The approach addresses key environmental issues in an integrated manner. It will bolster Fiji's national system of marine protected areas through an enhanced, representative and sustainable system of Locally Managed Marine Areas including greater protection of threatened marine species.

Negative impacts of land-based activities on these Marine Protected Areas will be reduced through development and implementation of integrated catchment management plans, including mangrove protection, the adoption of appropriate sustainable land use practices and riparian restoration in adjoining upstream watersheds as well as terrestrial protected areas, restored and rehabilitated forests. 

The selected priority catchments are Ba River, Tuva River and Waidina River/Rewa Delta on Viti Levu and Labasa River, Vunivia River and Tunuloa district on Vanua Levu.

These catchments encompass a diverse and geographically dispersed group with different environments and scales, intensities of land use and degradation, challenges and opportunities and provide an ideal suite of learning environments for biodiversity conservation, forest carbon stock protection and increase, and integrated natural resources management. 

The knowledge management component of the project is ensuring that experiences and results are well captured and disseminated, and contribute to data and information systems on biodiversity, forests, climate change, and land/coastal/marine management in Fiji.