[Photo: Supplied]

Fiji’s National Forest Inventory data collection is to be completed by July.

This was highlighted by the Permanent Secretary for Forestry Pene Baleinabuli while officiating at the training programme for Fiji’s National Forest Inventory this morning.

Baleinabuli acknowledged the sacrifice each of the field assistants will make over the next six months, leaving their homes and families to be part of NFI field data collection team.

Baleinabuli says that the field data collection work will not be easy as they will be sent to the four corners of Fiji’s landmass, entering terrain that many may never reach in this lifetime.

“We’ve been tasked to complete the field data collection by July this year but we’ll see how we go and it depends basically on the perimeters, climate, terrain so we’re hoping to complete, if we have all 15 teams on the ground hopefully we’ll complete 15 plots in one day”.

He adds the previous NFIs have shaped Fiji’s forest sector and similarly the results of this year’s NFI will be no different.

“Last inventory that was done was way back in 2005 and I think the report was released in 2006 and this is a good 15-16 years so a lot has changed in terms of the development in our natural landscape.”

Baleinabuli says the devastating impacts of climate change and the economic downturn brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s NFI will be critical for Fiji as they begin to seek solutions to reinvigorate socioeconomic growth.