In the news

This week marks the beginning of fieldwork for the Barana Community Nature and Heritage Park, as part of the Kiwa #PEBACC+ regional project in the Solomon Islands. It’s an exciting moment as planned activities are transforming into impactful actions!

What is the objective of the Kiwa PEBACC+ project in the Solomon Islands?

- Supporting ecosystem and forest rehabilitation activities in Barana Community Nature and Heritage Park and its Information Center.

- Enhancing landscaping and capacity building at the Honirara Botanical Garden.

- Executing provincial Ecosystem and Socio-Economic Resilience Analysis and Mapping (ESRAM) assessments while implementing Ecosystem-based Adaptation #EbA solutions in Small Malaita and Maramasike Passage, Malaita Province.

Since 2015, the PEBACC project held by Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has been dedicated to developing, sustaining, and institutionalizing Ecosystem-based Approach #EbA and Nature-based Solutions #NbS for climate change adaptation across Pacific countries and territories.

After a first phase of implementation, the second phase, under the Kiwa PEBACC+ project, is now expanding to three new sites in the Solomon Islands, aiming to:

• Support ecosystem and forest rehabilitation activities, along with the Information Center at the Barana Community Nature and Heritage Park
• Contribute to the Honiara Botanical Garden’s landscaping and capacity development
• Undertake provincial Ecosystem and Socio-Economic Resilience Analysis and Mapping (ESRAM) assessments, implementing EbA options in Small Malaita and Maramasike Passage, Malaita Province

On September 12th, the PEBACC+ team, joined by stakeholders and Mr. Stuart Chape, SPREP Director of the Island and Ocean Ecosystems Division, gathered in the Solomon Islands for the inception workshop of the Kiwa PEBACC+ project.

We would like to thank the valued stakeholders present, including the Solomon Islands Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Ministry of Forestry and Research, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management, and Meteorology, National Herbarium and Botanical Garden, The Nature Conservancy in the Pacific, and the Small Grants Programme under the UN Development Programme and Global Environment Facility.

We are proud to announce the official launch of the Solomon Islands Organic Learning Farms, as part of the Kiwa #POLFN project.

These farms are set to make a significant impact on sustainable agriculture, enhancing innovative agroecological practices to boost ecosystem resilience, but also improve the well-being of our communities:
📍 Zai Na Tina Farm, in Honiara
📍 Gwa’unafiu Farm, in Malaita

The launch event took place at the Kastom Gaden Association farm, on Guadalcanal Island, with our dedicated Kiwa POLFN Team. We thank all the partners who have joined, like Mr. Lottie Vaisakavea, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, and Ms. Florence Rahiria, Deputy Director of the Pacific Community (SPC) Land Resources Division. We're also thrilled to have the support of local farmers, high school students, and representatives from neighboring communities.

This ground-breaking initiative implemented by the Pacific Organic and Ethical Trade Community at the Pacific Community-SPC pushes for traditional methods of farming intertwined agroecological approaches to promote organic practices and fostering knowledge exchange among small-holder farmers in the Solomon Islands.

#EbA is a Nature-based approach that is using the full potential of #ecosystems to protect #biodiversity and enhance social / economic resilience to #climatechange.

In the Kiwa Initiative, our #PEBACC+ regional project is scaling up Ecosystem-based Adaptation interventions. For instance, in Taveuni, #Fiji, where the deterioration of soil quality, degraded water catchments and low #agricultural yields over the years is threatening food security, the local communities have decided to address this issue with the use of native tree #reforestation and #agroforestry.

Conscious that they needed to make an effective change happen and thanks to the Kiwa Initiative PEBACC+ project, local #communities are now improving Ecosystem-based Adaptation #EbA interventions in order to improve agricultural soil and water catchment health.

The Kiwa PEBACC+ Project Manager at Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Ms. Loraini Sivo, explained:

“The implementation of Kiwa PEBACC+ project specific to Taveuni will scale up reforestation and the agroforestry programme as well as train decision-makers on EbA and Nature-based Solution #NbS approaches, green infrastructure, and environmental protection. The project continues to receive support from local and traditional leaders; this is important to provide a solid foundation in carrying on the work while also ensuring that there will be sustainability after the project period."

