Tourism as a Tool for Community-based Conservation and Development 107 nobody's job'. The practice of having a dedicated position with performance indicators and clear accountability is sound practice.
Another aspect of Turtle Island that is praiseworthy is the diversification of industries and employment beyond the resort. The backpacker establishments and furniture-making diversify skills and sources of income.
However, it is the involvement of the guests in understanding that they are in a host community and the subtle way in which guests are introduced to the community needs that is outstanding. Too often international travellers seek sun and sand and relaxation in exotic locations and every effort is made by the operator to shield the relaxing and affluent traveller from the harsh realities and deprivation of their host communities.
Here guests are clearly encouraged to have close contact with local people, understand, and identify with their needs. Without any heavy-handed appeals patronizing the locals this has over time led many to contribute in various ways to the well-being of the community.
The provision of a Foundation vehicle is an increasingly common and highly effective means of channelling goodwill and philanthropy.
The increasing number of such excellent models provide some optimism that the aspiration of the pioneers of ecotourism to see tourism deliver community development will be increasingly realized. However, the caveats which arise from Kaikoura suggest good planning, the acceptance of limits and constraints and the retention of community control are all critical ingredients of long-term commercial success and sustainability.
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ecotourism resorts in the world. With this came a need for a strong focus on environmental management and the introduction of conservation practices.
Fig. 1. Turtle Island's 'waste' wood is collected and milled (above) for transformation into furniture.
Fig. 2. Turtle Island's 'waste' wood is collected and milled for use on the island and for sale to resort guests.
Tourism as a Tool for Community-based Conservation and Development 109 The restoration of the island included the planting of more than 1 million trees that were raised in a nursery set up on the island. Turtle Island now has significant vegetation cover, which has grown from around 10% to over 82% across the island. This includes 140,000 mahogany trees, 180,000 nokonoko (casuarinas), 500 eucalyptus, 100 rainforest trees and thousands of hibiscus and palms (coconut and a variety of other indigenous palms). It also includes many from which native fruits can be harvested. The resort is continuing this reafforestation at a rate of 10,000 trees per annum, as well as supplying neighbouring islands with trees for planting. In order to protect the natural environment further, open fires have been banned on the island and a community education programme has been implemented to eliminate the practice of slash-and-burn on neighbouring islands, as this has been a significant cause of both deforestation and erosion.
Reforestation has provided sufficient timber for building works. Trees which are felled due to storms, pruning or culling are milled and cured on Turtle Island then transformed into furniture and fixtures at the Island's on-site wood-working and cabinetry shop (see Figs 1 and 2). Local staff have been retrained in environmental management and rehabilitation, market gardening, complex carpentry and building, as well as work within the resort operations. These items are used in the bures (cottages) on Turtle Island, as well as at three backpacker lodges on nearby islands that Turtle Island has financed. Furniture is also available for sale to resort guests. Palm fronds and other natural materials are also used extensively in the construction of the bures. The use of these natural materials not only has great aesthetic appeal, it also highlights traditional Fijian culture and promotes the sustainable use of local resources.
The reforestation has also halted erosion and provided habitat for birds and wildlife. A rich diversity has returned to the island and has resulted in a dramatic increase in the numbers of each species. Rats and feral cats were impacting on the breeding of the native birds, in particular an indigenous species of duck. To provide a safe breeding ground for the duck, a small island within a moat was created. It is also a pleasant spot for guests to enjoy bird watching.
The Resort has also established a programme for the protection of green and hawksbill turtles. These endangered sea turtles are caught as a by-product of fish netting activities. As they are considered a delicacy by the indigenous Fijians, the turtles were usually distributed to local villages for consumption, with the shells sometimes making their way into local tourist souvenir shops. Turtle Island Resort has established an arrangement with local fishermen that captured turtles are sold to the Resort. These are then 'auctioned' to the guests. The successful bidder is allowed to paint the shell with a safe, non-toxic paint (thus negating the shell's economic value) before the turtle is released back into the sea. Turtle Island Resort has an arrangement with the local villagers that any 'painted' turtle will be released if captured. Monies from the auction are allocated to fund places at the Turtle Island Secondary School.
