Technical Workshop on Great Green Wall and Dryland

Restoration Fiji Action Against Desertification

by

Maika Daveta Fiji Forestry Department

P. O. Box 2218 Government Buildings

Suva Fiji Islands

maikadavetasrd@gmail.com

Presentation format • General Overview of Fiji

• About Department of Forestry Fiji

• Introduction to Fiji Forest and Land tenure

• Relevant policies

• Current and completed afforestation/ reforestation project

• Application of AAD in Fiji

Organizational Chart for Forestry

Administration

Forestry Department is Responsible for: Major functions of the Department:

Implementation of the Forest Policy 2007

Administer and enforce Forest Legislation

Ensure conservation, sustainable utilization and management of forest resources

Approve and issue forest related licenses

Provide training, extension services and research

Coordination with key stakeholders including forest resource owners

The above functions are executed through its 8 functional areas namely:

Forest Management Services Division

Training & Education Division

Timber Utilization Division

Extension & Advisory Services

Forest Parks & Nature Reserves

Harvesting & Logging Division

Silviculture Research

General Administration/Planning

Introduction to Fiji’s Forest Forest cover includes the following:

- Indigenous Forest: 914,867.877 ha

- Hardwood Plantations: 59,548.105 ha

- Pine: 72,671.370 ha

Forest is also categorized according to potential management practices such

as:

- Multiple Use Forests: 803,997 ha

- Protection Forests: 55,871 ha

- Preserved Forests: 55,000 ha

Reclassification into Forest Resource Assessment (FRA) 2010 categories

Vegetation cover is classified as follows:

- Dense Forest: Crown density (75 – 100%)

- Medium Dense Forest: Crown density (45 – 80%)

- Scattered Forest: Crown density (15 – 20%)

Land Tenure

• About 86% of the country’s land is owned by the indigenous units,

• 5% is managed by the state and 9% is freehold land.

• All activities/projects involved land owners or community consultation

Biodiversity and Protected Areas

• Has 164 known amphibians species, 28.7% are endemic and 15.2% are threatened.

• Fiji is home to at least 1,518 species of vascular plants, of which 50.1% are endemic.

• 9.9% species of Fiji is protected under IUCN categories.

Relevant Key Policies National framework for forest policy:

Forest Act 1953 – reviewed Forest Decree 1992

Fiji Forest Policy Statement 2007

21st century – forestry’s policy environment continues to change

National conservation and nature protection strategies:

National Environmental Strategy (NES)

National Bio-diversity Strategy & Action Plan (NBSAP)

Environment Management Act 2005

Rural Land Use Policy 2005

Internal compliance

Bio-security and quarantine regulations

Compliance with regional & national policies & strategies

Green Growth Framework

Legal & Planning - International

Conventions

• Fiji has become party to 31 international agreements/conventions/treaties

• Major Environment Legislation in Fiji:

21 major environmental legislations are in place and all decisions on use of land/sea and practices need to abide by these legislations

No. Project Name Site/Location Year

Commenced

Implementing

Agency

Funding Major Achievements

1 Reforestation of

Grassland Areas

Ra 2009

CI & DoF Internal CI Head

Office

1,200 ha planted

2 COWRIE Naroko District,

Ra

2010 USP-IAS &

DoF

GERSA-CRISP

(French)

30 ha planted

3 WANI Nakasaleka

District, Kadavu

2010 USP-IAS &

DoF

GERSA-CRISP

(French)

10 villages stream and river system banks

rehabilitated

4 One Million Tree National 2010 DoF DoF Operational 1,010,278 seedlings planted (3,637 ha)

5 Reforestation &

Afforestation

National 2012 DoF FJD$300,000.00 10,000 seedlings planted (36 ha),

16 community based nurseries & awareness

programs

6 REDD+ Emalu &

Dogotuki

2012

(on-going)

