Village signs deal with Ministry to Reforest 350 Hectares of Land to Fund Own Projects
The Government through the Ministry of Forestry has sealed a deal with four landowning units (mataqali) in Cakaudrove for the Reforestation of Degraded Forests (RDF) Project.
The mataqalis; Nasuwaga, Buca I Ra, Vunisaiki and Wacawaca of Nayarabale Village in Vaturova has allocated 350 hectares of idle land to reforest under the RDF project.
The reforestation contract is five years where the Ministry’s focus is to assist the landowners on funding their Village Development Plan.
The Community Incentive Contractual Agreement between the landowners, the Ministry and the iTaukei Affairs Board was signed on February 20, 2023.
This is a collaborate effort towards the achievement of the Ministry’s 30 million tree in 15 years target (30MT15Y).
The village has appointed a committee to oversee the project; Noqu Kalou, Noqu Wacawaca Reforestation Development Committee.
This project is an example of a project that is aligned with strategies created to achieve Fiji's long-term development goals at the international, regional, and national levels.
The committee plans to use the income generated from the project to work with Energy Fiji Limited to establish electricity power line to all the settlements along the Nayarabale Road and build new quarters for the village school.
This focuses specifically on sustainable and climate smart practices promoted to help build resilient agriculture, fisheries and forestry production systems.
Divisional Forestry Officer Northern, Maleli Nakasava said the plan was to cover 50 hectares per mataqali this financial year. On the 350 hectare mataqali land, a total of 97,3000 seedlings are intended to be planted.
Mr Nakasava said the Ministry is focusing on roping in other Government ministries and stakeholders to work in synergy with the communities like Nayarabale in community incentive schemes that benefit the community groups by creating employment and generating income.
“This project will help Fiji's indigenous forest regions to recover from agricultural and forestry practices that have led to the degradation of agricultural lands and their productivity in the vicious cycle of resource depletion and land degradation in the past,” he said.
In total, the four mataqalis will receive $93, 247.50 in total as payment for tasks ranging from poling, line cutting, planting and weeding. The Ministry through the relevant division will be responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of all plantations.
A joint awareness on the project will be held on March 7 – 8, 2023.
In addition to the project, Mr Nakasava says they plan on seeking assistance to establish fish ponds, register youth clubs as co-operatives and venture into agroforestry and permaculture farming system.
Acting Permanent Secretary for Forestry, Atelaite Rokosuka says the Ministry is partnering with community land-owning units in the four divisions to procure more land to establish more tree plantations in Fiji, through the provisions of community incentives.
Engaging the services of land owning-units in this programme, will enhance the government’s initiative to plant 30 million trees in 15 years.
“The involvement of landowners in the community incentive programme will increase the geographical area under forest and tree cover in the community lands in the villages and at the same time improves their socio-economic status by creating employment and income generation,” she said.
“This is part of the Government’s effort through the Ministry to sustain and improve community livelihoods, stimulate local economic activity and realise the forestry sector economic recovery and economic growth.”