Vatuvara Private islands
Sustainability
Vatuvara Private Islands embraces our responsibility as stewards of our environment. We have created our own Vatuvara Foundation committed to protect Fiji’s ocean, empower local communities and inspire young advocates with Ridge to Reef conservation.
Vatuvara Private Islands consists of our exclusive resort located on Kaibu Island and its associated private islands of Vatuvara, Kanacea and Adavaci in Northern Lau. The lagoons of VPI and their surrounding ocean are diverse ecosystems and safe havens for marine life.
The four privately owned islands sit within the spectacular Lau Group. All islands follow organic standards, while three of the four private islands are held as natural reserves to support ecological stability. The Lau Group is also home to some of the most well-preserved reef systems in the world.
The resort is situated on 800 glorious acres, surrounded with organic gardens, plantations, and fruit orchards. Passionate about sustainable environments, our island operations are powered by solar energy. Guests are provided with an electric powered buggy to drive on the island. Our goal is to minimize all harsh chemicals that impact the health of people and the environment. Each of the private villas is complete with heated bionised pools inviting you to swim in chlorine-free, drinking quality pool water.
We have discontinued the use of plastic bottles and straws on the island, instead using filtered water dispensers, with our restaurants equipped with paper, metal and glass straws. Guests are gifted with a reusable water bottle at check-in to refill during their stay and glass bottles replaced daily in their villas.
Our conservation measures contribute to the overall vision encompassing a holistic ‘land to sea’ approach for uses, management and safeguarding ecosystems.
Conservation Initiatives
Vatuvara Private Island’s commitment to the Vatuvara Foundation demonstrates a sustainable model for how conservation and tourism can unite to support scientific research, community development, and ensure environmental protection. Our direct investments into our surrounding natural habitats are forming valuable connections with conscientious tourism and local communities while preserving biodiversity.
Vatuvara Private Islands won both the 22nd ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards for Luxury Accommodation and Tourism Sustainability. We believe that we have the responsibility to treat our islands and surrounding waters with the highest level of care and respect. All our land based organic, sustainable community efforts are for naught, if we do not protect and preserve our oceans.
Vatuvara Island is preserved as natural reserve and safe haven that supports healthy populations of threatened species, including humphead wrasses, giant clams, bumphead parrotfish, including the unique and endangered coconut crabs. Our surrounding beaches have been identified as vital green and hawksbill sea turtle nesting grounds. It is an untouched paradise maintained for prosperity.
Together with the Vatuvara Foundation, we have established lagoon coral nurseries to restore our surrounding coral reefs. Our goal is to increase awareness and education on the need for coral restoration to our surrounding island communities by protecting and repopulating damaged reef areas through coral reefs conservation programs.
In an effort to repopulate our surrounding reefs, we also have a lagoon nursery to monitor over 200 juvenile giant clams until they become large enough to be transferred back into the reef system.
Vatuvara Private Islands participates in a food security programme for climate-resilient crop cultivation through UNDP and SPC, nurturing a collection of tissue cultures of climate-resilient food crops including major staple crops of the Pacific, such as bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, taro and yams.
Our crops have been successfully multiplied and rotated into harvest and replanting cycles and can be stored as a secure food source for our guests, staff and neighboring community.
Carbon Negative
In 2019, our Carbon Balance estimate was calculated with our preserved land area offsetting up to 24,253.83 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, qualifying the resort’s operation, islands and protected areas as carbon negative.
Vatuvara Foundation
The Vatuvara Foundation envisions healthy, resilient and protected oceans with empowered and sustainable communities as responsible stewards of their marine resources.
By creating safe havens for marine life, protected areas can restore habitats and indigenous species resulting in more resilient oceans to provide sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities and to mitigate against effects of climate change and natural disasters.
Our conservation efforts include education, awareness, community livelihood projects, monitoring, vulnerable species protection, poaching surveillance and restoration programmes.
National Geographic
Vatuvara Foundation conducted marine biological baseline surveys in collaboration with Wildlife Conservation Society to assess the health of the coral reef systems in Northern Lau. To find out more about this research expedition on the National Geographic Blog Series, please click on an image below.
Learn about our projects, partnerships and scientific research of the Vatuvara Foundation website, please click our link below.