DoF & GIZ FJD$900,000.00 2 REDD+ sites established covering an ^

area of 9,000 ha

7 Bio-diversity

Enhancement –

Ridge to Reef

Initiative

National 2013 DoF FJD$200,000.00 Rehabilitation of some of the major river &

stream banks from ridge tops to coastal

environment (integrated approach by MFF)

8 Sandalwood

Development

National 2011 DoF FJD$100,000.00 112 ha seedlings planted, 21 community

based nursery & awareness programs

9 Forest &

Protected Area

Management

Teveuni,

Delaikoro &

Tomoniivi (Mt

Victoria)

2013

(on-going)

FAO & DoF GEF-PAS 4

USD$3.7m

Bio-diversity conservation

10 Reforest Fiji Western Viti

Levu, Fiji

2013

(on-going)

UN/SPC &

DoF

GEF-PAS 4 Key thematic areas of:

1) Extremely degraded sites – 3 sites on

Western, Viti Levu

2) Site that has been constantly burned

3) Poor soil quality

4) Abandoned agricultural land

11 RDF National 2015

DoF FJD$500,000.00 164, 72ha planted, new target for 2016

500ha , approximately 150,000 seedlings

Reforest Fiji – UN/SPC-GEF 4 Project

Extremely degraded sites – 3 sites on Western

Viti Levu

Site has been constantly burned

Poor soil quality

Abandoned agricultural land

---------------------------------

Target 6000ha

GEF PAS 4: Forest & Protected

Area Management

• Restoring forest

in protected

areas of Fiji

GEF PAS 5: Ridge to Reef

Integrated Water Resource Management

Demonstration Project (IWRMP)

• Nadi water catchment

Drivers of Degraded Areas

• Destructive

logging

• Unsustainable

agricultural

practices

• Burning

Main Motivation to Undertake Forest

Restoration Activities The drive to undertake restoration activities in Fiji are as

follows:

• Restore forest

• Maintain biological diversity

• Enhance carbon stock

• Environmental benefits

• Access to clean water

• Soil stability

• Forest products

• Secured livelihood of forest dwellers and users

Enabling Policies that Support Forest

Restoration • Fiji Forest Policy Statement 2007 • Rural Land Use Policy for Fiji; • Environment Management Act; • Fiji National Biodiversity Management Act; • Native Land Trust Act; • Mahogany Industry Development Decree; • Fiji Pine Decree; • Forest Decree; • Forest and Tree Genetic Resources Conservation,

Management and Sustainable Use in Pacific Island Countries and Territories 2007 – 2015;

• FNBSAP Priorities 2010; • REDD Plus Policy and • Green growth framework

ADD in Fiji • Combating land degradation and desertification through

• Sustainable land management and land use planning • Addressing forest fire through policy and community

enforcement

• Restoring degraded landscape through: • Community nursery development • Afforestation and reforestation

• Improving rural livelihood • Incentive mechanism to enhance tree planting and

management in the first 3 years

• Poverty alleviation • Climate change resilience, mitigation and adaptation

Institutional Arrangement

Title Description

Implementing agency Department of Forestry

Focal Point Department of Agriculture

Project Co-ordinator Department of Environment

Secretariat Department of Environment

National Steering Committee All stakeholders (Government, NGO, communities)

Report to Forestry Board, Agriculture Board, National Development Board and National Environment Council and to Cabinet

Expected outcomes • Integrated rural development framework, as well as

legal, institutional and policy frameworks at all level towards sustainable land and forest management are improved.

• Local communities in the four selected landscape sites adopt and used improved sustainable land/forest management practices and technologies for rehabilitation of degraded lands.

• Knowledge and awareness are enhanced among key target audiences and stakeholders.

• Project management, monitoring, evaluation and information dissemination expanded

Way forward

• Learning from previous projects

• Mainstreaming procedures and methodologies

• Capacity Building and Resource Development

Strengthening Collaborations

Line Ministries or Government institutions – 7

International Organizations – 5

Regional Organizations - 2

NGO’s – 3

Private Organization - 1

Institutions - 1

Thank You/ Vinaka