Fiji - island paradise in jeopardy

The coral reef off Mamanuca Island in Fiji is a dream destination for snorkelers. But diving through the clear water and colorful fish is becoming a rarity. Due to rising ocean temperatures, coral reefs in Fiji are dying off. The loss of the fragile ecosystem has a knock-on effect for fishing and tourism - two of the country's main sources of income.

Two girls walk along the shore at Namatakula village. Storms and rising sea levels have washed away much of the beach on the south of the island Viti Levu. Palm trees, which help protect the beach from erosion, have been uprooted as the ocean creeps closer to land. To fight against climate change and become more resilent to its impact, the villagers have founded their own environmental group.

As they watched sea levels rise and storms erode their beach, the villagers of Namatakula decided to take matters into their own hands. In 2017 they founded a community-based youth project to address development and adaptation to climate change. The group focuses on clean-up efforts and coping mechanisms such as tree planting. Members of the project are attending COP23 in Bonn, Germany.

In February 2016 Cyclone Winston hit the village of Vunisavisavi on Fiji's second largest island, washing away much of the shore and destroying buildings. Since then, the ocean continues to creep closer. Fields are routinely flooded with saltwater and homes have collapsed in the high waters. Many families have abandoned their homes or were relocated to higher ground.

Sepesa Kilimo Waqairatavu is one of the villagers from Vunisavisavi considering relocating to higher ground. Members of his family moved after their houses were damaged in 2016, but the 37-year-old is uncertain about relocation. While moving further inland would offer better protection, a new house would also be isolated from the village and make fishing - a main source of income - difficult.

Many village elders in Vunisavisavi refused to leave their homes, believing that their ancestors had entrusted them to protect the land. But 85-year-old Maria Lolou, the oldest resident in the village, decided to relocate to higher ground with her family in May 2016. Here she is with her great-granddaughter in the new home that was financed by US development aid.

The Coral Coast is a popular holiday destination on the island of Viti Levu. It's known for its wide and shallow coral reefs, which are easily accessible from the shore. But rising water temperatures have severely damaged the coral, wiping it out in some parts. Many in the tourism industry are worried that without the coral, tourists will no longer come.

As shorelines are washed away and coral reefs disappear, Fiji's developers have begun looking for ways to keep tourist money flowing. One solution is artificial islands. Fantasy Island is the biggest example of reclaiming land from the ocean. By dredging channels and converting "underproductive swampland" into beachside communities, the project has attracted a series of five-star resorts.

Tourists at the resorts along the Denarau peninsula on Viti Levu may post Instagram photos of the clear waters of the hotel-side lagoons and palm tree-lined white sandy beaches. But it's an artificial paradise and one that damages the island's environment. The beaches were created by dredging channels and extending the sand in areas where mangrove swamps once thrived.