(Originally published at ClimatePrep.org, April 2012)
Along the west coast of Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island, the communities of Tikina Wai have lived near mangrove forests for many generations. Local people depend on these forests for fish, wood, medicinal plants and other resources; and the mangroves help buffer them from storms and floods. Yet Tikina Wai’s mangrove forests are threatened by human activities such as unplanned coastal development and the over-harvesting of those same…