural Development Rural Development Rural Development Disaster Relief and Response Cyclone Rehabilitation Cyclone Rehabilitation Urban Development Cyclone Rehabilitation Cyclone Rehabilitation Cyclone Rehabilitation Urban Development Urban Development Urban Development Meteorology Services FJ $0.96 million Usage of ECAL funds Urban Development Urban Development Agricultural Development Agricultural Development Rural Development Urban Development Number of projects funded as at 30 April, 2018 46 46 Disaster Relief and Response Meteorology Services Agricultural Development Agricultural Development FJ $0.96 million FJ $1.04 million FJ $0.96 million FJ $0.96 million FJ $0.96 million FJ $0.96 million FJ $0.96 million FJ $2.15 million FJ $1.10 million FJ $1.04 million FJ $0.96 million FJ $1.04 million FJ $1.04 million FJ $1.04 million FJ $1.04 million FJ $0.63 million FJ $1.10 million FJ $1.10 million FJ $1.04 million FJ $29.50 million FJ $1.10 million FJ $1.25 million FJ $1.10 million FJ $1.10 million FJ $1.10 million FJ $0.96 million FJ $0.96 million FJ $29.50 million FJ $29.50 million FJ $29.50 million FJ $29.50 million FJ $29.50 million FJ $29.50 million FJ $1.25 million FJ $1.30 million FJ $1.25 million FJ $1.04 million FJ $1.25 million FJ $1.25 million FJ $1.25 million FJ $1.25 million FJ $1.10 million FJ $3.63 million FJ $4.60 million Agricultural Development Agricultural Development Sustainable Resource Management Agricultural Development Sustainable Resource Agricultural Development Agricultural Development Sustainable Resource Management Infrastructure Development Sustainable Resource Management Management Sustainable Resource Management Sustainable Resource Management
 Sustainable Resource Management Infrastructure Development Energy Conservation Energy Conservation Infrastructure Development Infrastructure Development Environmental Conservation Infrastructure Development Water Management Infrastructure Development Infrastructure Development Energy Conservation Energy Conservation Agricultural Development Energy Conservation Energy Conservation Environmental Conservation Environmental Conservation Energy Conservation Energy Conservation Environmental Conservation Sustainable Resource Management Environmental Conservation Environmental Conservation Environmental Conservation Environmental Conservation Infrastructure Development Icons designed by Freepix Infrastructure Development ECAL Usage in Numbers Number of projects funded as at 30 April, 2018 46 ECAL funds used as at 30 April, 2018 FJ $106 million ECAL funds collected as at 30 April, 2018 FJ $110.6 million ECAL funds used as at Usage of ECAL funds 30 April, 2018 FJ $106 million Meteorology Services Rural Development Cyclone Rehabilitation Urban Development FJ $1.04 million FJ $1.10 million FJ $29.50 million FJ $1.25 million Sustainable Resource Management Infrastructure Development Energy Conservation Environmental Conservation Cyclone Rehabilitation Urban Development FJ $29.50 million FJ $1.83 million FJ $1.25 million FJ $63.77 million FJ $1.50 million FJ $0.52 million Energy Conservation Environmental Conservation Bulletin 01/2018 | June 2018 4 FJ $4.60 million FJ $1.83 million FJ $4.60 million FJ $4.60 million FJ $4.60 million FJ $3.61 million FJ $4.60 million FJ $4.60 million FJ $1.83 million FJ $63.77 million Icons designed by Freepix FJ $1.83 million FJ $1.83 million Icons designed by Freepix Icons designed by Freepix Icons designed by Freepix Icons designed by Freepix Icons designed by Freepix Icons designed by Freepix FJ $4.60 million FJ $1.83 million FJ $3.51 million FJ $1.83 million FJ $1.83 million FJ $1.50 million FJ $63.77 million FJ