Click in this article to learn more about #EbA in the context of the Kiwa PEBACC+ project in #Taveuni: https://urlz.fr/nmPa

The Kiwa POLFN regional project "Pacific Organic Learning Farms Network" has launched its official organic learning farms in Tonga. The farms are located in Mahuleva and Ovava, Tonga.

Organic farming solves significant challenges that contribute to community resilience, such as:

• The production of healthy food,
• The development of local production and resources,
• The conservation of land resources,
• The fight against climate change.

Thanks to agroecological practices that reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, ecosystems are protected, the soil is fertile, making agriculture more robust/sustainable and preserving water quality.

Well done to all the teams involved, whether farmers, POETCom members and every partner in charge of implementing this project.

In Tonga, the team of the Kiwa regional #POLFN project has been conducting #assessments and surveys to analyze the specific needs of local farmers in the new learning farm centers.

Understanding their contexts, capacities, and natural loads increases the quality and relevance of learning processes and material.

Three assessments were conducted to measure the most significant criteria, such as:

• #TAPE Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation
• Socioeconomic components
• Farm carbon footprint and land utilization

This insightful data promotes #agricultural #sustainability and #farmer #resilience.

Keep an eye out! On Tuesday, August 8th, Tonga's learning farm centers will be launched.

The assessments were enabled thanks to a close collaboration between POETCom, The Tongan Government, the Tonga National Youth Congress and the Kiwa Initiative.

To learn more, watch the video: https://lnkd.in/g3tS-Z8x

The Pacific Organic Learning Farms Network (POLFN), launched its very first Organic Learning Farms Centres in Fiji, with two farms demonstrations projects:

• the Mudrenicagi Farm in Bua Province,
• the Navuso Farm in the Rewa Province.

How will these learning centres help Pacific farmers ?

The benefits of organic and agroecological methods in the context of the Pacific will be explained with concrete advices and new techniques. The centers will also illustrate the benefits and co-benefits of these practices in order to improve soil and water quality, to protect biodiversity, and to avoid artificial fertilizers.

These centers will enhance the transition from current farming to sustainable farming. The Kiwa Initiative is proud to enable this new collaboration along with its partners SPC and the fijian government, a major step to promote a major agroecological transformation in Pacific Island states.

Learn more in this article: https://www.spc.int/updates/news/media-release/2023/07/launch-of-organic-learning-farm-centres-provides-major-boost-for

On this World Mangrove Day, The Kiwa Initiative® would like to raise awareness about the importance of mangroves for communities and ecosystems in many Pacific island countries and territories.

Managing and restoring mangrove ecosystems is an achievable and cost effective way to help ensure #food #security for many #coastal #communities.

Several actions part of the Kiwa local projects managed by UICN-ORO will be organized this week, as:

• In Timor-Leste, where Blue Ventures will plant mangroves with schoolchildren, local communities, and stakeholders : https://urlz.fr/mJKh

• In Fiji, where C3Fiji will plant mangroves propagules at a new nursery in Naividamu village. The team will also do an awareness on mangrove at the Cadranasiga District School for this celebration week : https://urlz.fr/mLra

Did you know? A 500-meter mangrove strip reduce wave heights by 50 to 99%!

The Kiwa Initiative® is proud to announce that the project "Using customary law for fisheries and marine ecosystem restoration in Timor-Leste" engaged concrete actions to improve the resilience of communities and ecosystems on World Mangrove Day.

Schoolchildren, local communities, and stakeholders took part of a seedling planting activity in order to reforest the mangrove forest of Hera. This day was organized by Konservasaun FLORA & FAUNA and Blue Ventures Timor-Leste.

Village consultations were held in Vanua Levu (Fiji) as part of C3 Fiji's local Kiwa project "Restoring mangroves for livelihoods in Fiji".

What goals did these meetings hope to achieve?

• Present and talk about the project plans to get community feedback and address any issues or suggestions,
• Make sure the plans are in accordance with local customs, traditions, and governance systems.
• Take into account community feedback when creating the final management plans, including the choice of different sources of income.

