Honiara : 5 March 2017
A re-forestation project sealed in the Solomon Islands.
Last week at a signing ceremony in Honiara, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Forestry and Research sealed a five-year Forest Management project.
The project will focus on capacity development for sustainable forest resources management in the Solomon Islands.
Mr Mazutani, the JICA residential representative, said during the sealing of the project, the Solomon Islands Ministry of MoFR and the JICA had carried out numerousof activities, including surveys and consultations with stakeholders to compile the project in response to the national governments requested submission to the Japanese Government in August 2015.
Mr Mazutani added, “As a result, both organisations had come to a mutual agreement that the project should focus on the capacity development of the MoFR so that the Ministry would be able to implement sustainable forest resource management by developing policies to promote sustainable forest resource management and facilitate coordination and collaborations among the MoFR and other stakeholders.”
The Permanent Secretary of the MoFR, Mr Vaeno Vigulu, has claimed the impact of the project will transform livelihood approaches giving resource owners and the industry at large a better position on harvesting forest resources.
“This intended capacity building will have a huge impact on the development, management and the utilization of forest resources that will give another pathway of opportunity to the country to support in developing the economy,” Mr Vigulu added.
Mr Vigulu acknowledged the Government and People of Japan for the great assistance being provided towards sustainable forest management.
It is understood work on the project will begin in April this year.