How a Seacology Project is Born: Tales from the Solomon Islands
By Will McClatchey and Jodi Stevens
Editor's note: Seacology works closely with indigenous islanders to develop projects that not only preserve environments and cultures but benefit local communities as well. The following article offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of one potential Seacology project. McClatchey and Stevens are faculty members of the University of Hawaii. They have volunteered to work with Seacology on the remote Solomon Island of Lauru to pursue a project to build schools in exchange for agreements protecting a large amount of primary rainforest. The Solomon Islands have recently experienced political unrest. This will not deter Seacology from our efforts to work closely with the Lauru Islanders on this exciting project.
The Solomon Island of Choiseul, locally known as Lauru, is 3086 square kilometers that is that is almost entirely covered in lowland tropical rainforest. The people maintain largely subsistence lifestyles, yet earnestly hope to increase the educational and economic opportunities of their children. Since the mid 1990s, logging operations have been continually proposed but most villages have chosen to preserve resources for the future. The pressure to log is increasing along with the demand for cash and the foreign conveniences that it can purchase.
As part of our work, we ask each community to suggest ways in which we can return their hospitality by helping out in community projects. The village of Susuka (Ririo tribes) asked us to help them 1) identify a source of funding to build a new primary school, and 2) provide alternatives to logging their forests. We immediately thought of Seacology and its work to furnish indigenous peoples with opportunities that provide for their children while respectfully maintaining culture and ecological resources.
Through our discussions with the people of Susuka, it became apparent that they considered themselves as a part of a larger community consisting of most of the people of the island of Lauru. Thus, preserving their land and helping their community should only be the beginning of activities that benefit the entire island. Village leaders suggested that we coordinate our efforts with those of an indigenously organized nongovernmental organization, the Lauru Land Conference. Leslie Boseto, the leader of the Lauru Land Conference suggested the possibility of an island-wide forest preserve in exchange for Seacology assisting villages to build schools throughout the island. A project of this island-wide scale would be unprecedented and would benefit the people of Lauru and preserve an extensive area of intact tropical rainforest. We have pursued this with the understanding that Seacology would identify the resources for community development and the Lauru Land Conference would further develop the conservation infrastructure to ensure that the island ecosystems continue to thrive.
Throughout our time in the Solomon Islands, political problems have been brewing in the capital city of Honiara on Guadalcanal. On Monday, June 5th at about 4 AM, the Malaita Eagles Militia seized control of Honiara, all police/military arsenals, Henderson International Airport and the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands.
On June 6 all U.S. citizens in the Solomon Islands were temporarily grouped into housing owned by the Peace Corps in Honiara. On June 9 we were evacuated on the Australian warship Tobruk. On June 15 we were finally able to arrange transportation home from our unexpected layover in Cairns, Australia. At no time did we feel personally threatened by any of the unrest in the Solomon Islands.
Although the Lauru Land Conference is based on Choiseul, many of the key leaders live and work in Honiara. The coup has therefore disrupted negotiations with the people of Lauru on Honiara and with those on Lauru since travel in and out of the country is currently impossible. We are optimistic that the disputes will be settled soon and conversations will resume, ultimately leading to development of one of the largest indigenously controlled preserves (the entire island of Lauru) in the Pacific region.
