FIJI’S Ministry of Forestry says it intends to take a lead role in collaborating with stakeholders to strategically increase forest cover through vigorous afforestation and re-forestation initiatives.
In a Government statement, the ministry says this is aimed at countering the decreasing capability of Fiji’s forests to provide essential products and services.
While the forest-products demand at the local market has gradually expanded, the availability of indigenous forests resources are declining, it added.
While closing the REDD+ Training of Trainers Program in Nadi, Minister for Forestry Osea Naiqamu noted Government’s continuous reforestation effort, particularly in logged over forests with mahogany and on grasslands with pine species.
“I believe that there are still a lot of under-utilized land that can be planted with trees, including indigenous tree species, for a diverse range of important services, and also to meet our commitments to reforest 5,300 hectares of native species by 2022,” he said.
“This will support Fiji’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world by 2030.
“Government is acutely aware that our rural communities depend on trees and forest resources for subsistence and income generation. So while we are promoting forest conservation on the one hand through REDD+, we must also ensure that we are addressing the alternative livelihood options for our communities.”
Presently, mahogany and pine account for around 15 per cent of Fiji’s total forest cover, while the country’s forest cover amounts to about 60 percent of Fiji’s total land area.
