International Day of Forests commemorated in the Pacific
Celebrating the International Day of Forests (IDF) is gaining momentum in the Pacific. The theme this year, Forests and Climate Change was chosen to highlight the ways in which forests and climate change are linked, and to rally global support for greater action and change.
Some countries used variations of the global theme. Fiji commemorated IDF under its national theme, Healthy Forests, Resilient Communities. IDF was preceded by a weeklong awareness campaign to inform the public of the importance of healthy forests. Activities for IDF were launched for the first time outside of the Fiji’s capital city, Suva.
The highlight of the day was field tree planting by members of the public on a 5-hectare grid. The same activity has been a highlight of past celebrations and draws a great deal on interest from the public. This year was no exception. Over 150 ministry staff travelled two hours to be part of the national day of celebration.
Activities in Niue focussed on educating the next generation of forest guardians. Niue High School students enthusiastically participated in weeklong activities which included creating posters, presentations, word collages and short stories. Thirty students took part in a forest walk and learned about their natural environment and the importance of trees to the people and other living creatures.
Samoa commemorated IDF and World Water Day. The theme for the celebrations was Water and Forests Resources for Sustainable Development and Climate Change Resilience. The large event was attended by Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, members of the diplomatic corps and students representing different schools. The Prime Minister of Samoa, Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi said. “We are launching the second One Million Tree Campaign with the hope that people will take up the challenge and plan more native trees to maintain our natural water towers or upland forests”. Celebrations included the launching of two documentaries relating to Forestry and Protected Area Management projects in Samoa. Interviews of people whose livelihoods depend on forests were screened alongside the release of a new song titled, the many different uses of forest trees.
All activities for International Day of Forests in Fiji, Niue, Vanuatu and Samoa are facilitated, organised and co-financed by the Forestry and Protected Area and Management project.
Forestry and Protected Area Management project is funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF) with the assistance of Pacific Alliance for Sustainability (PAS) GEF-PAS. This project is implemented in the four Pacific Island nations of Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu and Niue.
For more information on International Day of Forests.