MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE HON. MOSESE BULITAVU'S ADDRESS AT THE WORLD MANGROVE DAY 2025

 Climate Talk: “Celebrating Mangroves: Data, Diplomacy & Local Duty”

His Excellency Dr. Andreas Prothmann, the German Ambassador to Fiji,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Distinguished guests
Valued partners and community leaders.
 
Ni sa Bula Vinaka and a very good morning to you all.
 
It is a great honour to join you this morning to celebrate World Mangrove Day 2025, as part of the Climate Talk series, under the theme: “Data, Diplomacy, and Local Duty.”
 
At the outset, I wish to acknowledge Germany’s leadership in climate diplomacy, and sincerely thank Ambassador Prothmann and the German Government for their ongoing support for Fiji and the wider Pacific region.
 
Just days ago, Fiji together with our Pacific neighbours welcomed a landmark diplomatic victory, the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion, which affirmed the legal obligations that all States have under international law to take action to minimize the drivers of climate change and address the transboundary impacts of the climate crisis. This overarching legal opinion from the world’s highest court has critical significance for Pacific Island States whose futures depend on global accountability and urgent cooperative action.
 
Within this context today we consider ecosystems that are critical to our resilience and the integrity of our ecosystems.
 
Mangroves are sacred to the Pacific way of life. They protect our coastlines, act as the nurseries for our fisheries sustaining marine biodiversity, they sequester carbon from the atmosphere and are interwoven with our cultural heritage.
 
As we speak, Fiji is represented at COP15 of the Ramsar Convention in Zimbabwe, advocating for stronger global protection of wetlands. Mangroves, as vital wetland ecosystems, are at the heart of this dialogue.
 
I would like to GIZ Pacific through the Management and Conservation of Blue Carbon Ecosystems Protect, known as the MACBLUE project, for supporting Fiji’s Wetlands Directory, which forms the backbone of our Ramsar work.
 
Through MACBLUE, Fiji has made real progress in advancing its national capacity to map and monitor mangrove and seagrass ecosystems. Just last month, from the 16th to 20th of June, 24 government officers participated in an intensive GIS training workshop right here at the Novotel on how to use QGIS and MACBLUE’s data tools to map our ecosystems. These tools, powered by Digital Earth Pacific, are critical for our capacity to monitor these ecosystems and enforce protection measures.
 
Later today, we will hear from our panelist from the Pacific Community (SPC), who will present the final mangrove maps, a direct outcome of this important work under the MACBLUE project.
 
MACBLUE has also conducted national blue carbon stock assessments across key sites in Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, measuring the carbon value and assessing degradation risks and other threats to our mangrove systems. I understand the assessment report will be published by the end of August, and as Minister, I am committed to using that data to inform national strategies and drive evidence-based policy.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, our work here today adds meaning not only to local conservation but to global action. But it begins where mangroves truly live not in maps or plans but in the hands of our communities, who live with, protect, and depend on these ecosystems every day.
 
I am especially pleased and proud to note that today’s panel features full representation by women. This speaks volumes about the vital role that women play in the science, the conservation, and community leadership, and it reflects our national commitment to gender equality in climate action.
 
I’m also encouraged to see such a diverse audience here today from primary school students to scientists, marine practitioners, and community representatives. This inclusive gathering reminds us that mangrove conservation is not the work of one sector, but a shared responsibility across generations and disciplines.
 
I extend my sincere appreciation to the German Embassy and GIZ Pacific for convening this Climate Talk. I hope that today’s Talanoa will strengthen our shared commitment to our mangroves, to climate justice, and to the generations to come.
 
Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.