- Loss and Damage Research Observatory
- admin@lossanddamageobservatory.org
- Loss and Damage Research Observatory
| In
the three study sites in Fiji, burial grounds (Togoru settlement and Sese
village in particular) and foundation stones (Vunisavisavi village) have been
devastated by sea level rise and coastal inundation: “the sea has drowned the
graves of our forefathers” (Participant #2, Togoru settlement). 1. These sacred places are critically important for people’s wellbeing, the maintenance of cultural practices, families and traditions, and social cohesion, as they provide a connection to ancestors and their former chiefs. 2. The losses to these sacred places have affected people’s spirituality, sense of place and identity. 3. Participants in all three study locations deem these cultural sites critically important, and consider it essential to protect them. One community is building a new burial site within the community boundary, but the seawater continues to reach it as there is limited land in the village that is not affected by sea level rise. 4. Future funding to address these losses is needed to protect these sacred places through either relocation or protection through physical structures, depending on the wishes of the local community. |
