The Minister for Forestry, Hon. Osea Naiqamu has called on villagers in Kadavu to unite and work towards building a better Fiji.
Minister Naiqamu made the comments while visiting the villagers of Dravuni and Buliya in the Tikina of Ono in Kadavu today.
Minister Naiqamu is visiting the island of Kadavu to encourage the communities to engage in Government’s 4 Million Trees in 4 Years (4MT4Y) initiative.
He is accompanied by the Minister for Fisheries Hon. Semi Koroilavesau who is also promoting the 4-month seasonal ban on the two fish species Kawakawa and Donu.
“We are pleading with you all to remove the political hats you wearing. The Government needs us to unite and work together to build a better nation.”
Minister Naiqamu also stressed the importance of the 4MT4Y initiative and encouraged villagers to plant as many trees as possible as a means of absorbing carbon and reducing carbon emissions through deforestation and forest degradation which in turn addresses the effects of climate change and its impacts.
Our forefathers inhaled fresh air, but today we hold hand fans or use electric fans and that shows the change in our weather patterns and the impact of climate change in our communities).”
The 4MT4Y is a national effort that will not only address climate change, but also create socio-economic opportunities and sustainable livelihoods for Fijians which in turn can enhance the country’s socio-economic status.
The Ministry of Forestry is the lead agency undertaking this 4MT4Y approach to ensure that Fiji’s forest resources are managed sustainably. The Ministry of Forestry however, cannot take on this initiative alone and so will require the collective effort of ordinary Fijians, the private sector, civil society organisations, faith based organisations and Fiji’s development partners.