Fiji

The Fiji Islands archipelago includes 320 islands and more than 500 islets and cays with a land area of 18, 376km2, and a coastline of more than 1,130 km.

Fiji has the third most abundant stands of mangroves in the Pacific island region.  Documented estimates of total mangrove area and resource are varied between 38 000 ha and 65 000 ha, lacking a national scale remote sensing assessments of current mangrove cover. There are five mangrove species in Fiji, one of them being a hybrid only found in Fiji, Tonga and New Caledonia.

Seagrass meadows in Fiji are home to six seagrass species and cover an estimated 59.19 km. Seagrasses are found in a range of habitats including estuarine, barrier and patch reefs, island fringing reefs, bays and lagoons, as well as in waters deeper than 10m.

Ownership over blue carbon ecosystems in Fiji is complex due to the dual system of traditional tenure and a system of state ownership. Mangroves and parts of the seagrass stocks grow mostly in intertidal zones. This foreshore area, between the average high- and low-water marks, and the soil under the waters of Fiji, belongs to the state. However, local communities or villages have customary rights of use to the living resources in their respective custormary fishing grounds, called iQoliqoli. While customary use rights are recognized, there is no ownership of the resource.