Customary Land and Climate Change Induced Relocation: A Case Study of Vunidogoloa Village, Vanua Levu, Fiji

Voluntary immobility and existential security in a changing climate in the Pacific

“…Pacific Islanders, while often highly mobile, have strong attachments to place (Charan et al, ). Indeed, land is crucial to vanua, fenua, hanua, fanua, whenua – almost the same word from Papua New Guinea to New Zealand – which refers to both a people and a place: ‘the ground of belonging, the locus of being [Indigenous in the Pacific], the means of livelihood and the nurturer of life’ (Havea, : 51).…”

“…Charan et al . () studied the relocation of a climate change‐affected community in Fiji and observed strong links between culture, ancestors, community and place. They reported that culture, communal unity and traditional obligations to ancestors have a significant impact on relocation planning and can even prevent communities moving.…”

“…Emerging relocation experiences of low‐lying iTaukei (Indigenous) villages indicate that in addition to key ‘technical’ elements – such as suitable physical dwellings and ongoing economic viability – valued and positive elements of the process include continued presence on traditional lands and communal land ownership, use of and respect for customary governance processes and Indigenous protocols, maintenance of a communal sense of identity, meaningful deployment of community's cultural and political skills and community knowledge and decision‐making (Gharbaoui and Blocher, ; Charan et al, ; Gharbaoui and Blocher, ). The emphasis on community involvement in emerging relocation initiatives in Fiji is partly due to the fact that the national government is mindful and respectful of customary village‐level governance and Indigenous protocols (McNamara and Des Combes, ; Charan et al, ; McMichael et al, ).…”

“…Relocation principles and conceptual frameworks must, as with adaptation planning more generally, address emotional and cultural relations with place (Charan et al, ). Themes of self‐determination and voluntary immobility are referred to in various guiding principles and statements that focus on climate‐related displacement and relocation, including the ‘Nansen Principles’ and the ‘Platform on Disaster Displacement’ to guide responses to challenges raised by displacement in the context of climate change and other environmental hazards; ‘The Peninsula Principles on Climate Displacement within States’; and UNHCR's document ‘Protection and Planned Relocations in the Context of Climate Change, Guidance on Protecting People from Disasters and Environmental Change through Planned Relocation’ (Ferris, ; Nansen Conference, ).…”

Planned relocation and everyday agency in low‐lying coastal villages in Fiji

“…Community members contributed labour and catering for builders and government officials who worked on the project. The entire village relocated together in January 2014 (see also Charan et al, 2017;Tronquet, 2015).…”