Project officer, Kolinio Moce, recently assisted the Culanuku landowners in the weeding and planting of Sago palm seedlings.
Three years ago, MareqetiViti began one of our first projects to rehabilitate a badly degraded stand of “soga” (Metroxylon vitiense) in Culanuku.
Funded over the years by the British High Commission in Fiji, Pacific Development Community Trust (PDCT), and now by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), there have been major changes to the formerly degraded landscape at Culanuku.
When the project first began there was a vast area of un-sustainably logged sago forest that was infested with invasive weeds, which were choking any soga regeneration.
Our senior Conservation Officer, Mr. Kolinio Moce, has been working with the Culanuku villagers over the last three years; assisting in the restoration efforts by providing sound technical advice and seedlings for their replanting.
Just recently, Mr. Moce joined the people of Culanuku in planting about 70 large saplings (shoots) of Sago palms on a half acre cleared plot of land within the area.
The effort took two days to complete, and the men worked in teams of four to weed the area and plant the shoots.
Mr. Moce supervised the work, paid the villagers for their labour, and talked to the Turaga ni Yavusa, Mr Anabio Kunasova, about plans for future reforestation on the village land.