NANISE NEIMILA
Climate change is having a direct impact on the source of income for women of Gasauva Village in the district of Tawake in Vanua Levu.
In the last 38 years living on the island, a lot has changed for Maria Batiwale as she recounts the changes that climate change has brought about in their village.
“We heavily rely on pandanus leaves for weaving mats, however, with the intrusion of sea-water which is due to rise in sea level we have had to relocate the plantation of this plant (pandanus).”
“Since the day we settled here in the village, we have witnessed a lot of changes and how climate change has affected our village. Our house was situated by the seawalls and during Cyclone Thomas it washed away the whole structure, nothing was left so we decided to move inland.”
Mrs Batiwale adds that she was sharing the challenges because “we are now living examples of climate change and how it has changed a lot of our well-being”. “Before we had coconut trees lined by the sea-wall but due to the rise in sea-level the shoreline has moved within the village.”
“Another change is the sighting of Balolo fish (sea-worms) in March which is unusual because there is only a season for the fish that later in the year. Another is our drinking water. What we have noticed in the past few years is the intrusion of saltwater into our water source. We have no choice but to boil drinking water.”
“Tree planting is the only solution by itself to addressing current climate change. To do that, we need to reduce human emissions of greenhouse gases. But it could still have some partial impact on our ability to reduce climate change.”
Minister for Forest Osea Naiqamu, while addressing the villagers of Gasauva, highlighted the Government’s commitment to planting 30 million trees in 15 years. This initiative builds on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development particularly the Sustainable Development Goal 15, life on land, and supports the New York Declaration on Forests, which aims at ending natural forest loss globally by 2030.Minister Naiqamu said given the seriousness and the urgency to address climate change, there was a need to work together to achieve this target. “Healthy forests act as a carbon sink, capturing emissions that need to be reduced to limit global warming.”
Minister Naiqamu has also urged the villagers to take ownership of this important initiative of the Fijian Government.