Remote maritime communities in Fiji, including Serua Island and its connected settlement of Talenaua, are navigating rapid environmental change. Rising sea levels, coastal inundation at high tides, and more frequent cyclones of increased intensity converge with long-standing development constraints. As a result, many actors (both shelter and non-shelter alike) offer housing assistance to these communities. Unfortunately, well-meaning intentions do not always translate into local empowerment or sustainable housing solutions. Additionally, assistance is too often focused on the construction itself and fails to recognise the context and timeline in which the solutions are implemented.
The Serua Island Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Master Plan 2026–2036 sets out a structured, locally led pathway to strengthen resilience across housing, water and sanitation, community infrastructure and livelihoods.