Turtle Island has several areas of mangroves on its foreshore. Rather than destroying the mangrove wetlands, as many resorts do in an attempt to create more open beach space, Turtle Island Resort has conscientiously conserved these important wetland sites, and has incorporated them as a tourist attraction. Wooden walkways have been built over the mangroves so tourists can explore the wetlands without harming the delicate ecosystem.
Tourists can also kayak the groves at low tide. The Resort plans to start a mangrove nursery in the future. Additionally foreshore erosion, which was considerable, has been reduced significantly through the placement of large rocks and boulders sourced from Island
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quarries. These quarries also provide gravel for concrete and rocks for the construction of the Resort buildings.
As an element of its environmental management approach the Resort has implemented a range of initiatives. An 'Environmental Purchasing Policy' helps to minimize environmental impacts. The Resort has also commissioned two environmental audits, with a third undertaken in 2005. They have also undertaken a socio-cultural audit. These audits are available to guests in their bures to both educate the guests and to raise their awareness of the environmental objectives of the Resort. In 2003 they commissioned the development of a 'Sustainability Plan', leading to the appointment of a full-time Environmental Officer, an indigenous Fijian woman who is a graduate from the University of the South Pacific. The Environmental Officer has responsibility for the management of environmental practices on the island, providing advice and interpretation for guests, environmental education for neighbouring villages and schools, and establishing research linkages with the University of the South Pacific, government and relevant NGOs.
With no natural streams, several dams have been built to ensure abundant supply for the resort's operational water needs. All drinking water on the island is supplied from natural springs. Each of the guest bures has its own septic tank and leach field, which is tested every five years. No leakage has been detected. Grey water is distilled through the septic fields as well. All cleaning materials used on the island are biodegradable and comply with the Resort's Environmental Purchasing Policy. Toiletries and amenity packs for the bures are supplied by Pure Fiji, itself an ecotourism award-winning Fijian company.
Garden beds are mulched to reduce the need for watering, and plantings focus on the use of native species suited to the dry tropical conditions of the island.
The Resort has established an organic hydroponic vegetable garden, of about a hectare, that supplies about 90% of the required herbs, fruits, root vegetables and salad greens.
Flowers for the bures are sourced from the thousands of hibiscus trees that have been planted on the island and from an on-site orchid house. An apiary produces honey, which is consumed at the resort, as well as sold through the resort shop.
All hot water to the guests' bures is solar heated, and much of the outside lighting is solar powered. Additional electricity is provided by means of a diesel generator. A heat exchanger has been installed on the generator and this provides hot air for the drying of laundry. Florescent lights are used wherever possible and temperature controls and covers have been installed on spas in the bures to conserve energy further. Information is provided to guests regarding the need to conserve both water and electricity. Usage is monitored separately for each bure. Bures are fan cooled and are positioned to optimize the sea breezes. Landscaping also provides significant shading so air conditioning units have not been necessary, even though it is a five-star resort in the hot tropics. Guest refrigerators are positioned to minimize heat in the bure.
The two-stroke outboard motors on boats have recently been replaced with four-stroke engines to reduce fuel consumption and to minimize noise. Guest transportation on the island is by means of electric carts. The only fossil-fuel-powered vehicles are for heavy goods and excavation vehicles. A wind generator has been installed, though it has not performed at the expected level of efficiency. It currently only generates between 6-8% of the electricity required on the island.
Being a remote outer island, there are limited options for waste disposal. The Resort has a rubbish separation programme whereby all rubbish is sorted and disposed of in the most sustainable manner possible. All organic waste is composted and used to fertilize the
Tourism as a Tool for Community-based Conservation and Development 111 gardens; shellfish and bones are disposed of in the sea; non-organic, biodegradable waste is deposited at a site for decomposition; bottles, oil and toxic wastes are sent to the mainland for disposal; plastics (which are minimized) are reused where possible or buried at remote landfill sites, as there are no alternate recycling options at this stage. Even mainland Fiji has no waste recycling programmes available. Thus, even if waste were removed to the mainland, it would be very costly in terms of financial expense and energy consumption, and merely shifts the problem to a new location.
