The Drawa community on Vanua Levu were among the first Pacific communities to use the Nakau Methodology to protect their forest.
Like many Indigenous peoples, Drawa landowners faced a choice between conservation and income. Logging coupes were mapped and they were starting to clear for timber when the community made a final effort to save their forest.
Eight mataqali (clans) united to form the Drawa Block Forest Community Cooperative. Today, carbon credits provide vital income, supporting forest protection, community wellbeing and new enterprises.
The forest continues to shield villages from cyclones, floods and droughts, while supplying clean water from rainforest streams.
Income from credit sales has funded water and sanitation across five villages, and supported women-led enterprises, honey production, agroforestry, ecotourism, and youth initiatives.
The Drawa forest is home to the globally endangered Barred tree skink, the Vanua Levu slender tree skink and the remarkable Fiji ground frog.
The Drawa rainforests are set on the Wailevu-Deketi highlands, and are a haven for 385 unique plant species — 47% of which are only found in Fiji — and 22 of Fiji’s native birds. The area is listed as an official Important Bird Area for Fiji.
In 2015, the Drawa project won the SPREP-SPC Award for Excellence in Implementing Island Ecosystem Management Principles. In 2020, it won the 2020 International Energy Globe Award for Fiji.