The main goal of these dialogues is to acknowledge the importance of community ownership and participation in the effective implementation of a project.

Mangroves are essential components of coastal ecosystems in several Pacific island countries, including Fiji. They guard shorelines, prevent erosion, and preserve a variety of marine creatures.

The Kiwa local project "Restoring mangroves for livelihoods in Fiji" has taken a new turn with the choice of locations and supplies needed for the mangrove nursery. The mangrove nursery is a proactive step toward strengthening communities and the environment.

“Let's make a difference, one mangrove at a time”, as C3Fiji says!

In the framework of their Kiwa local project in Timor-Leste, Blue Ventures organized and facilitated a 3-day Locally Managed Marine Areas #LMMA Knowledge Exchange in #Atauro for fishing communities from Hera, Ilimanu and Atauro Islands.

What were the objectives of this event?
- To facilitate communities from Hera and Ilimanu to learn from the LMMA groups of Atauro;
- To create an informal LMMA network;
- To facilitate communities from Hera and Ilimanu to see the result of LMMAs in Atauro, including #ecological and #economic #impacts (marine biodiversity, tourism, livelihoods)

The meetings focused on the history, experiences, and challenges of the Tara Bandu groups of Atauro who have successfully implemented the #traditional #custom in their marine areas. They shared lessons learned with the communities of Hera and Ilimanu, in order to find inspirations to tackle the issue of food security, with a declining number of fishes, in order to improve their livelihoods.

The major partners of this event were local partner Konservasaun Flora no Fauna, Representative from the Ministry of Fisheries, Representative from Secretary of State for the Environment, Fishers from Hera, Fishers from Behau, Tara Bandu Structure of Atauro. Tara Bandu groups, local leaders, and the local communities of Atauro.

Learn more about this Kiwa project: https://urlz.fr/mJKh

Wildlife Conservation Society Melanesia is carrying out a gender risk assessment work with communities in the Solomon Islands, as part of the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (#FPIC) process of the regional Kiwa WISH+ project. 

This process is part of a global Environmental and Social Impact Assessment to develop gender-sensitive risk monitoring indicators for the project.

The Gender Risk Assessment was enabled thanks to the collaboration of the Kiwa Wish+ partners, The University of Queensland and the University of Sydney.

On Saturday July 1, an eco-citizen worksite in Bourail, New Caledonia, enabled to plant the first 870 trees on the banks of the Néra river. More than 15,000 additional trees will be planted over the next 2 years.

This planting project is helping to develop coastal ecosystems and watersheds, in the sensitive Néra catchment area (Bourail), so that they are more resilient to the global pressures of climate change. This will preserve access to natural resources, contribute to food security and maintain the activities of the Caledonians who depend on them (fishermen, farmers, surrounding communities, etc.).

Well done to all those who took part in this first planting for the benefit of people and nature!

On June 29, Forest Restoration Awareness Day, the Samoa Conservation Society commemorated its tenth anniversary!

For this occasion, the group went to the Togitogiga Nursery, which is used for seedling collection and propagation. Collectively, about 500 Samoan native plants were planted and a trip around the park's coastal path, stopping along the way to view and learn about the many native plants and wildlife.

What were the goals for the day?
- Increase public understanding of the #OLPPNP, forest restoration, and risks to it, particularly invasive species and climate change.

- Inform students in the neighborhood schools on the significance of Samoa's ecology, biodiversity, and geology in the #OLPPNP.

- Encourage awareness of the effects of climate change and ways to lessen risk and vulnerability to it.

- Identify the main sources of emissions in supply chains so that the appropriate parties are aware and may take appropriate action to minimize emissions.

The World Oceans Day was a great opportunity for Sharon Truce, the marine program coordinator, to give us some news of the project.
 
Did you know? Sea cucumbers are a vital component of the ocean ecosystem, providing food for many species, and also a natural vacuum cleaner that keeps the sea floor clean. The Ebiil Society works closely with women and young women from their community, in this restoration work, by ensuring their growing stocks for future generations.

