As Fiji celebrated World Mangrove Day, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Mosese Bulitavu emphasised the vital role mangroves play in sustaining livelihoods and addressing climate change in the country.
While speaking at the Novotel Hotel, Bulitavu says that mangroves are deeply rooted in the Pacific way of life and they protect our coastlines, serve as nurseries for fisheries, support marine biodiversity and sequester carbon from the atmosphere.
He also reminded attendees that Fiji is currently facing a climate emergency.
Bulitavu says the nation continues its advocacy for stronger global protection of wetlands at international forums, including COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Zimbabwe.
The Minister further says that mangroves are at the heart of this dialogue.
Bulitavu says the celebration is not only about local conservation but also about contributing to global action, however, that action begins where mangroves truly live—not on maps or in policies, but in the hands of our communities who live with, protect, and depend on these ecosystems every day.
He adds that mangrove conservation is not the responsibility of a single sector but a shared duty that spans generations and disciplines.
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