As part of the World Ocean Day this year, Kokomo pledged to continue protecting and preserving our ocean. One of these commitments is to transplant 4,000 mangroves into our neighbouring village’s shores as part of our Kokomo Mangrove Reforestation Project. The main goal of our this project is to help restore mangrove habitats back into our neighbouring village shores that serve as one of the best natural forms of coastal protection. They have been proven to reduce wave action by more than 90% and is vitally important in protecting low-lying coastal villages against cyclones and tsunamis.
One of the neighbouring villages in need of this project is Narikoso village, located 30-minutes by boat south of Kokomo Private Island. This village is greatly affected by climate change and rising sea levels, and with the assistance of the Fijian Government, have already relocated twice. Now, one of their key focus is to build a natural sea wall to help protect their new location from future coastal wave damage.
Last week, our team ventured to Narikoso village to provide mangroves ready for transplantation from our Kokomo Mangrove Nursery. The residents of Narikoso village were educated of the mangroves’ importance and locals of all ages, young and old, participated in re-planting these mangroves.
To date, our team has transplanted 800 mangroves back into various neighbouring village shores. Mangroves in our nursery begin as seedlings and are ready for transplantation once they have germinated and have well established root systems. Germinated mangroves with well-established root systems are more likely to survive and withstand wave action in the tidal areas they are transplanted. We are aiming to expand our nursery in the next few months in preparation to transplant 2,000 mangroves every three to four months.