 $63.77 million FJ $63.77 million FJ $0.52 million FJ $63.77 million FJ $63.77 million FJ $63.77 million FJ $1.50 million FJ $1.50 million FJ $4.60 million FJ $19.99 million FJ $1.50 million FJ $1.50 million FJ $1.83 million FJ $1.05 million FJ $1.50 million FJ $0.52 million FJ $1.50 million FJ $0.52 million FJ $0.52 million Bulletin 01/2018 | June 2018 Icons designed by Freepix 4 Bulletin 01/2018 | June 2018 Bulletin 01/2018 | June 2018 Bulletin 01/2018 | June 2018 4 FJ $0.52 million Bulletin 01/2018 | June 2018 FJ $0.52 million FJ $0.52 million FJ $63.77 million FJ $68.67 million 4 4 Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 4 4 Bulletin 01/2018 | June 2018 Bulletin 01/2018 | June 2018 4 4 FJ $1.50 million FJ $0.52 million Bulletin 01/2018 | June 2018 4 Projects Funded by ECAL as at 30 April, 2019 Project National Disaster Database Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Fund Disaster Risk and Climate Change Adaptation Upgrade of Outer Island Stations Upgrade of Nadi Radar Antenna Installation of Water Level Rainfall Telemetry Instruments Community Access Roads, Footpaths and Footbridges Upgrade of Informal Settlements Upgrade of Town Wide Informal Settlements Food Security Program 11 Agricultural Research and Development 12 FDB Subsidy: Interest on Agricultural Loans to Fijian 13 Coastal Fisheries Development 14 Aqua Culture Development 15 Food Security Program - Aquaculture 16 Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation(REDD+) 17 Research and Development of Wood and Non Wood Species 18 Reforestation of Degraded Forest 19 Reforestation of Indigenous Species 20 Ground Water Assessment and Development-Small Islands (32) 21 Ground Water Assessment and Development-Large Islands (29) 22 Environmental Monitoring of Mines and Quarrys 23 Renewable Energy Development Projects 24 Energy Conservation Implementation 25 Energy Conservation Assessment 26 Upgrade of Gau and Cicia Biofuel Mills 27 Supply and Installation of 2635 Solar Home Systems Ongoing ECAL
 Funds Used $ 157,311 $ 1,000,000 29 30 Supply and Installation of 5000 Solar Home Systems Supply of Solar Home System Replacement Component Ongoing Project $ 991,537 $ 111,898 $ 339,140 $ 184,458 $ 959,390 $ 186,241 31 Maintenance of Irrigation Schemes 32 Drainage and Flood Protection 33 Watershed Management 34 Coastal Erosion Protection Works 35 Maintenance of Drainage - Non - Municipal Councils 36 Drainage for Rural Residential Areas $ 1,118,189 37 Drainage Farmlands $ 662,077 $ 1,016,355 $ 1,952,065 $ 568,548 $ 246,995 $ 83,459 $ 377,480 $ 102,089 $ 630,068 $ 236,600 $ 191,868 $ 1,099,574 $ 71,438 $ 153,875 $ 54,816 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 Improvement and Upgrade of Wastewater Distribution System Rural Water Supply Programme Rainwater Harvesting Systems – Government to Reimburse 70% for Residential Households Subsidy Naboro Landfill Environment Programme - Northern and Western Division Compliance and Enforcement of EIA Environment Management Act Litter Awareness Phase Out of Methyl Bromide 47 National Waste Management Strategy 48 Hydrochloroflorocarbon Phase Out Management Plan 49 50 51 Implementation of National Biodiversity Strategies Action Plans and Cartagena Protocol 3R Awareness Programme Construction of Naboro Landfill - Stage 2 52 Upgrading and Replacement of Bridges - Bridge Renewals $ 43,686 53 Jetties and Crossing Maintenance and Renewals $ 322,316 $ 473,323 54 Upgrading of Rural Roads (Access) 55 New Capital Resilience Programme ECAL Funds Used $ 1,908,595 $ 85,608 $ 616,556 $ 1,851,630 $ 879,196 $ 161,233 $ 1,252,521 $ 439,272 $ 1,137,193 $ 3,628,354 $ 6,701,885 $ 3,323,633 $ 559,168 $ 51,798 $ 3,645 $ 6,726 $ 50,039 $ 27,530 $ 189,362 $ 29,801 $ 29,071 $ 25,123 $ 74,409 $ 20,034,042 $ 1,589,530 $ 19,792,207 $ 799,365 28 Supply & Upgrade of 700 Type I Solar Home Systems $ 467,453 56 Rehabilitation and Construction of Schools and Public Buildings $ 26,450,531 Keys TOTAL FJ $105.5 million Disaster Relief and Response Meteorology Services Rural Development
 Urban Development Agricultural Development Sustainable Resource Management Energy Conservation Water Management Environmental Conservation Infrastructure Development Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 5 How is ECAL Collected?
As stipulated in the Environmental Levy (Budget Amendment) Act 20172, the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS)3 has been administering taxes and collecting revenue from the five major ECAL tax streams on behalf of the Fijian Government.

