Fiji’s new Forestry Act 2025 is expected to open fresh opportunities for landowners, investors, and local communities while positioning the country more strongly within the expanding global green economy.

Speaking in Parliament, Minister for Forestry, Alitia Bainivalu said the legislation supports emerging sectors such as carbon financing, biodiversity credits, ecosystem service payments, restoration financing, and public-private forestry partnerships.

The Ministry has already completed Phase One awareness programmes across the Central, Eastern, Northern, and Western Divisions to help forestry officers, landowners, and industry stakeholders better understand the new legal framework.

The Act also focuses heavily on increasing landowner participation, strengthening benefit-sharing systems, and expanding opportunities for local communities to engage in forestry operations and downstream processing activities.

Hon. Bainivalu said the reforms are aimed at developing a more sustainable, climate-resilient, and economically productive forestry industry while also improving investor confidence and supporting Fiji’s long-term development goals.