Public Awareness/Working with Communities
Local Landowning Communities
Since 2007, NatureFiji-MareqetiViti has held a series of forums and workshops for landowners, harvesters and consumers on the Soga issue and the various threats to the species. As a result of this ongoing work, Soga landowners are now aware of the endangered, endemic and restricted distribution of the Soga and are much better informed of the value of the Soga thatch industry. Until mid 2010 when the Serua Provincial Office stepped in to control the thatch trade in Serua Province, the thatch procurement was run by the harvesters and the middlemen, not by the landowners. This intervention has not happened in other provinces and landowners in these other areas are not adequately com- pensated for the supply of a valuable commodity which may explain the limited interest in some communities to conserve and sustainably harvest Soga.
To date, actions taken to improve the participation of local landowners in Soga conservation include preparing a register of landowners of all known remaining Soga sites and involving these landowners in formal and informal consultative discussions to understand their interest or use of Soga. In 2008, NFMV drew up Sustainable Harvesting Guidelines for Soga which were translated into the ver- nacular and circulated to each community and freehold landowner. These guidelines were well received and have since been endorsed by all stakeholders including the Department of Environment and the National Environment Council. The guidelines have been officially adopted by the Serua Provincial Council which took charge of all com- mercial dealings for Soga thatch in late 2010 however, they have not always been used in the field. The Trust Deed for an Association of Soga palm landowners is close to being accepted and this should enable the landowners to largely control the marketing of Soga thatch and ensure a better financial return.
Public Awareness/Working with CommunitiesLocal Landowning CommunitiesSince 2007, NatureFiji-MareqetiViti has held a series of forums and workshops for landowners, harvesters and consumers on the Soga issue and the various threats to the species. As a result of this ongoing work, Soga landowners are now aware of the endangered, endemic and restricted distribution of the Soga and are much better informed of the value of the Soga thatch industry. Until mid 2010 when the Serua Provincial Office stepped in to control the thatch trade in Serua Province, the thatch procurement was run by the harvesters and the middlemen, not by the landowners. This intervention has not happened in other provinces and landowners in these other areas are not adequately com- pensated for the supply of a valuable commodity which may explain the limited interest in some communities to conserve and sustainably harvest Soga.To date, actions taken to improve the participation of local landowners in Soga conservation include preparing a register of landowners of all known remaining Soga sites and involving these landowners in formal and informal consultative discussions to understand their interest or use of Soga. In 2008, NFMV drew up Sustainable Harvesting Guidelines for Soga which were translated into the ver- nacular and circulated to each community and freehold landowner. These guidelines were well received and have since been endorsed by all stakeholders including the Department of Environment and the National Environment Council. The guidelines have been officially adopted by the Serua Provincial Council which took charge of all com- mercial dealings for Soga thatch in late 2010 however, they have not always been used in the field. The Trust Deed for an Association of Soga palm landowners is close to being accepted and this should enable the landowners to largely control the marketing of Soga thatch and ensure a better financial return.
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