At the end of the third quarter of the 2018-2019 financial year, a total of FJ $119.7 million ECAL funds have been collected.

The table below shows further details on ECAL funds received by the five sources.
ECAL Sources Aug - Oct Q1 Nov - Jan Q2 Feb - Apr Q3 Year to Date Aug - Apr 10% ECAL on prescribed services 45,546,742 38,228,997 26,595,732 110,371,472 10% tax on importation of luxury vehicles with engine capacity exceeding 3000cc 46,202 40,516 40,278 126,997 20 cents Levy on Plastic Bags 1,699,874 2,027,802 1,799,736 5,527,412 Miscellaneous - Inclusive of 10% ECAL on super yachts 323,159 40,000 - 363,159 10% income tax on chargeable income of more than FJ $270,000 963,329 1,390,507 966,376 3,320,212 Total Receipts 48,579,307 41,727,822 29,402,122 119,709,251 FJ $119.7 million collected as at 30 April, 2019 2 Access the Environment Levy (Budget Amendment) Act 2017 at: https://www.fiji.gov.fj/getattachment/2c1e826d-dab8-4802-b561-7925f8c3138b/Bill-29---Environmental-Levy- (budget-amendment)-Bi.aspx 3 Fiji Revenue and Customs Service Website Link – provides an in depth information of FRCS ECAL collection mechanism.
https://www.frcs.org.fj/our-services/taxation/business/environmental-levy/ Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 6 How is ECAL Used?

Figure 1 below shows how ECAL funds have been utilised into the two major climate action categories of adaptation and mitigation.
Due to Fiji’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change effects, the ECAL funds have been predominately utilised in adaptation centric-projects to help protect the Fijian economy from the disastrous impacts of climate change, enhancing our nation’s ability to manage climate and disaster risks.

The utilisation of ECAL funds have been categorised into 10 thematic areas to support streamlined monitoring and reporting.
Figure 2 provides a snapshot of what percentage of ECAL funds each of these Thematic areas have utilised as at 30 April 2019.

With Infrastructure development being Government’s main area of focus during ECAL’s second year of inception, it continues to be the largest target priority for ECAL funds.
ECAL is supporting the Fijian Government’s continuing efforts to build critical and climate resilient infrastructure such as bridges, roads, schools, hospitals and public buildings helping to ensure these structures can withstand the impacts of climate change.
Figure 1: Adaptation vs Mitigation 8% $8,164,464 92% $97,335,805 Adaptation Mitigation Figure 2: Utilisation by Thematic Areas Meteorology Services 1% Rural Development 1% Urban Development 1% Disaster Relief and Response 2% Agricultural Development 4% Sustainable Resource Management 3% Energy Conservation 3% Water Management 19% Environmental Conservation 1% Infrastructure Development 65% Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 7 ECAL in Comparison Figure 3: ECAL Allocation by Budget Sectors $10,844,381 10% $8,405,078 8% $12,387,201 12% $73,863,609 70% General Administration Social Economic Infrastructure The National Budget is divided into five broad sectors: General Administration, Economic, Social, Infrastructure and Miscellaneous sectors.
Figure 3 gives a snapshot of how ECAL has been utilised across budget sectors, with the Miscellaneous Sector integrated in the other four sectors.

As reflected in Figure 3, the Infrastructure Sector has been the largest recipient of ECAL funds.

These funds have helped provide reliable and safe water for all Fijians and supported the ongoing development of resilient road infrastructure.

The Economic Sector has the second largest utilization.
ECAL has funded projects that focus on promoting agricultural innovation and food security, sustainable management of marine and forest resources, and geospacial data collection for effective resource planning.

The General Administration sector and the Social Sector have the third and fourth highest allocations with projects focusing on enhanced climate and disaster risk planning, investments in meteorological services assets, and the upgrade of rural and urban settlements.
Figure 4: Quarterly Utilisation of ECAL $50,000,000 $45,000,000 $40,000,000 $35,000,000 $30,000,000 $25,000,000 $20,000,000 $15,000,000 $10,000,000 $5,000,000 $- $44,277,290 $26,646,733 $34,576,245 Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 The Government (fiscal) financial year begins on 1 August and ends on 31 July.

