Conservation

Our approach to conservation is real and practical. We don’t believe in boasting about meaningless gestures in an attempt to justify calling ourselves an eco-resort. We would prefer not to be referred to as an eco-resort because it is probably impossible to have zero negative impact having a resort on a small island. What we do hope is that the projects we run will more than compensate for that impact.

At Barefoot Kuata we have singled out a number of projects that we firmly believe will benefit the environment and local communities. The health of the coral reefs surrounding the Yasawa Islands is paramount to the future well-being of the Yasawan people. For generations they have survived primarily from using coral reefs as a food source. Now in the modern age, as they look to improve their lives, the main source of income is tourism. A key ingredient to encouraging tourism is healthy coral reefs.

Some of the conservation work we do requires more time than a casual visitor to be involved with. There are however some projects that will benefit greatly from having guests involved. We love having guests join us with these projects.

We really like guests who are helping to fully understand our conservation projects so put aside some time to talking with the marine scientists beforehand.

Our full-time marine biologists, are dedicated to a number of projects ranging from water quality testing to the care and preservation of manta rays and sharks. Some of the projects such as removal of crown of thorns starfish are simple and immediate, but crucial. Other projects such as the creation of large marine parks are considerably more complicated and require a long-term commitment from both tourism operators and local communities.

As guests of Barefoot Kuata you are more than welcome to become involved in our conservation projects, be it for one dive or one week. Please contact us if you would like more information.