After a legal struggle described as a David versus Goliath battle, two Australian surfers have helped halt a Chinese development accused of causing extensive environmental damage to a tropical island.

In 2015, Navrin Fox and Woody Jack bought a 99-year lease on an acre of land on Fiji’s Malolo Island with plans to turn the site into a small eco-friendly resort or Airbnb.

Navrin Fox and Woody Jack on one of many trips to Fiji Credit:Navrin Fox

"We just had a crazy dream when we saw the land and thought that looks awesome," Mr Fox said.

However, in late 2017 a Chinese developer leased the neighbouring piece of land and proceeded to trespass on their property, to cut down a third of the property’s trees and to dump construction equipment onto the property.