Figure 4 provides a snapshot of ECAL utilisation by quarter.

Government agencies tend to use most of their budget in Q2 and Q3, as the financial year comes to an end.
This trend has continued in the 2018-2019 financial year, with approximately FJ $44.3 million and FJ $34.6 million utilised in Q2 and Q3 respectively.

As more projects are initiated and implementation gains momentum, the Q4 utilisation is expected to be similar to Q3.
Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 8 Figure 5: Quarterly Utilisation Comparison Figure 6: ECAL funds collected comparison $60,000,000 $50,000,000 $40,000,000 $30,000,000 $20,000,000 $52,036,290 $46,396,634 $44,277,290 $26,646,733 $34,576,245 $10,000,000 $7,648,100 $- $60,000,000 $50,000,000 $48,579,307 $40,000,000 $38,374,362 $41,074,272 $41,727,822 $31,206,760 $29,402,122 $30,000,000 $20,000,000 $10,000,000 $- Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 2017-2018 2018-2019 2017-2018 2018-2019 Figure 5 provides a snapshot of the 2017-2018 quarterly utilisation rates against the 2018-2019 quarterly utilisation rates.
Utilisation for the first quarter of 2018-2019 has been higher compared to the same period last year as ECAL projects were proactively identified to be financed through the ECAL before the start of the financial year and ministries were informed of the need to have consistent budget usage throughout the financial year.

Despite being lower than the previous financial year, utilisation for quarters 2 and 3 have remained high as most projects were well implemented in quarter 1.
Figure 6 provides a snapshot of the quarterly collection of ECAL funds.

For the financial year ending 30 April 2019, total collections from ECAL are FJ $119.7 million compared to FJ $110.6 million for the same period last year.
The slight increase in ECAL collections in the 2018-2019 financial year has currently been driven by increased proceeds from the 10% ECAL on prescribed services, indicating that economic activity has been strong for prescribed services, with more sales resulting in more ECAL collection.
Regarding the increase in ECAL proceeds from the Plastic Bag Levy in the 2018-2019 financial year, we are pleased to highlight that the increase in Plastic Bag Levy from 10 cents to 20 cents has resulted in a decline in plastic bag usage by 11.57% in 2018-2019.
Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 9 Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 10 ECAL Project Spotlight Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 11 Clean and Safe Water for All Fijians Nakoso Village, a small rural community in Cakaudrove province now has access to clean and safe drinking water after the commissioning of a new water intake dam, a tank base with 10,000 liters of water storage that connects piped water to every household in the village.
This has revolutionalised the lives of 60 villagers who previously relied on untreated water from a nearby river for drinking, cooking, washing and bathing, which often exposed them to dangerous germs and diseases.

Productivity in the village has increased as women do not have to carry water from the river to do household chores allowing more time to engage in other economic activities.

Children are less likely to fall ill as they now have access to clean water allowing them to attend school consistently.
Overall sanitation has improved as use of flush toilets and piped septic tanks has been made possible.

The story of Nakoso Village is a reflection of the Fijian Government’s commitment to provide 100 percent access to clean and safe water to all Fijians by 2031 as per the 5-Year and 20-Year National Development Plan.

The joy experienced by a person having access to clean and safe water reticulation for the first time is priceless.
Investments in clean water access and sanitation have far reaching socio-economic benefits, particularly for marginalised segments of society.

Access to basic infrastructure is also fundamental when it comes to bridging the divide between urban centres and rural communities.

Rural development is a key focus area for the Fijian Government and every effort is being made to ensure that rural communities bear the fruits of sustainable, inclusive, resilient and low carbon development.
Nakoso Village is one of 51 rural communities that have been assisted in the 2018-2019 financial year through the Rural Water Supply Programme administered by the Water Authority of Fiji.

Of the 51 rural communities assisted as at 30 April 2019, 27 were from the Central Division, 9 from Eastern Division, 1 from the Western Division and 14 from the Northern Division.
Work in an additional 36 rural communities is currently underway and is expected to be completed by the end of the 2018-2019 financial (31 July 2019).

