Pacific regional officials discuss sustainable management of land

SUVA, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Officials from Pacific island countries gathered in the Fiji resort town of Nadi on Monday to discuss issues of sustainable land management and necessary financial strategies affecting their countries.

The meeting came as Fiji and other countries in the region faces the crucial issues of how to sustainable use and manage its scarce natural resources.

Fiji' s Minister for Primary Industries Joketani Cokanasiga, who opened the meeting on Monday, told participants that in addition to changing land use patterns in the region, climate change was disrupting local weather patterns.

This led to water shortages on one extreme and increased frequency of flooding on the other.

"Water use as it relates to land use and agriculture, must always be seen as part of the holistic continuum - from the mountains to the fringing reef ecosystems and everywhere in between," he said.

"This is because what happens in the forest lands in the mountains," he said.

It can have impact on the nearby fresh water ecosystem as it receives the runoff and in turn have negative impact on agricultural lowlands or on the offshore reef ecosystems.

Cokanasiga said damage to reef ecosystems means reduced food for family and harms the burgeoning tourism industry.

There was a general agreement that sustainable land management involved balancing of land development and conservation that over the long term maintains environmental quality, provides adequate economic and social rewards, and a sufficient and accessible sustenance for all citizens of countries in the region.

Participating countries includes Fiji, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Samoa and Vanuatu.

Also attending the conference were representatives of Timor Leste and the Maldives.

Land experts from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, South Pacific Regional Environmental Program, United Nations Development Program, donor agencies and nongovernmental organizations agencies will deliver presentations.