News

National drive to plant more trees in Fiji

May 12, 2019 12:30 pm

Fiji is now on a renewed national drive to plant more trees in order to address several critically important environment issues.

Yesterday, the Four Million Trees in Four Years Initiative was launched in Vanua Levu, aimed at increasing the national effort to plant more trees.

Since the launch of the initiative this year, almost 154,000 seedlings have been planted.

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Minister for Forests Osea Naiqamu says about 30 percent of Fiji’s total land mass is degraded landscape, degraded due to deforestation for various reasons.

Thus, the Ministry and the Fiji Development Bank have partnered to see that the degraded areas in Vanua Levu are planted with trees.

“The million trees we will plant will reduce soil erosion and siltation; and they will certainly offset some of our carbon output and to mitigate against climate change.”

Chief executive Mark Clough says under the partnership, FDB is adopting Dogoru Village in Macuata help support their plans to reforest their degraded forests.

“We want to replant what is being left barren and ensure we build a sustainable future for generations yet to come through lessons learned from the past.”

Under the Four million trees in four years initiative, the Northern division has so far planted 84,000 seedlings, the Central and Eastern Division have planted 34, 000 seedlings and the Western Division 36,000.