Press Release Detail

The Government is injecting $3.3 million in the new financial year to continue Fiji’s landscape restoration programme through the planting of trees and mangroves under Fiji’s 30 Million Trees in 15 Years (30MT15Y) initiative.

Delivering the 2022-2023 Budget Address last Friday, Attorney-General and Minister for Economy, Hon. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said since its inception in 2019, Fiji has planted over 12 million new trees through this commitment. 
The allocated budget will provide technical support in terms of seed sourcing, seed supply, nursery and silviculture practice training and direct incentives for landowners to establish and manage their own forests,” Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said.
The Ministry of Forestry is coordinating Fiji’s national tree-planting programme where Fijians and visitors alike have helped plant 12.5 million trees and mangroves since 2019. This represents 41.96 per cent of its 30 million trees target to be planted in 15 years. This achievement needs to be nationally acknowledged and celebrated as it reflects Government’s commitment towards building a prosperous, cleaner, greener and a better Fiji.
The Ministry will continue to coordinate Fiji’s tree-planting campaign with the aim of expanding our forest cover and restoring degraded forest areas. This initiative is one of Fiji’s main platforms towards addressing climate change because trees are scientifically proven to be among the best nature-based solutions for capturing carbon.
Prime Minister and Minister for Forestry, Honourable Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama said the national tree-planting initiative was at the heart of the important work of growing Fiji’s green and blue economy from ridge to reef—mountains, forests, fields and mangrove forest estuaries. 
“They are all part of Fiji, and each generation is given stewardship of this beautiful environment—to nurture it, care for it, and pass it on to the next generation. Our commitment today must be to bequeath to our children an environment that is better than the one we inherited—much better,” Mr Bainimarama said.

Acknowledgement

The Prime Minister acknowledged all Fijians and visitors from abroad who have contributed to the tree planting initiative, labelling it ‘a huge achievement.
He said this was possible due to the large interest from members of communities in rural areas and the outer islands, in peri-urban and even urban areas who have available land, no matter the size. It is inspiring to see that the people of Fiji have over the years, developed a deeper appreciation for the value of forests and trees in protecting the environment including water sources and coastal communities, addressing climate change, enhancing biodiversity, and increasing the opportunities for improved socio-economic development.
Mr Bainimarama also acknowledged the private business organisations who had contributed to Fiji’s planting achievements by undertaking planting as part of their corporate responsibility to our environment.
“The whole of Fiji including stakeholders in the forestry sector, private sector, academia, non-government organisations, religious groups, landowners, schools and youths, have all contributed to more than 12.5 million trees and mangroves in three years and that is a massive achievement for our nation,” he said.
“Fijians are more aware of the importance of forests and trees and how these relate to the environment and nature as a whole. We are not just concerned about the effects of climate change, but are actively involved in finding solutions. We are aware that planting trees - the right type of tree, in the right place, at the right time - is essential to combating climate change and providing a means for sustainable socio-economic development for our current and future generations,” Mr Bainimarama said. 
Fiji Pine Limited (FPL) and Fiji Hardwood Corporation Limited (FHCL) have contributed 70.25 per cent of the planting achievement, while communal and individual landowners have planted the balance with technical guidance and assistance from the Ministry of Forestry. 
Communal plantings were also funded by non-governmental organisations like the Ridge to Reef programme, International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) project in the Rewa Delta and International Climate Initiative (IKI) project in the Yasawas and Malolo islands.
The area planted is 11315.6 hectares which includes mangroves, exotic species, native, non-wood species and fruit trees.
With the dry season approaching after a prolonged wet season, the Ministry would like to advise landowners to undertake maintenance work on their planted seedlings which includes weeding and forest protection activities to minimise damages from grazing and forest fires. The Ministry keeps track of the trees planted through the use of technology such as GPS, drones and ArcGIS software. 
The Ministry has also developed a dashboard where the public can record the trees that they have planted. The dashboard is available online on the Ministry’s website - www.forestry.gov.fj

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