Environment Pledge

We aim to continually provide value to the community through our actions to ensure a clean, safe, fair and prosperous environment.

Climate Change
“Unless the world acts decisively to begin addressing the greatest challenge of our age, then the Pacific, as we know it, is doomed,” – Frank Bainimarama, COP23 President, Fijian Prime Minister and Chairman of the TLTB Board of Trustees.
Fiji—like its neighbours across the South Pacific—remains one of the smallest contributors to global carbon emissions, yet faces some of the most devastating consequences of extreme weather patterns.
According to Fiji’s National Climate Change Policy, global sea level changes will more than double by the end of the century. Since 1993, Fiji has recorded a 6 millimetre (0.2 inch) increase in its sea level per year, larger than the global average. The rapid rise in sea levels and the resulting saltwater intrusion that stems from the increased ferocity of coastal floods have made portions of the island nation uninhabitable. Fiji’s future depends on countering the impact of climate change.

Good Husbandry

Fiji has a comprehensive “Land Conservation and Improvement Act” which covers good husbandry of land. For TLTB, failure to adhere to the Act can lead to a tenant or farmer losing his/her lease entitlement. Good land husbandry practices are also an integral part of the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Act (ALTA) which governs all leasing of agricultural land. TLTB does not lend its approval to any potential farmer attempting to gain a lease on “marginal” land, where it perceives there to be a high risk of land degradation.

TLTB fully supports the Fiji Ministry of Agriculture and is committed to promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development. This commitment to the concept of sustainability is made real through four (4) areas of operation below:

     (a) Conservation & REDD+
It is very important to conserve the natural, undisturbed land that surrounds agricultural fields. To conserve land means to protect the land from harm or destruction, and in this case, it is the harm caused by humans as they convert land for agriculture.

Although most people look at a farm field and a forest as two distinct environments, they are, in fact, extremely interconnected. It is important to conserve the natural forests around farm fields because the plants and animals of both ecosystems interact and depend on each other. Animals travel between the two ecosystems and might rely on the different ecosystems for different aspects of their life.

The national framework for REDD+ is being developed within the context of climate change adaptation and long-term national goals for sustainable development in the forestry sector.  Approximately 56% (1.01 million ha) of Fiji’s land area is forested and nearly 90% of all forestland is located on customary lands under the ownership of the iTaukei, which is the main ethnic group indigenous to Fiji (FAO, 2010; GoF, 2013). Any developments in the forestry sector, including REDD+, could therefore have a potential large impact on the majority of the population. Reforestation and afforestation activities are actively promoted through plantation developments and agroforestry and the forestry sector contributes to approximately 3% to the GDP. Planted forests cover as much as 17% (177,000 ha) of the total land area (FAO, 2010).

REDD+ readiness in Fiji will follow a hybrid approach, which means that REDD+ will start from the subnational level through pilot projects that will later be nested into a national programme. A national REDD+ pilot project is underway in Emalu, Navosa province on Viti Levu, and in Vinuvia on Vanua Levu. Additionally, a community reforestation project is being implemented by Conservation International on Viti Levu, Ra province, and another community forest management project is being implemented by Live and Learn on Drawa, Vanua Levu island. These are expected to inform the development of the national REDD+ Strategy.

Conservation Location  Area  Lease or Program Owners
1  Sovi Basin (Naitasiri & Namosi)  25,000 hectare  National Trust of Fiji & Conservation   International (CI)
2  Drawa (Macuata)  5,000 hectare  Live & Learn Environmental Education ( LLEE)
3  Wainunu (Bua)  2,000 hectare  World Conservation Society (WCS)
4  Emalu (Navosa)  5,000 hectare  REDD+
5  Taveuni (proposed National Park) –  National Trust & Natures Fiji /   Mareqeti Viti

 (b) Energy-Saving Initiative

Apart from the annual observation of Earth Hour, all TLTB offices are switched off non-essential lights from      12.30pm to 1.30pm from Monday to Friday to raise awareness on Climate Change.

    (c) iTaukei Tree Reserve

TLTB has so far completed four native tree reserves in Lautoka, Ra and two in Naitasiri (Colo-i-Suva) and is called the TLTB Native Tree Reserve.