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Fiji - paradise in jeopardy

November 8, 2017

Fiji was once synonymous with a tropical paradise. But global warming and severe storms are now threatening the very existence of the islands. Fiji-born photographer Aaron March captures the fragile nature of his home.

https://p.dw.com/p/2nJap
Coral reef off Mamanuca Island, Fiji (DW/Aaron March)
The coral reef off Mamanuca Island in Fiji is a snorkeler's paradise.Image: DW/A. March

"Like most Fiji Islanders, growing up I did not have many opportunities to travel or see much of Fiji," says Aaron March. Although the photographer and Instagramer was born and raised in the island-nation's capital, Suva, it was not until he took up photography a few years ago that he finally got to travel the islands and appreciate the beauty of his homeland.

"I fall more in love with Fiji everyday," he proclaims in his Instagram post for @dw_stories

The island nation is the host of the UN Climate Change Conference taking place November 6-17 in Bonn, Germany. During the two-week conference, Fiji presides over negotiations with delegates from 196 countries focused on implementing the Paris Agreement.

Climate change in the spotlight

For Aaron March, the necessity of mitigating the impacts of climate change is readily visible along Fiji's eroded shorelines, in the small communities washed away by the oceans and in the snorkeler's dream destinations. While the country's climate conference delegates meet in Bonn to raise awareness for the plight of island nations, the photographer traveled across Fiji documenting the threats to his home for DW's Instagram account. The above picture gallery contains a selection of the photos.