THE connection between forest resources, biodiversity and climate change relating to our livelihoods is the key message at a joint inception workshop for Integrated Forest Management (IFM) project and the Integrating Global Environmental Commitment in Investment and Development Decision Making (IGECIDDM) project awareness to Western province recently.
The joint team consist of officials and staff from the Ministry of Forestry and Research (MoFR), Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), Ministry of Provincial Government and Institution Strengthening (MPGIS), Solomon Islands National University (SINU) including other Non-Government Organizations.
The inception and awareness workshops are held at Gizo, Munda and Poitete respectively also highlight other key messages such as land use planning, REDD+, environmental laws include monitoring and evaluation.
Noting the connection these has to international obligations the Government of Solomon Islands has signed and rectified towards the Rio Conventions – United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD), United Nation Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
On this regard Under Secretary Technical MECDM, Mr Chanel Iroi acknowledges the disconnectivity trend currently faced in the country, emphasising the need to strike the right balance between conservation and development.
He also urges participants as resource owners to make efforts and take on the onus into reconnecting the imbalance, which has been seen as mere scheme.
Participants were also able to interact and engage in an integrating global environment commitments discussion, specifically relating the environmental, social and economic importance of the biodiversity, forest conservation include climate change mitigation and adaptation.
This is in pursuit to protecting the forest degradation and deforestation, biodiversity and climate change.
Participants acknowledge and appreciate the connections highlighted and the knowledge they gained through these workshops.
They also acknowledged having a national team of diverse government expertize on the ground to provide awareness and workshops.
Something that needs to be strengthened noting the current pace of development on Kolombangara Island.
