The World WildLife Fund (WWF) South Pacific is working with communities in setting up sustainable management plans to contribute towards conservation.
Coastal management and fisheries programme policy officer, Alfred Ralifo said they were working with the community to set up natural resource management and development plans contributing to sustainable management of natural resources.
“With our footprint program we are targeting industries and general public on how they can reduce their impact on ecosystems and biodiversity by changing from unsustainable practices to sustainable ones,” Mr Ralifo said.
WWF is working on a project called the best sugar-cane initiative where they work together with sugar industry in Fiji to ensure production of sugar starting from planting of the cane, processing of sugarcane in the mills to transportation to communities are done in a sustainable manner.
“We are partnering with the Sugar Cane Growers Council and Fiji Sugar Industry and government departments to pilot this project in Labasa,” Mr Ralifo said.
“The sugar industry in Labasa affects the great sea reef which we work with in order to conserve the great sea reef in Labasa.”
WWF has been working with the Macuata community for years in setting up their Marine Protected Areas or ‘Qoliqoli’.
Mr Ralifo said they assisted the community in developing a natural resource management plan for their Great Sea reef.
“We will be working with the farmers in Labasa so they plant the sugarcane in a sustainable manner such as sustainable land use practices,” he said.
The project team will also work with the Labasa mill on how they are going to change the machinery and ways in which they use energy in a sustainable way to reduce impact on the environment.
“We would ensure the mill does not dump its waste into the river because it connects to the sea affecting the Great Sea reef. Through the piloting of the program we will be able under fair trade certify sugar produced in Labasa as sugar produced in a sustainable manner,” Mr Ralifo said
“Consumers from around the world are looking for sustainable products and this will pressure industries to change attitudes in ways they produce their products.
“Tate & Lyle is one of the companies distributing Fiji sugar in Europe and they are moving towards sustainable sugar production.
“At the same time we have to contest with other nations that produce sugar and those nations are opting for sustainable sugar as consumers are changing attitudes toward products they buy.”
Mr Ralifo said this practice would have a high value and fetch more money.
The project will take off soon and groundwork is in its consultation process.
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