The Blue Prosperity Fiji (BPF) program is the answer to Fiji’s prayers for a better future, says BPF co-principal investigator Dr Joeli Veitayaki.
He said this at the BPF expedition launch at the Royal Suva Yacht Club yesterday.
Dr Veitayaki said the last 32 years of his career had been spent building capacity at the global, regional, national, and local levels, and the BPF program would ensure sustainability in terms of ocean resources.
“BPF is, for me, the answer to the country’s prayers for a better future for our future generations as its promises to provide the enabling environment to assist Fijians to embark on the sustainable development of its biggest resource base, our ocean,” he said.
“I have introduced to you, arguably the most significant new development commitment the country has taken to attain the sustainable use of its marine resources.”
Dr Veitayaki said all Fijians should play a part in taking advantage of the BPF approach.
“We need to change course for the sake of maintaining the health of our ocean, on which we heavily depend, while sustainably accessing all the resources that are there to provide a better future for our people.
“This is what Blue Prosperity Fiji is about.”
The BPF program is expected to run for about five years. On Monday, the scientific expedition to gather data on the current state of Fiji’s on shore fish reserves and the state of Fiji’s coral reefs was launched.
