Page - July 19, 2007
Hi I'm Lagi Toribau, Fijian environmental campaigner for Greenpeace. I'm currently visiting New Zealand from the Suva office. I began working for Greenpeace's Pacific Ocean campaign at the age of 20.
Greenpeace oceans campaAigner Lagi Toribau boards the Chinese mothership, or 'reefer', the 'Tai Xing', at sea in Micronesian waters.
Five years on, I'm still busy trying to raise awareness and
motivate Pacific Island leaders and their communities to protect
their environment and natural heritage.
Growing up, I was always really passionate about the
environment; I'm the youngest of seven children, and all members of
my family live by very strong traditional ethics. I was one of the
few pacific islanders to have the opportunity to go to a European
school and to university. I then worked as a deck officer on
board an inter-insular vessel serving all the Fiji islands before
undertaking Maritime security and administration training and
beginning work at Greenpeace. I feel I'm one of the new generation
of Pacific Islanders who've realized the obligation we have to take
a stand against the environmental meltdown facing the Pacific.
My job as Pacific Oceans Campaigner involves working regionally
with the 17 Pacific
Island Forum countries to develop and implement Greenpeace's
oceans work. One of the key parts of the work is ensuring that the
people of the pacific practice sustainable and equitable fishing.
My work involves policy advocacy and lobbying, technical support,
training and a broad range of advisory support on all aspects of
fisheries management.
In the past few years I've had the opportunity to lead two ship
tours in the region and have been the leading political advisor to
all the regional political meetings. In June I attended the annual
Pacific Forum Fisheries Committee meeting in Wellington where the
Greenpeace work I presented made a big splash.
When it comes down to it, my passion is really with the ocean,
because I understand the importance of the sea to my people,
culture, family and fellow pacific islanders. The village where I
was born and raised in Fiji is 'floating' - so it's pretty much as
real a coastal Pacific Island coastal community as you can get.