The Ministry of Forestry today received 50 computer tablets from the Bureau of Statistics to help collate data on forestry around the country.
Permanent Secretary for Forestry Pene Baleinabuli said the tablets will form part of the Ministry’s resources for the field staff who are already mandated by law to collect information such as the available forest resources, the volume of trees harvested, and the volume of timber produced by the sawmills, among other important information.
He said the computer tablets will help capture such information and will enable Government to develop strategies that will ensure Fiji is able to manage its forest resources sustainably.
“The Minister for Forestry Honourable Osea Naiqamu has given very clear directives that the Ministry put in place plans for the sustainable management of Fiji’s forest resources so that we could cater for the current and future needs. This includes strategies for the forestry sector to contribute towards climate change mitigation, towards protecting our natural environment and ecosystems and towards Fiji’s economic growth,” Mr. Baleinabuli said.
“This directive demands that we have the correct and real-time data to inform our strategies.”
“We are grateful to the Bureau of Statistics for availing the computer tablets to help with the process of data collection,” he said.