In the Yasawa Islands, where Turtle Island is located, there is high unemployment. The only real option for employment is tourism. Turtle Island Resort employs 156 people, 50%
of whom come from the local community (total population 3500) and only two employees are expatriate workers. The remainder of the employees come from other areas in Fiji. The Resort provides opportunities for capacity-building through in-service training as well as sending some employees offshore for additional training.
Staff members are encouraged to showcase their culture for guests, and traditional activities, such as lovo (native feast), Fijian language, massage, village visits and singing, form an essential part of the 'product'. Not only do guests benefit from these cultural activities, traditional practices are reinforced on a daily basis. Guests are provided with a range of materials about Fijian culture. Guest information literature describes Fijian culture and summarizes important protocols that guests must observe. Each bure is stocked with a selection of literature on the natural, cultural and social history of Fiji. Additional information is available to guests on request. Each bure has a 'bure manager', a member of staff who sees to the guests' needs. These bure managers also act in the important role of cultural interpreter, advising the guests on protocol and providing personalized information about Fiji and Fijian culture.
Due to the vision of the resort and the special visitor experience with close contact between guests and staff, philanthropic gestures are quite common. Guests receive information about the community initiatives undertaken by Turtle Island, many guests then wish to contribute. In response to this, in 1992 Turtle Island established the Yasawas Community Foundation (YCF). Guests are able to make a contribution to the YCF, of which 100% of the funds go to community initiatives in education, health care and business opportunities.
Children in the local community, wanting to further their education after primary school, have had to board on the mainland at a cost of about FJ$500 per annum. As the average annual family income in the Nacula Tikina is FJ$1500, very few children have had the opportunity to complete high school. Due to the lack of any secondary schools in the area, and very low retention rates post primary school, the Trustees determined to use
$200,000 of corpus to assist Turtle Island to found its own secondary school. The building is still under construction, but the school is operational. The school commenced in 2002. In 2005 it had 52 students across four forms, with six teachers. This programme to educate leaders in the community has enabled those young people attending the school to go back to their seven local villages at the weekend. Turtle Island's goal is to have the school educating 60 students by 2006. It is hoped that through providing secondary education, young people will gain the skills to work in the tourism industry in the Nacula Tikina and the trend towards urban drift will be reduced.
Turtle Island has recently entered a strategic partnership with Geelong Grammar School in Australia. The school is being provided with a Principal and a teacher, working alongside the Fijian teachers, together with significant educational support from Geelong
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Grammar. The Australian teachers have begun providing in-service training for primary teachers in the Tikina and have been undertaking a range of community liaison activities.
Resort guests have also contributed in other ways to the local community. The health care facilities in the Yasawas Islands are also very lacking. It had a nursing station with no electricity or running water, or equipment. Turtle Island has been augmenting the quality of health care available through the provision of several health resources. This includes responding to the endemic problem of blindness due to cataracts and diabetes. For the past 13 years, the resort closes for one week, a team of medical professionals, many of whom have themselves been guests at the resort, donating their time on a pro-bono basis to set up a full eye clinic. In this time more than 11,000 Fijians have had their eyes tested, more than 9000 pairs of glasses have been issued free of charge, over 1000 operations have been performed (mostly cataract removal), and 20 corneal implants provided. As most of the patients are now coming from other parts of Fiji, Turtle Island has worked with other resorts to move the clinics to parts of the country where the needs for the clinic are more acute. As a direct result of this, one of the regional hospitals, Savusavu Hospital, has been upgraded to accommodate the clinics. Since 1997, the Resort has expanded the medical programme to include other specialist health services that would not otherwise be available, such as women's health, paediatrics, dermatology, ear, nose and throat, and dental clinics.
Turtle Island Resort has had a long-term commitment to the health of the people of the Nacula Tikina. For some time, the Resort had been planning to build a medical centre on the island to better provide for the health needs of the community. While planning for the medical centre was well underway, this development has halted. As with all interactions between private enterprise, community and government agencies there are inevitable frustrations. As a result of Turtle Island indicating that they were willing to fund a medical centre, funding was going to be withdrawn for the government health clinic in the Tikina.
