Minister for Forests Osea Naiqamu has called for collaboration from all stakeholders in order to ensure the sustainability of Fiji’s forests.
Officiating at the opening of the SPC’s Ridge to Reef (R2R) Project Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting in Nadi yesterday, Mr Naiqamu said working in collaboration with Government was pivotal in working towards a common goal in ensuring Fiji’s forests were sustainable in years to come.
“I am aware of the core function of the Technical Working Group, which is to provide a platform to ensure that service delivery is driven by an agreed work plan and also ensures the inclusion and coordination of all the key partners,” Mr Naiqamu said.
“Under the stewardship of the Technical Working Group, the R2R Project at the end of October had planted over 100,000 seedlings covering an area of 385hectares.”
The Technical Working Group was formed in February 2020 to support the coordination, implementation, and monitoring of activities of the R2R Projects that were assigned to SPC’s Land Resources Division.
“The total seedlings planted included over 40,000 fruit trees, 50,000 of native inland coastal species, and 17,000 of exotic species.”
The ‘30MillionTreesIn15Years’ tree planting initiative has also enabled Fijians to plant 2.6 million trees in a span of 22 months.
Mr Naiqamu also commended the Technical Working Group for the task already delivered and wished them well in their future undertakings.
