Mere K Bainimarama is Principal Environment Officer (EIA) with the Republic of Fiji’s Ministry of Environment & Climate Change. Previously she was a Senior Environment Officer in the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Unit at the Department of Environment under the Prime Minister’s Office. With over 12 years of professional experience, her expertise spans fieldwork, technical assessments, and policy drafting. In her current role, she helps manage the EIA Unit and ensures the effective implementation and enforcement of environmental laws and policies. She provides timely, well-researched, and science-based advice to meet the needs of stakeholders, partners, and collaborators.
Mere earned her Master’s in Environmental Science, specialising in Land and Water Rehabilitation, from the University of Western Australia in 2020 as an Australia Awards scholar. That same year, she was selected for the Women Leading and Influencing (WLI) cohort and currently serves as an executive member of the Fiji Australia Awards Alumni Association. In 2022, she joined the Young Pacific Leaders Program under the Pacific Forum International, where she continues to empower young Pacific leaders to address plastic pollution.
Her contributions to sustainable development in Fiji include leading impactful projects such as the FJ$14 million Fiji Ridge to Reef Program and the FJ$18 million Jobs for Nature project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the World Bank, respectively. Mere is a regular participant in national, regional, and international meetings and workshops on topics such as ocean accounts, waste management, the blue economy, environmental impact assessments, and natural resource management.
Outside her professional commitments, Mere enjoys reading, singing, sewing, making crafts, and constantly learning new skills. She is currently teaching herself to play the ukulele. Her dedication to both professional excellence and personal growth makes her a standout leader in Fiji’s environmental sector.
