Fiji’s Ministry of Forestry and Fisheries has cut its “30 Million Trees in 15 Years” campaign planting target for this year from 1,800 hectares to 600 hectares.
Minister responsible Alitia Bainivalu said this is to ensure the team maintains and monitors planted trees.
“A major focus of our programme will be the maintenance or beat-up activities (replacing all the dead seedlings in all the planted areas),” she said highlighting that a budget of $2.5 million has been set aside for reforestation efforts in the current financial year.
Launched in 2019, the number of trees planted stands at approximately 19,187,293, according to the ministry. Of this, around 78% or 14,955,616 trees—are Pine (Pinus caribaea) seedlings that is largely managed by Fiji Pine Ltd. The initiative also includ other species:
– Mahogany: 776,081 trees
– Mangroves: 930,920 seedlings, crucial for coastal protection and marine ecosystems.
– Sandalwood: 17,114 trees
– Mixed Species: Around 2,507,561 trees, which include various indigenous species
In addition to reforestation efforts, the ministry has also been working on the protection and conservation of Fiji’s native tree species. This, entails “working actively with landowners to co-manage existing forest reserves to achieve our objectives.”
