Nature-based solutions - Kyeema Foundation

Community-led Coral Reef Restoration: Community, Corals and Chickens

Partner: Corals 4 Conservation (C4C), Just World Partnerships
Donor: DFAT/WWF Climate Resilient by Nature
Location: PNG, Fiji, Samoa, Kiribati

Coral reefs are vital for Pacific communities. They provide food and income, sustain fisheries, and protect coastlines from storms and erosion. Yet these ecosystems are under severe threat, with rising ocean temperatures driving mass bleaching and die-offs.

Our nature-based solutions project works with young Indigenous scientists in PNG, Fiji and Samoa and community leaders in Fiji and PNG to restore degraded reefs and mangrove habitats. By protecting these natural systems, the project helps maintain the climate services they provide and supports communities to adapt to an uncertain future.

The initiative combines science and traditional knowledge through the propagation of heattolerant “super corals” in community nurseries, the establishment of locally managed marine areas, and the introduction of village chicken farming and other livelihood options to ease
fishing pressure and strengthen food security.

By restoring ecosystems and supporting sustainable livelihoods, the project aims to reduce the vulnerability of Pacific communities to marine heatwaves, rising seas, storms, and coastal erosion.

Meet some of the community champions leading the way

Eremasi – Uluibau, Fiji

For Eremasi, a coral gardener from the village of Uluibau, protecting the sea is as important as tending the family farm. Like many in his community, the ocean has always been his pantry, providing fish and shellfish for daily meals. But over the years, he’s seen fish stocks dwindle as reefs decline.

“The reason we protect our natural resources is for the next generation,” Eremasi says. “The coral’s important because it’s home for the fish. There used to be many fish in the sea back then. Now, there are not a lot. If we keep working on this, we can bring the fish back.”

Today, Eremasi is leading his community in Uluibau to restore coral nurseries, replant mangroves, and safeguard the reef for those who will come after.

Susan – Yule Island, PNG

At just 25, Susan Aku is leading a community-driven restoration movement on Yule Island’s Chiria village. A mother of two, she first trained in coral gardening in 2022.

Since then, Susan has become a local leader in conservation. She has established two coral nurseries with seven A-frames, four platforms, and 16 ropes of growing coral, and manages a mangrove nursery with over 335 seedlings. Her work also extends inland, where she runs a chicken farm of 36 birds, supporting her family’s food and income.

“We are doing something bigger than us,” says Susan. “Maybe our next generation will have more fish. The work we are doing is for the community, not ourselves, so people can respect and save our environment.”

Susan’s leadership shows how women and youth are driving local solutions for healthier reefs and stronger communities.