Years ago, before ethnic tension caused significant unrest in the Marau Sound area, people in that region were involved in giant clam farming for export, food and income. This practice declined following this tension, as did the population of giant clams, which has decreased significantly. Now, the people of Niu/Marapa are seeking to restock their giant clam population and resume their farming to regain its status as a prime production area.

The community has selected two sites along their coastal area to restock the giant clams. Small nurseries have been constructed to protect the giant clams which will be taken to the selected sites. This was accompanied by discussions and workshops covering key points about giant clams – including their life cycle, spawning seasons, species identification, the importance of community involvement and more – supported by local expert David Wakeke.

Mr Wakeke believes this pathway will support not just income but also local culture and knowledge.

‘It will be a learning for our children to restock giant clams,’ he said. ‘When they are involved in getting giant clams from elsewhere and [growing] them in the nurseries provided in the two locations selected, this helps the children in conserving giant clams for future generations.’

Another community member, Chris Ma’au, said this was helping fulfil a desire he had long held.

‘I have always dreamed of starting such giant clam restocking or farming myself in the past, but I have not had the material to start such a project,’ he said. ‘Now, I am very happy in attending and helping in giant clams workshops and practical sessions.’

The giant clam pathway is working alongside the establishment of a marine protected area and a seaweed farming initiative to build a comprehensive ecosystems restoration pathway which both protects local nature and provides for the community.

The marine protected area has now been mapped by provincial environmental officer Ben Salepo with input from the community, while fencing and staking of the area for the seaweed farm has begun, using equipment supplied by the CRI team. Seaweed seedlings have also been purchased and planted by the community themselves after the Climate Resilient Islands team had already left, being unable to assist with these activities due to bad weather due to their visit.

The existing knowledge of seaweed farming in the community helped them launch this pathway, with local seaweed farmer Fred Toitoro saying that increasing their seaweed production is important for local incomes due to increased pressure on terrestrial income sources.

‘Seaweed farming is an alternative source of livelihoods that helps us financially support our families, as we have always lived with and depended on these natural resources,’ he said.

The work in Niu/Marapa is just part of the ecosystem resilience work being implemented by the Solomon Islands CRI team, with all four communities having selected resilience pathways working towards this outcome.

The Hautahe & Poinoho community cluster are pursuing coral replanting and seaweed farming, in addition to establishing a marine protected area, while Waimaea and Poposa will be working on forest management, reforestation and creating protected areas.

The Guadalcanal Environment Protection Officer Ben Salepo has consulted on all these protected areas, leading their mapping alongside teams of local rangers, while also helping contextualise the concept of land ownership to local culture to assist in setting boundaries.

These communities have all come together to work towards their ecosystems restoration goals, with women, youths, elders and men all utilising the substantial information and equipment provided by the CRI team and consulting government agencies to make major progress in these pathways this quarter. This has resulted in protected area mapping being completed in all four communities, including boundaries being set, as well as the establishment of two seaweed farms, 15 clam shell nurseries and one coral nursery.

With much work still to come, the CRI communities in Solomon Islands are already creating more resilient ecosystems.

Climate Resilient Islands is a New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade initiative implemented by Live & Learn.