[ Source: Ministry of Forestry, Fiji ]

Out of the 18 million trees planted under Fiji’s 30 million trees in 15 years initiative, only 45 percent have survived.

Senior Economic Planning Officer Ruairi O’Donoghue told the Standing Committee on Natural Resources that a national assessment revealed the low survival rate, prompting the Forestry Ministry to step up reforestation efforts.

Despite the setback, the Ministry remains committed to improving tree survival rates and strengthening Fiji’s reforestation drive.

O’Donoghue states that reforesting degraded landscapes is challenging, especially with the low survival rates of indigenous tree species.

“To address this, the Research Division has been tasked to initiate research studies focusing on native species to tackle their lower survival rates within the shortest possible time.”

 Standing Committee on Natural Resources / Source: Parliament of Fiji live

Committee Member Vijay Nath questioned the Forestry Ministry on whether they have monitoring plans in place to assess the environment after plantation, including checking soil pH to ensure native trees are planted in suitable conditions.

In response, Forestry Permanent Secretary Sanjana Lal stated that they have been conducting soil tests in collaboration with the Agriculture Ministry for the past three years.

“Yes, we do monitor the environment and check the pH of the soil to ensure that the native trees are planted in suitable conditions. This helps improve the plantation and ensure better survival rates.”

The Forestry Ministry is intensifying operations by planting new seedlings in areas with low survival rates.

They are also encouraging communities to take ownership of the initiative, aiming for better plantation management, improved survival rates, and ultimately supporting the reforestation of degraded landscapes.