Twelve villages in Vanua Levu had planted about 15,000 native trees as part of the European Union and Pacific Island Forest Restoration Initiative (PIFRI) project, which ends in June next year.
Spearheaded by the Community Centred Conservation (C3) team, the villagers have targeted planting 23,000 trees before the end of the program.
C3’s community liaison officer Laisani Sepo said the group had just completed the second phase of the planting program.
“We still have 7000 more to plant to reach our target of 23,000 plants,” she said.
“C3 has persistently worked with communities in the North and we had planted the first 15,000 trees by the end of May this year.
“These trees will also be included in the Government’s 30 million trees target, which is to be planted in 15 years.”
C3’s program officer Opeti Vateitei said the Ministry of Forestry has been working with the group assisting them with technical exercises.
“The ministry contributes a lot to the success of the program as they help us out in areas such as Native Trees Nursery Making Training and GPS Demarcation of all the reforestation sites,” he said.
The communities include those from the Udu area with Qaranivai villager Vasenai Dibale describing the program as an eye-opener.
“Through this replanting program, we now realise that in order to save our forest, we only need to go out there and do it ourselves,” she said.
“After C3 Fiji and the Forestry department trained us on how to make native tree nurseries, we are now fully equipped in re-establishing lost native tree species.”
