Kabara (pronounced ) is an island of

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

, a member of the

Lau Lau or LAU may refer to: People * Lau (surname) * Liu (劉/刘), a common Chinese family name transliterated Lau in Cantonese and Hokkien * Lau clan, one of the Saraswat Brahmin clans of Punjab * LAU (musician): Laura Fares Places * Lebane ...

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

. With a land area of , its population of some 700 lives in four villages. The islanders are noted for their craftsmanship in the area of wood carving. Vesi wood (

Intsia bijuga ''Intsia bijuga'', commonly known as Borneo teak, Johnstone River teak, Kwila, Moluccan ironwood, Pacific teak, scrub mahogany and vesi, is a species of flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, native to the Indo-Pacific. It ranges from Tanzania and ...

), which grows natively on Kabara, is the traditional material, but

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...

has stripped the island, leaving only 8% of the island covered with Vesi trees. A program of

reforestation Reforestation (occasionally, reafforestation) is the natural or intentional restocking of existing forests and woodlands (forestation) that have been depleted, usually through deforestation, but also after clearcutting. Management A debate ...

has been started, but as Vesi trees take 70–80 years to mature, carvers are being encouraged to use as little Vesi wood as possible.

Sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...

, known locally as ''yasi,'' is being promoted as an alternative. Unlike Vesi, sandalwood takes only 30–40 years to mature. The

Fiji Village ''Fiji Village'' (stylised ''Fijivillage'') is an online news website in Fiji which is fully owned and operated by Communications Fiji Limited. It covers local, political, business, sporting, cultural, and other news items. ''Fiji Village'' is ...

news service reported on 28 March 2006 that the

World Wide Fund for Nature The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wor ...

had donated thirteen 5000-

gallon The gallon is a unit of volume in imperial units and United States customary units. Three different versions are in current use: *the imperial gallon (imp gal), defined as , which is or was used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Austral ...

water tanks to Kabara, which would likely eliminate water shortages on the island. A notable native from Kabara was the late wood carver

Jone Lupe Jone may refer to: * ''Jone'' (opera), an 1858 opera in four acts by Errico Petrella * Jonê County, a county in Gansu, People's Republic of China * Jone Pinto (born 1991), Brazilian footballer * DJ JoN-E (born 1984), North American South Asian ...

, whose family have been engaged in the craft for generations.

References

Islands of Fiji Lau Islands {{Fiji-geo-stub