Firstly, I would like to thank Warwick Apprenticing for giving me the fantastic opportunity to volunteer with Projects Abroad in Fiji. It was a unique experience and helped to broaden my understanding of the practicalities of conservation fieldwork and develop essential life skills.
I travelled to Fiji on my own and was then based at Pacific Harbour, on the Coral Coast, where I lived with other volunteers, volunteering on the project five days a week, with the opportunity to discover the local area on my days off. Volunteering for four weeks gave me a great chance to fully benefit from the project whilst having the chance to experience the local culture.
The project was based at Beqa Lagoon, an area that has become a key site for shark conservation in Fiji. The volunteering work varied between undertaking survey dives, working with local villages to plant mangroves and other community activities, alongside having the chance to gain my PADI Advanced Open Water dive qualification.
Shark Diving
The diving involved learning more about fish anatomy to enable me to quickly learn fish identification of the indicator species alongside the shark species that were surveyed during our survey dives. We also used these skills to identify individual sharks that appeared during shark dives, along with techniques such as observing notable damage, fin shapes, and markings. Collecting this data is essential in monitoring both shark populations and the populations of important species in their food chain and the health of the reefs in which they live. To ensure the most effective use of this data, we inputted it into several different scientific databases, allowing it to be available for ongoing scientific research papers and allowing the scientific community to pinpoint the areas of greatest need and effectiveness to focus on. In addition, this experience helped me develop my understanding of data collection methods and adaptations to use such methods underwater, along with improving my scuba diving skills, such as buoyancy maintenance, while doing other tasks.
Mangrove Reforestation
Another main focus was the mangrove reforestation programme. As part of this, a local resort partnered with the project to teach their guests about the importance of mangroves as nursery areas and to encourage them to get involved with planting. We also partnered with an island village nearby to rebuild their mangrove forests to not only support shark populations but to slow and eventually reverse the erosion of their island that has started to push locals to move to the mainland due to flooding. This programme, involving locals and tourists to go beyond the volunteers themselves, helped me develop my communication skills further to pitch the level of discussion to match whom I was speaking to and their existing knowledge of the issues. It also helped me broaden my cultural understanding by working with a Fijian village and taking part in their cultural customs for visiting villages, such as a yaqona ceremony.
Personal Development
Overall, the project has helped me develop two types of skills: professional and personal.
Professionally, due to my ambition to train as a vet and specialise in exotics, I have developed my diving skills, broadening the future marine work I can get involved in. I have also built connections with the project and learned about new scientific databases that will be useful for future research. Furthermore, I have been able to experience marine conservation myself, an experience that will help inform my future decisions about how I can make the most significant impact as a vet on conservation. Finally, it has also helped me to build on more general business skills such as communication, time management, and presentation through the work with local villages and tourists to get as much involvement in the project as possible.
Personally, It has also built my interpersonal skills through living and working with other volunteers from around the world to ensure the smooth running of the project and maximum impact.
It also enabled me to connect with long-term family friends from when my grandad worked in Suva, Fiji, with the most amazing visit to see them in their village while I was on placement. In addition, my 83-year-old grandad decided to travel to Fiji one last time while I was there to show me his roots.
Beyond the specifics of the project, through the experience of solo travel in a time zone very different from the UK ( I then travelled on my own for ten weeks through New Zealand and Australia), I have consolidated my independence and confidence in my abilities to manage my own affairs of planning, financials and travel without constant access to parental support.
Thank you for giving me this fantastic opportunity during my Gap Year.
