Page 39 - Fiji Traveller Issue 4

MEANDERING MATES

Discovering the Nabukavesi River

briefing, we set out, hunting, stepping over and around rocks
By Sera Tikotikovatu-Sefeti
in the middle part of the river, and collecting samples along the
riverbank.
NatureFiji-MareqetiViti’s ‘Meandering Mates’ adventure
The cool water was a respite from the heat of the day and we
for children and their families in the highlands of Namosi is a happily discovered ‘edge mates’, ‘pool mates’, and ‘run mates’ in
window to understanding the area’s rich biodiversity, and how it different parts of the river.
is under threat. The hunt, though exciting, had concerning results.
The organisation’s vision is for a healthy environment that
We unfortunately found a lot more creatures in the red zone
maintains its diversity of species, habitats, ecological integrity, than in the green. I was perplexed because the whole area was
and resilience in a pristine condition. so serene, beautiful, and looked really healthy, but the creatures
It is also dedicated to teaching Fijians about our diverse
environment, which is why we set off from the Suva Civic Centre found portray the reality of the eco-system.
We didn’t realise that the presence—or lack of presence—of
on a cool and windy Saturday morning, our children animatedly some of these organisms indicated the health of the ecosystem.
chatting away about what might be in store for the day ahead. Bindiya says that river used to be wider, but has receded. She
A drive into the highlands followed, and on arrival, a scene of
mesmerising lush green forest and the sound of softly flowing says the more organisms found in the ‘red zone’, the more likely
some sort of man-made activity upstream is disturbing their
streams unfolded. natural habitat.
With us was the only freshwater ecology expert in Fiji, Bindiya
The further upstream we went, the more we learned. My
Rashi, who explained that each creature found in the Nabukavesi children jumped in excitement as they saw a prawn, but they
River can indicate the health of that river. were not as plentiful as you would expect. They learnt about the
“I was the first one to go over 35,000 individual organisms,
run statistical analysis, and come up with bio-indicators for river different creatures living under the rocks, and we adults learned
that every activity is somehow connected; our actions on land
health, stream health, freshwater health, and forest health for affect our waters, the creatures that live in them, and the air that
Fiji," she tells us. we breathe.
For ‘Meandering Mates’, NatureFiji-MareqetiViti equipped
The hunt ended with a picnic and a dip into the Nabukavesi
us with buckets, tweezers, colour-coded maps, strainers and waterfall. It was cold, it was refreshing, and it was exactly what
magnifying glasses to explore the river, and its red, green and we needed after the nature walk and hunt.
amber zones. Like traffic lights, each zone indicates a different The nature walk was a wonderful educational adventure, and
state of the river, Bindiya instructed. “The bio-indicators place the after our meandering, we’ll never look at this river in the same
organisms in the different colours; the red zone means danger way.
and it is a degraded system; the green zone means it is a healthy
river system with good water quality and good forestry. To find out more about more NatureFiji-MareqetiViti’s activities:
“If you see amber, either the water system is changing, with
fairly good water quality, or the forest health or river health is NatureFiji-MareqetiViti
www.naturefiji.org
changing." support@naturefiji.org
Armed with our equipment and a little knowledge from this

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