Ministries Invest in Seawalls That Help Ecosystems

Two down and 25 to go. The Ministry for Agriculture, Environment and Waterways, has designed seawalls that not only protect the land from erosion, but also promote ecosystems.

This is in line with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) nature-based solutions.

Minister Mahendra Reddy made the comments at the launch of the nature-based systems regional and national awareness by the IUCN in Suva.

Innovative seawall system

Mr Redy said the ministries combined their knowledge base and came up with innovative seawall systems which live, and grow.

“The recent seawall systems we have designed and built have life in them, they have five rows of mangroves planted in the periphery of the wall, this is then followed by boulder blocks that have deliberate spaces, cervixes for organisms including crabs and prawns to breed,” he said.

“All too sudden you have a seawall that is alive bearing several ecosystems breathing life, stability and protection.

“These ecosystems, apart from the ecosystem services they provide, also firm up the boulder table carefully fitted into each other over a geo-textile material sunk deep into the sand. The matted cross-linked roots of the mangroves provide rock solid firmness to the rock itself.”

The system created and designed were being copyrighted.

The Fijian Government would like to assist and support communities with these designs when requested.

The two most recent seawalls are at Namoli and Viro villages.

“Prior to these seawalls, every flood episode resulted in these communities getting engulfed by the raging waters resulting in the loss of property and putting the lives of the residents at serious risks,” Mr Reddy said. “Studies have proven that there are over 25 times more fish of some selective species and commercial fish on the reefs closer to mangrove areas than in the areas where mangroves are not present.

“These systems will also prevent silt and pollutants from entering the community acting as natural water filtration plants.”

The Ministry of Waterways and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture continue to seek and establish such nature-based systems options.

The ministries were considering the application of organisms to control agricultural pests and or the creation of urban and rural spaces to cool temperatures, absorbing rainwater.

COVID-19 impact

Mr Reddy said with the global economic impact of COVID-19, there were challenges.

“Our Ministry is well prepared to face these challenges as we go about securing the lives of our coastal communities,” he said. Twenty-five such seawalls will be made across Fiji. Mr Reddy said while the Government might not have all the resources, there was more reliance on partners with whom they could work with and establish security for the lives of the coastal community residents.