Shania Shayal Prasad 
[Source: Ministry of Forestry / Facebook]
Over 8,000 landowning units across the country are expected to benefit from Fiji’s Emission Reduction Program, with over $8.2 million in payments to be distributed directly to communities for protecting forests.
Speaking in parliament today, Minister for Forestry Alitia Bainivalu stated that the program provides a new source of sustainable income for rural and forest-dependent communities.
Under the agreement with the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, Fiji is eligible to receive $25 million total for reducing 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions between 2019 and 2024.
She adds villages contributing to reforestation, reduced deforestation, and sustainable forest management will receive payments through a benefit-sharing mechanism overseen by the Ministry.
The Minister also confirmed that land lease agreements are being finalized over the areas that generated these emission reductions and the leasing process is expected to begin in May.
Bainivalu says these payments are not just financial rewards but also incentives for behavioral change in land use, forest protection, and environmental stewardship.
She adds that the final monitoring report for the program, covering January 2021 to December 2024, will be submitted for auditing by October 2025.
Bainivalu adds that the Ministry is also working with key stakeholders including the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs, provincial offices, and the Ministry of Lands to finalize the beneficiary registry.
She highlighted that Fiji is one of only 15 countries in the world to implement and publicly report a national-level forest carbon program under the FCPF framework.
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