The Minister for Forests, Osea Naiqamu recently visited communities in Ba, Naitasiri, and Nadroga/Navosa to encourage them to plant more trees in grassland areas and in degraded forest areas.

The Minister highlighted their focus on sustainable forest management practices through afforestation and reforestation activities.

He says there was provision in the new financial year budget to cater for reforestation programmes and that communities needed to request through their respective forestry divisional offices to increase Fiji’s forests.

The Minister notes the Western Division is currently experiencing the effects of climate change with prolonged spells of dry weather and excessive flooding in the low lying areas.

Naiqamu explained to the communities that these bouts of continuous flooding can mean that there is an excessive removal of trees in the interior and highlands which can be caused by clearing of land spaces for agricultural purposes but more so by forest fires and tropical cyclones.

He encouraged the communities to take ownership of their forests and trees to ensure there was no excessive logging.

The Minister also visited the districts of Savatu, Nadrau, Naboubuco, Navatusila, Magodro, Naqaliyalatina, Nalotawa and Nailaga.