This week in Suva, Fiji, the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) Regional Dialogue Forum was held to address the threat of land degradation in the region. The forum, which was organized by UNU-EHS in cooperation with the Group on Earth Observations flagship initiative on Land Degradation Neutrality (GEO-LDN), brought together 40 representatives from across the region to discuss knowledge-sharing and capacity-building efforts to tackle the problem.
The region is vulnerable to land degradation due to its high exposure to the impacts of climate change, limited land area and the lack of access to high-resolution data to monitor and address changes to land. Therefore, key discussions focused on data-sharing across borders and cooperation in using geospatial tools.
The forum caught local media attention, and a newspaper article was published in the Fiji Sun. The article highlighted the urgency and the importance of the work taking place. Quoted from his opening address, Fiji’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways, Dr. Andrew Tukana, emphasized the risk of land degradation: “This is not just an environmental issue. It is a socioeconomic and cultural challenge that affects food security, livelihoods, disaster resilience and biodiversity”.
Dr. Tukana also offered appreciation for the work of UNU-EHS and GEO-LDN in bringing countries together. “On behalf of the Government of Fiji, we thank the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and GEO-LDN for convening this timely forum”, he said.
The article was originally published in print but can be read here.
