Deforestation, intensive sloping, flat farming and reclamation of mangrove swamps are the main drivers of land degradation in Fiji. The country is losing over 50 tons of soil per hectare each year through run-off, four times the average in tropical areas. Sustainable development is further threatened by the rising sea level, a result of climate change. 

Action Against Desertification supports the UNCCD National Action Programme for Fiji, aiming to build the resilience and increase the productivity of forest landscapes, while improving the livelihoods of the local population through the restoration of degraded land and the sustainable management of natural resources. 

Land restoration: Over the course of the project, 1 133 ha of degraded land were manually restored in 35 sites in Fiji. These restoration efforts benefited 3 360 people, with 47 percent of them women. Over a million seedlings and 8 000 kg of seed were planted.

Non-timber forest products: The NFTPs focused on were beehives, ornamental flowers, vanilla and sandalwood. It is expected that the production of honey will allow communities to harvest up to 10 200 litres of honey per harvest, generating a total of USD 92 744 for an estimated 5 000 people.

Capacity development: 6 265 farmers and 100 government staff members benefited from 32 training sessions and workshops on monitoring and evaluation, restoration and plantation and income-generating products.