Black Friday, November 13 will bring a lot of memories for FIJI Water employees and people in the Tokaimalo District of Ra.
Superstition stops many from doing planned functions on the day.

Not so for FIJI Water employees who joined Conservation International representatives, local community members and Methodist Church leadership to plant native tree species and hardwoods in the Tokaimalo District of Ra.

This replanting programme is part of the FIJI Water-funded Nakauvadra Forest Carbon Project.

The Nakauvadra Forest Carbon Project is Fiji's first community-owned forest carbon project and is intended to restore degraded grasslands and abandoned sugar cane farms.

Over the centuries, set fires, deforestation, and grazing have resulted in fragmented forests that have degraded watersheds and left the region vulnerable to climate change.

Restoring the landscape provides an important means to safeguard the climate, cultivate habitats for biodiversity, and support community livelihoods.

The team is planting a mixed-use forest which includes a combination of native species, high value timber, fruit and spice trees, and fuel wood lots.

"The restored forest will provide a buffer area around the Nakauvadra Range rainforest," Conservation International consultant Sefanaia Nawadra said.

He said this expanded critical habitat for native endangered species such as the giant Forest Honeyeater, the Masked Shining Parrot, the Black-Faced Shrikebill and the Fiji Ground Frog, which only resides in this part of Viti Levu.

The planting of trees will also prevent soil erosion, protect an important watershed and generate food and income for local communities.

Already more than 100 community members in Tokaimalo are working and earning wages as a result of this programme.

Tokaimalo's land-owners will continue to benefit from this programme for many years to come, as they ready, plant, and maintain 500-hectares of forest.

In 30 years, they will also benefit from the harvesting of the valuable hardwoods.

Planting on the first 100-ha began last week.

Restoration will also occur in Drauniivi as a demonstration site.

The local communities are planting and managing the mixed-use forest.

As a supporting partner, the Tokaimalo Methodist Circuit is establishing a nursery site for the restoration efforts and advocating the project.

This partnership links the tree-planting effort directly with a successful honey and vegetable farming project that the church has undertaken in the area.

Methodist Church Assistant General Secretary Tevita Nawadra told local leaders that "FIJI Water, Conservation International and the Church all have the same development goals at heart.

This forest carbon initiative project will address climate change by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, generating verifiable and permanent carbon offsets.

These offsets allow FIJI Water to meet its commitment to reduce the company's emissions by 120 per cent and deliver a 'carbon negative' product.

This project represents only one facet of FIJI Water's ongoing commitment to protecting Fiji's precious environment.

As part of its broader sustainability efforts, the company is also granting an endowment to protect the Sovi Basin Rainforest, working to reduce packaging, improving energy consumption and management practices, and increasing recycling.

FIJI SUN, Sunday, 15 November 2009