Fiji: PM Sitiveni Rabuka urges landowners to share lessons at NROC meeting today

The Prime Minister of Fiji, Sitiveni Rabuka, urged landowners to participate in the National Resource Owners Committee Meeting to share lessons learned and discuss emerging environmental issues to strategise managing natural resources in Fiji today, Tuesday, July 25, 2023.

As per the Update, The head of government made this comment while officiating at the opening of the “National Resource Owners Committee Meeting” held at the Pearl Resort in Pacific Harbor today.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka highlighted to resource owners the purpose of setting up meetings to ensure that resource owners raise awareness on the importance of protecting Fiji’s biodiversity and managing natural resources as Fiji’s natural assets to the communities.

As per the PM, this also includes developing a sense of appreciation for the surrounding natural environment (the plant and animal life) and shaping the understanding of the ecosystem as an intricate web that maintains balance and supports life on Earth.
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Additionally, PM Rabuka said the meeting was intended to provide an update on the National Resource Owners Committee’s resources and legislative tools for sustainable resource management.

The National Resource Owners will be assisted in monitoring and reporting on utilising their natural resources and in identifying key issues and challenges requiring intervention by the relevant government institutions.

Participation in NROC meetings has empowered resource owner representatives to participate in conservation work in their respective provinces since its inception in 2013. They have worked closely with Provincial Conservation Officers, who are a vital link between the “vanua” and government ministries.

PM Rabuka acknowledged the various Non-Governmental Organisational partners, including the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), that have contributed to and supported the National Resource Owners Committee Meeting.