Material procurement is also underway for a further 14 rural communities.
A sum of FJ $27 million was allocated in the 2018-2019 financial year of which FJ $6.7 million was used from ECAL proceeds as at 30 April 2019 to deliver community- based, tailor-made water reticulation solutions that include modern catchment systems, portable treatment plants and innovative ecological purification systems (‘EPS’).
Rural water project, Cakaudrove Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 12 Resilient Roads Residents of Vakabuli – a rural community in Lautoka lived in fear of crossing the flooded Vakabuli - Paipai Irish Crossing every time storm clouds would gather, and heavy rain would fall.
For nearly a decade members of the Vakabuli community were unable to transport farm produce to markets, school children and university students had to miss classes, the sickly were unable to go to hospitals, and funerals had to be cancelled all because of the Vakabuli crossing being far too dangerous to cross during adverse weather conditions.
That all came to an end, when the Prime Minister, Honourable Josaia Bainimarama, opened the new the Vakabuli - Paipai Bridge Crossing in January 2019 giving more than 150 households safe and reliable access to urban centres and essential services.

The new bridge crossing is built 1.5 meters higher than the previous structure and is fortified by concrete to withstand severe elemental impacts.
The high engineering standards used on this bridge crossing will also be replicated in 17 other similar projects around Fiji to enhance the climate and disaster resilience of critical public infrastructure assets.

Articulated in its 5-Year & 20-Year National Development Plan, the Fijian Government has set out goals, policies and strategies to promote equal opportunities, increase access to basic services, and help build resilient communities.
Initiatives such as the Vakabuli - Paipai Bridge Crossing are strengthening integrated rural development, assisting rural communities to meet their basic needs, improving the living standards and quality of life, and enhancing self-sufficiency, all in a resilient and sustainable manner.
Approximately FJ $1.6 million ECAL funds were used from the 2018-2019 allocation for the Vakabuli - Paipai Bridge Crossing project through the Upgrading and Replacement of Bridges programme administered by the Fiji Roads Authority.

A total of FJ $20 million has been used from the ECAL in the 2018-2019 financial year to fund other similar projects under this programme.
Vakabuli Bridge, Lautoka Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 13 Coastal Protection Over the past decade, over 100 residents of Lamini Village on the island of Taveuni have often had their homes and village grounds inundated by strong tides and cyclone induced waves.

When the first village seawall was built in Lamini in 1995, the effects of climate change were not as apparent as they are today.

As a result, when the seawall was built, it was built only slightly above ground level.
23 years later, sea level rise and more ferocious cyclones havedecimated the old Lamini village seawall.

To address this problem, the Fijian Government began the construction of a stone masonry seawall in front of the skeleton of the old seawall.

Once completed, this new development will tremendously improve the structural integrity of the existing seawall and create another layer of coastal protection built to modern and resilient engineering specifications.
To negate the issue of coastal inundation, the new seawall is approximately 2.5 meters above sea level, building badly needed resilience in a highly vulnerable community.

The Fijian Government continues to incorporate holistic sustainable development considerations within all projects designs.
In this regard, the new Lamini village seawall project will also include a drainage system to enhance the structural integrity of the new seawall, a boat landing fixture to enable ease of access to Lamini village and help support fishing activities, culvert crossings to ensure the safety of villagers, and footpaths to improve the mobility of villagers.
As the effects of climate change continue to threaten national development, livelihoods, natural resources, food security and health, there is an urgent need to build climate resilience, particularly in low-lying coastal communities who are the most vulnerable to rising sea levels and storm surges.

Moreover, coastal erosion induced by climate change can wash away precious land, inundate cultural sites and burial grounds, and ruin arable farm land.
Needless to say, climate change is an existential threat to the way of life we Fijians hold dear.

The Lamini village seawall project is one of 25 costal protection projects earmarked by the Fijian Government in the 2018-2019 financial year.
These coastal works are expected to utilise environmentally friendly infrastructure solutions to prevent coastal erosion, prevent coastal inundation during storm surge events, protect existing village infrastructure, and enhance the overall safety of coastal communities.

The Ministry of Waterways and Environment have been allocated FJ $14 million in the 2018- 2019 financial year under the Coastal Erosion Protection Works programme.
Lamini Village seawall, Taveuni Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 14 Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 15 Ministry of Economy Ro Lalabalavu House 370 Victoria Parade, Suva P.O.

Box 2212, Government Buildings, Suva, Fiji Tele: (679) 330 7011, Fax: (679) 330 0834 Website: www.economy.gov.fj Email: EconomyInformation@economy.gov.fj Bulletin 01/2019 | June 2019 16