Integrated-disciplinary evaluation of ecology-economy interacting system in marine resources in Fiji

Republic of the Fiji Islands (Fiji) is one of the Melanesian countries. There are social systems dependent on the nature that is highly productive for fishery resources in mangrove-coral ecosystems. Such beautiful natures and specific cultures are tourist resources for not only Fiji but also the other islands, but the tourism has been resulted in various problems. Thus, it is a challenge to make a good living for island people with 'symbiosis' between the natures and human activities. In the present study, we evaluate the relationships of ecological and social systems on fishery resources in a Fijian local village from the viewpoint of natural and social sciences (integrate-disciplinary study). In the objective village, there was a life style dependent on farming and fishing. The number of people in a family was less than those in the neighboring village because young people were working in urban areas or overseas to send living expenses to the village people. A major fishery resource was a bivalve 'kaikoso' which was collected and sold by women and important seafood and income for the village people. Kaikoso inhabited at the coastal sites between mangrove and coral reef and was more abundant than the other islands. In this paper, we will show a simple model which factors have most affected the fishery resource and also we introduce a significance to study the lure of islands from the viewpoint of 'integrate-disciplines'.