The biggest threat that faces us is the place where we live in says Acting Fisheries Minister Jone Usamate.
Speaking at the pre-launch of the 2018 International Year of the Reef at Koro Sun Resort in Savusavu last night, Usamate says there are threats to the ocean and the reefs and government is trained to take on these threats.
He says the government is committed to this initiative, to the issue of the environment as a whole and on climate change.
Usamate says the Fijian government’s decision to ban the harvesting and export of beech-de-mer and recently of live coral has further challenged livelihoods that depend on them.
He says they have had to choose between sustaining the reef for a short period or a long-term and they chose the latter.
Usamate adds he is grateful that everyone has come together as a global community to celebrate and promote the vital role of reefs.
He says there is a need for these reefs to be around not just for the current generation but for the future as well
