National Action Plan to combat desertification/land degradation and to mitigate against drought.

The National Action Plan to combat desertification/land degradation and to mitigate against drought (NAP) is a national policy with a cross-sectoral approach. The objectives of the NAP are: (i) to protect water and land resources; (ii) to increase public awareness; (iii) to protect and value trees and forests; (iv) to develop a regulatory framework for the protection and sustainable development and management of rural land resources; (v) to develop appropriate mechanism to protect farmlands and forests from fire, pest and pathogen; (vi) to develop research, training and education programs to improve land assessments and evaluation, cultivation practices, farm and forestry productivity and values, and land use planning; (vii) to establish institutional reform to support and enhance capabilities in all rural sector activities; (viii) to develop good governance strategies to expand and diversify sustainable economic activity and increase employment; (ix) to engage with and contribute to global issues and instruments related to the environment, rural development, sustainable land management etc.; (x) to develop strategies for drought mitigation and early warning systems; (xi) to monitor and evaluate land degradation.
The national land use and soil inventories will be completed and all information will be gathered in a database. The status of land degradation will be monitored and evaluated through assessments in all districts in Fiji. Public awareness will be raised on land resources, that soil, water and flora are interdependent and must be managed in an integrated way, and the responsibility of individual land users and the communities for preventing and or mitigating land degradation.
The indigenous forests will be protected and managed for their biodiversity, conservation and production values by adopting Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) principles. The protection of the environment and management of water, land, forestry and other natural resources will be conducted in an ecologically sustainable manner. The land use planning processes will outline strategies for the prevention of land degradation. The plantation forests will be managed and administered in a manner that sustains site quality. Sound land use practices will be promoted to maintain and sustain soil qualities. A strategy will be developed for drought mitigation and early warning systems to increase awareness, preparedness and response and to improve climatic monitoring system.