Press Release Detail

The Ministry of Forestry continues to support our rural communities through the Reforestation of Degraded Forests (RDF) with indigenous trees and other species.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Forestry handed over a total payment of $23962.50 to three Mataqali in the Naitasiri Province who planted 90 hectares of native trees as well as exotic and fruit trees on their Mataqali land.

The participating Mataqali’s are Mataqali o Rara of Vuisiga Village, Mataqali o Naroko of Wailoa Village and Mataqali o Drekeniwai of Waibalavu Village.

The Government, through the Ministry of Forestry, continues to promote Fiji’s landscape restoration programme, which is to plant 30 million trees and mangroves in 15 years in an effort to combat the climate crisis and restore biodiversity beginning in 2019.

Fiji Pine Limited (FPL) and Fiji Hardwood Corporation Limited (FHCL) are two companies that have contributed the largest planting target in the RDF programme while visitors, communal landowners, and individual landowners have planted the balance with technical guidance and assistance from the Ministry.

Director Operations- Central/Eastern, Mr. Moape Lotawa said the Ministry has marked the success of the partnership with the landowners in giving out some cash contributions to incentivize the work they’ve done.

“We thank the Naitasiri Provincial Council for taking a leading role in this programme visiting villages and districts to create awareness about this programme and implementation in the local communities,” Mr. Lotawa said.

Mr. Lotawa has also urged native landowners as well as freehold owners to partner with the Ministry and participate in this reforestation programme.

Speaking on behalf of the three Mataqali, Mr. Taitusi Vakadravuyaca said they are participating in the programme for their future generation.

“We want to help protect our forests. The trees we plant today will benefit our children in years to come,” Mr. Vakadravuyaca said.

He said tree planting is also critical to their village water catch management and watershed management, especially during this time of constant changing climate conditions.

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