Ministry of Forestry Strategic Development Plan 2024-2030.

The Ministry of Forestry's Strategic Development Plan (SDP) is a national policy with a cross-sectoral approach. The timeframe of the policy is 6 years covering the period from 2024 to 2030. The Ministry of Forestry lays down strategies to achieve sustainable forestry. The strategic goals of the SDP are: (i) to establish sustainable life cycle management of forest resources in Fiji; (ii) to improve the socio-economic impact of forests; (iii) to contribute positively to the global environment; and (iv) to substantially improve service delivery.
Efforts will continue to be given to plant 30 million trees in 15 years to support the rehabilitation of degraded forest landscapes, forest ecosystem restoration and plantation forestry sector. The proportion of forest areas will be increased from 60% to 64% as a proportion of the total land area in Fiji. The number of forest reserves and parks will be increased under long-term conservation. 50,000 acres of mangrove ecosystems will be restored. 17% of the total land mass will be protected under protected areas for biodiversity conservation, in line with international commitments of Fiji. The contribution of the forestry sector to Fiji’s economy will be sustained. Job opportunities and the number of businesses owned by youth and women will be increased in the forestry sector.
A whole-lifecycle management approach will be implemented to forestry and sector development and management. Food security will be enhanced by mainstreaming agroforestry. Forestry research infrastructure and capabilities, including modelling, will be developed and supported. Green ecotourism will be explored and developed. Green growth will be mainstreamed into blue economies. Sustainable forest management plans will be developed. The total area under protected forest areas will be increased. Landowner engagement will be promoted in forestry development and whole-lifecycle management activities. The number and volume of forestry products will be increased in the GDP in a sustainable way. The export of forest based product will be increased. Timber and non-wood forest product based industry will be developed. New timber and non-wood forest products will be developed. Down-stream revenue generation will be made more accessible.
Renewable energy sources, including bio-mass energy generation, will be improved. The carbon footprint will be reduced and carbon storage capability of forests will be improved. Measures will be taken to achieve global carbon market goals that Fiji has committed to. The state of the art technology of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System will be used. Improved reference levels will be developed for forested areas, forest functions, forest carbon measuring, monitoring and reporting and verification systems. The management of watershed areas will be improved. Protected coastal and mangrove areas will be developed. Better accessibility to harvest areas will be enabled with minimum environmental impact, such as logging roads, landslides etc. Soil and land conservation efforts will be suppported. Deforestation will be aligned for agriculture, regeneration, reforestation, and reclamation of depleted lands through prudent land use policies. Seed and seedling banks will be developed for smooth reforestation initiatives. Economic models, initiatives and policies will be developed to support whole-lifecycle sustainable forest management. The participation of stakeholders, especially landowners and industry partners, will be promoted. Outreach and educational programs will be developed to raise public awareness on sustainable forest management and conservation.