Watch the last updates of the project in this video: https://lnkd.in/eMn2Dhdz: https://lnkd.in/eMn2Dhdz

A two-day Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (#GESI) Workshop was facilitated for twenty-two participants of the Wildlife Conservation Society Fiji and Papua New Guinea programs as well as a partner organisation to equip them with knowledge and skills to implement gender sensitive approaches through Kiwa WISH+ and other projects.

WCS-Fiji Country Director, Paul van Nimwegen said that the workshop was facilitated by GESI Consultant, Ms Anna Cowley who shared her wealth of experience and technical expertise in the area of mainstreaming GESI through awareness and dialogue as foundations for social change.

“Twenty two participants from WCS Fiji, the Fiji National University as well as our colleagues from the WCS Papua New Guinea program are now more aware of gender equity and social inclusion principles in their line of work and will be able to ensure that marginalised groups, including women, children, elderly and persons with disability are not exposed to additional vulnerabilities,” he said. “The interactive space created through the workshop encouraged the team to engage in dialogue and reflect on their experiences in the field,” said van Nimwegen.

“These skills will be useful for the work that WCS Fiji does such as carrying out GESI analysis for beneficiary communities which are critical in addressing equity and inclusion issues in order to ensure that resource management plans are effective and fair for all,” he said.

On May 24, 2023, staff from the Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort contributed to the protection of the dunes at the National Park. 

It gave the national park ranger team an opportunity to celebrate (belatedly) International Day of Biodiversity and introduce the project to a new public. 

The Outrigger team and a few of their guests joined the ranger team to contribute to the protection of the sand dunes, by fortifying the park’s new firebreak through the planting of a fire-resistant tree species. This is part of biodiversity conservation and critical to the protection of the park. Together, the team Outrigger and the ranger team planted 75 teak saplings along the park’s Cece Gully. These saplings will complement the role of the firebreak once they reach a good height and help stop the spread of fires into the park. Fire to date is still one of the biggest threats to the National Park.

The Cece Gully is also the site for the agroforestry component of the park’s project, where planting of fruit trees has already begun. This site is part of the resilience building, in terms of food security for the nearby community. Having a good firebreak around the perimeter of this gully is so critical. We are hoping that in two years’ time, this gully will be populated with many fruit trees beneficial to the park’s wildlife and the community.

The Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park hosted the Park’s Heritage In Young Hands Program. The program has been resumed thanks to the great support from the Shangrila’s Yanuca Island, Fiji, the #KiwaInitiative and the National Trust of Fiji.

The program kickstarted with its first 3-day EcoCamp that was held from 9-11 May. 31 students from the Sigatoka region participated in the EcoCamp, which took them on an exploratory environmental education journey. They learned about heritage conservation, civic pride, stewardship, activism and volunteerism. The national park and the broader Sigatoka region, became an outdoor learning classroom.

The children enjoyed the program and took home with them many important eco-lessons to share with family and friends. This is the start of a five-year program "Heritage In Young Hands".

The next EcoCamp will take place during the Term 2 holidays.

On May 15th, the Kiwa Initiative donors representatives of France, European Union, Canada, Australia, New Zealand with PICT representatives from Micronesia and Melanesia, and its partners SPC, SPREP, IUCN, went to Raviravi village, Macuata, Vanua Levu (Fiji).The delegation visited the Kiwa local project "Restoring mangroves for livelihoods in Fiji".

This project aims to develop mangrove rehabilitation and protection as an effective #NbS to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The field mission allows the donors and communities to meet and underlign the importance of mangrove forests rehabilitation and protection, as well as Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) as an effective NbS to address the the challenges of climate change in the area.

We warmly thank the communities for their involvment and warm welcome, Community Centred Conservation (C3) overseeing the project, and IUCN, managing Kiwa Initiative local projects among the Pacific Islands countries.

Dr Alice Latinne, the WISH+ regional project coordinator, is currently working with the WCS PNG field team based on Manus Island, in Papua New Guinea. Her role is to develop the #KiwaInitiative WISH+ work plan and assist the team with site selection and field activities on the island.