Traditional landowners from Namosi have urged stronger environmental safeguards and clearer landowner rights as part of the ongoing review of the Mining Act 1965, submitting detailed proposals to ensure mining assessments look beyond immediate project footprints. The Namosi Landowners Association, Lomani Au Maroroi Au, lodged the submission during a consultation in Namosi village that was presented by district representative Iowane Esava.
Esava told the consultation that current frameworks do not require environmental studies to capture the broader and long-term impacts of mining developments. “Environmental studies for mining projects must cover the full impact of any development, not just the immediate project area,” he said, arguing assessments should capture downstream effects on rivers, forests, food security and local livelihoods rather than only on-site disturbances.
A central plank of the association’s submission is a call for future mining legislation to mandate comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) that explicitly examine indirect and cumulative impacts on communities and ecosystems. The group wants those ESIAs to be conducted independently and funded through a dedicated trust fund to preserve impartiality and public confidence in the findings.
Transparency and accountability were also highlighted. Esava criticised the Minerals Exploration and Exploitation Bill for failing to adequately protect the rights of landowning units (LOUs), including their ability to object to conditions attached to Special Prospecting Licences (SPLs). He recommended that SPL licence conditions be made available to LOUs in a form that is both easily understandable and readily accessible — for example through a publicly available database or online portal — so landowners can meaningfully review and respond to proposed terms.
The submission from Lomani Au Maroroi Au presses for legal reforms to solidify landowner engagement at every stage of the mining approval process, including clearer mechanisms for objection and consent. By seeking statutory recognition of LOUs’ rights within mining legislation, the association is pushing for reforms they say would prevent decisions being made without informed participation by the communities who will live with the outcomes.
The consultation in Namosi is part of a nationwide review of the Mining Act 1965. Officials said the engagement process will continue in the Western Division on Monday, offering other communities the opportunity to make submissions and shape proposed amendments. The association’s proposals add to a growing chorus of calls from local groups for tighter environmental oversight, stronger social protections and greater transparency as Fiji considers updates to decades-old mining laws.
If adopted, the changes advocated by Namosi landowners would represent a significant shift toward precautionary, community-centred mining regulation — prioritising independent science, publicly accessible information and enforceable landowner rights in a sector that has long raised concerns about environmental and social impacts.
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