Members of the community raised considerable concern and in response, Turtle Island ceased the development. Funding (both Turtle Island funding as well as contributions made through the YCF) has been diverted to the new school and given as direct contributions to the seven villages in the Tikina for water projects. A grant of FJ$ 10,000 was made to each village in 2004, which has been used to purchase four 10,000 litre water tanks for each village, in order to alleviate their difficult water situation.
Turtle Island Resort is the largest employer in the Nacula Tikina area of the Yasawa Islands. There were limited opportunities for economic development in the area and a significant problem of urban drift to the mainland. Under a social entrepreneurial programme, Turtle Island has financed over $1 million in interest-free loans for the construction of three budget backpacker operations in the Tikina and is currently looking at financing a fourth. Turtle Island plays an active role in the governance, marketing and management of the resorts and a proactive role in skills transfer. The resorts have directly and indirectly created over 100 new sustainable jobs in the community. The interest-free loan to establish these businesses will be recovered from the profits of the resorts. Two of the operations, 'Oarsman's Bay Lodge' and 'Safe Landing Resort', are very successful.
Oarsman's Bay employs 44 people and Safe Landing another 23. Oarsman's Bay Lodge runs at an average 90% occupancy rate. It is currently making a profit of around FJ$5000-
$10,000 a month, which is rapidly reducing its loan of FJ$700,000. In only a few more years, the local community will receive all the revenues from the resort because it will be paid off in full.
Tourism as a Tool for Community-based Conservation and Development 113 The third resort, Sunset Lodge, has not realized the successful outcomes of the other two lodges. Through their own admission, the management of Turtle Island Resort has recognized the need to have 'spent more time on the mat' in discussions with the local land owners about the resort before the development was implemented. As a result, there was a significant dispute among the landowners of the resort. The resort was closed; however, after another round of discussions, an arrangement has been reached whereby the landowners intend to buy the resort back from Turtle Island at the current market value and manage it themselves. Turtle Island will continue to assist with the marketing of the resort.
Turtle Island was instrumental in establishing a sub-regional tourism organization, the Nacula Tikina Tourism Association (NTTA), to assist local operators and to work collectively to optimize benefits in such a remote location. The NTTA provides the opportunity for branding of the region, joint marketing, advocacy with government and the benefit of working together for the common good. Meetings are held every two months, during which issues of local interest are discussed. Good environmental management practices are discussed, and members are encouraged to adopt them, both in their operations, as well as in their villages. For example, NTTA members have adopted their own Code of Conduct for responsible tourism practices and have recently published coral- friendly snorkelling guidelines for use by visitors to the area to promote the protection of the marine resources. Though the initiative of Turtle Island Resort, Safe Landing Resort is now hosting the Coral Cay Conservation organization. Up to 16 volunteers, plus two employees, will undertake marine surveys, providing valuable data and information to the Fijian Government about the state of the marine environment in the Nacula Tikina. Turtle Island has assisted Oarsman's Bay Lodge to implement a 'Plant a Tree' scheme, resulting in the planting of an additional 500 trees on Nacula Island as part of the reforestation programme.
At the most recent NTTA meeting, negotiations were undertaken to introduce a police post in the Nacula Tikina and the possibility for a branch of Westpac bank to be opened in the community. Both of these are very significant developments for this remote and isolated community that has no shops or other commerce, other than tourism.
The ethos of Turtle Island Resort is that its business cannot succeed if the community does not succeed; solid businesses will not succeed in a failed community. This underpins all the operations of Turtle Island Resort. As a result, Turtle Island engages in a range of innovative initiatives to ensure the health and viability of its community. This case study also clearly shows the importance of the link between the health of the natural environment to the well-being of local people and to local business. Hence it demonstrates not only that conservation efforts are essential to sustainable development, but that community and private enterprise conservation strategies are vital, especially in remote areas.
Case study sources: Andrew Fairley, Turtle Island; Berno, T., 2002 Turtle Island: to be a vital resource to their community. University of South Pacific; Berno, T., 2004 World Legacy Awards: On-site Evaluation of Turtle Island, Yasawas, Fiji. Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology.