Replanting forests and trees are the only best hope for island countries in their fight for climate justice. A natural solution rooted in their own roots since time immemorial.
Solomon Islands, a heavily dependent nation on trees is no exception in this plight and the very people of this island nation needs to take hind of the very importance forest has continued to sustain their livelihoods since first footprints sets ashore.
From a cultural realm where the basis of traditional norms is being practiced for local remedies, sets readily available food, provision of materials for house building, fuel wood and off course the inevitable practices of witchcraft – forests has played a significant role culturally and socially ever since.
By far, Solomon Islanders are no strangers to environmental changes although climate security concerns maybe relatively new.
I could remember very well sitting with some very elderly village men in a rotted thatch murmuring. Grouped in a circle as all attempt to keeping themselves warm near the burning heat of fire.
It was a recollection conversation, not just beheading and headhunting but recalling some of the extreme disasters’ that resulted in longer periods of food shortage. Extreme events some of them say could have taken their lives. It’s not just fear of being killed by head-hunters another added.
An instant boost of laughter exaggerated, as the flow of historical accounts continued; noting their hideouts on difficult landscapes usually caves, and the only essential fruit and food they survived on. Being ill during such times even worsens, braving the challenge to locate medicinal plants which at times crossing dangerous flooded rivers.
‘naefi’ and ‘kakake’ are the two names, they survived on, I heard. This two still exist but are now limited to certain places only on Isabel, the longest Island amongst the archipelagos of Solomon Islands.
Oral histories as such depict their rich indigenous knowledge to the natural surroundings and can be lessons learned for current responses. It may be different then, but ultimately the where, when, and how based on these reaches a common peak.
To this very day, governments, non-government organisations, logging and mining companies, infrastructure companies and destructive individuals cannot deny intertwining with the use of forest at some stage.
Except that these happenings brought about disparities and parities at the same time, yet least we forgot the importance of its management and sustenance; a crucial part that requires serious reconsideration.
Scientifically, forests have been proven beyond reasonable doubt of its tremendous contribution to ease climate change impacts. Like our vast oceans, forests hold earth’s second-largest natural storehouses of carbon.
Thus, bringing back our forests will buy us some time in the race against global warming and provide a bridge to a new, low carbon world.
Undeniably, because of human activities over the course of past 150 or so years, it has led to massive global deforestation and the release of carbon stored in soils, fast tracking global climate change.
It has been said that deforestation accounts for between 8 and 15% of total annual carbon emissions, and land use change; a third of all emissions. Therefore, reducing deforestation is an essential part of the climate change challenge.
There is also huge potential for human activity to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by reforesting logged over lands, plant trees on previously cleared gardened lands and degraded landscapes.
This is important to us, as from providing shade to creating cloud-cover and storing carbon, trees play a pivotal role in the fight against climate change. The message is clear; we need more trees, and the timing is critical.
This is visibly evident at the rural setting and has been proven fruition on piloted sustainable forest resource management initiative at Kumoniboli community on Guadalcanal and Falake community on Malaita in the Solomon Islands; with Japanese Government’s collaboration through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Solomon Islands Government under Ministry of Forestry and Research (MOFR).
These two communities are decoupling their livelihoods from forest destruction, and now benefit from economic initiatives that actively restore and protect the forest.
By planting trees, they now gain nutritious food to eat, increase their agricultural yields and grass yields for livestock. Forests also provide families with food security in case of risks related to markets, pests, and weather extremes.
In the face of climate change, engagement in restoration activities and ‘forest-protective’ economic initiatives, like poultry and piggery production or selling of fruit and vegetables, benefit from more diverse, resilient livelihoods.
A timely call as the International Day of Forest is being commemorated globally, on 21st March annually with the theme – ‘Forest Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World,’ this year, it squarely urges us to be innovative wherever possible on the fight against the climate dilemma.
Solomon Islands Forestry Secretary, Richard Raomae rightly called for immediate approach on forest innovation, with basically tree planting as a remedy to climate change, and small island state countries must lead the way by example.
The theme reflects the critical role that forests play in the world of innovation and vice versa. It also highlights the pressing challenges that are making it difficult to preserve forests and the solutions to promote forest conservation and sustainable utilization.
Climate change and biodiversity loss are among the challenges that the forest sector must grapple with. This means that innovation is very critical for the future of forests as the sector seeks to advance solutions to these and the problems in the future.
But what does innovation really mean, and what does it entail? It can be simply defined as the process of implementing a new idea and creating value for your target, which could be stakeholders, companies, and or individual customers.
Innovation can take different forms and shapes; it could be an improved product or service or an updated method for running operations, or a new business model.
In Solomon Islands context, it means sound and effective policies, better ways of forest management, having access to up-to date technology, maximising benefit from forest products through environmentally friendly utilisation approaches such as downstream processing, taking a more proactive and sustainable use of our forests; close collaboration with governments, institutions, and forest user groups to implement forest friendly initiatives.
Thus, marking 2024 year’s International Forest Day, a total of 500 plus trees have been planted to promote tree planting as one of the world forest day activities in Solomon Islands.
This is the beginning of a holistic approach where we, together must participate in taking care of our forest, let’s not just look at forest for milling and logging, but as a very important resources that supports and provides for the livelihood and wellbeing of most of our population.
On this regard, we must ensure that this day in years ahead, governments, institutions, communities, and forest user groups must be close partners in tree planting campaigns to raise the level of awareness for our young generation to be caring and empathetic custodians of the forest.
It is time to recognize that food security, agriculture and forestry can no longer be treated in isolation. Sustainable agriculture needs healthy and productive forests. Forests and trees supply hundreds of thousands of people with food, energy, and income, acting as a safety net during hard times.
To accomplish the historic ambition of addressing hunger and poverty alleviation, sectoral ministries must ensure policy coherence across government, integrating strategies and balancing trade-offs.
Actions on forests, agriculture, food, and land use, rural and national development must be integrated in the future if sustainable development goals are to be realized and achieved in Solomon Islands.
Let us take a closer look into the importance of forests as a possible solution or rather a long-term solution that as forest dependants must take hind and start to do planting of trees.
From a scientific aspect, second only to the world’s oceans are forests. Forests contain more carbon than is presently found in the atmosphere. Carbon moves into and through forest ecosystems, playing important roles in ecological processes and management of carbon emissions and removals.
Forests are a vital part of the carbon cycle, both storing and releasing this essential element in a dynamic process of growth, decay, disturbance, and renewal. At a global scale, forests help maintain earth’s carbon balance and thus help us lessen the impacts of climate change.
Over the past decades, forests have moderated climate change by absorbing about one-quarter of the carbon emitted by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation that converts forests to other land uses. Carbon uptake by forests reduces the rate at which carbon accumulates in the atmosphere and thus reduces the rate at which climate change occurs.
So essentially, to reduce climate change, we need to do two things: emit less carbon (and other greenhouse gases) and remove excess carbon from the atmosphere. How well we can manage forests now, will help to remove some of the carbon currently stored in the atmosphere.
Whether we add more carbon with emitted carbons by human activities; or plant more tress to absorb carbon, it surely will affect the future rate of carbon level in the atmosphere.
A forest is a carbon sink if it absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases. Carbon is absorbed from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. It then becomes deposited in forest biomass such as trunks, branches, roots, and leaves, in dead organic matter as litter and dead wood, and in soils. This process of carbon absorption and deposition is known as carbon sequestration.
A forest can also be considered a carbon source if it releases more carbon than it absorbs. Forest carbon is released when trees burn or when they decay after death due to old age or wildfire, insect attack or other disturbance. It is the increase of these gasses in the atmosphere that is causing climate change.
Figuring the net balance of these carbon exchanges determines whether a forest is a carbon source or sink. This is something for the scientists to determine as it is complex,
but the basic understanding is as illustrated and is important to understand as a layman.
Now, small island state countries forests for the past century, are known for as carbon sinks. Whilst some maintain the status quo, the recent decades have reversed the situation for some countries especially the bigger small island state countries. This is where Solomon Islands stands out – its forests have become carbon sources, releasing more carbon into the atmosphere than they are accumulating.
Maybe at a very smaller rate some may arguably say compared to the developed countries, but at the context of small island state countries this is a concern.
Several factors may have contributed to this shift including the annual total area cleared primarily by unsustainable logging practices that has increased substantially.
According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 49.9% of Solomon Islands’ 2.2 million hectares of forests is classified as primary forest, the most bio-diverse and carbon dense form of forest. Additionally, Solomon Islands has 27,000 ha of planted forests.
Between 1990 and 2010, Solomon Islands lost an average of 5,550 ha or 0.24% per year. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Solomon Islands lost 4.8% of its forest cover or around 111,000 ha.
When considering these, Solomon Islands’ forests contain 182 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass; change in forest cover and the effects of the release of heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from deforestation and forest degradation becomes an issue of concern.
From this perspective, any real effort to combat the release of anthropogenic gases into the atmosphere must include measures to at the very least, mitigate those gas emissions.
It is here that the role of options of tree planting and other collaborative project initiatives and mechanisms such as the REDD+ becomes a viable measure to combat greenhouse gases emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
Any action that conserves, restores, or improves the use or management of forests and other high-carbon ecosystems while increasing carbon storage and/or avoiding greenhouse gas emissions, can be considered a “natural” climate solution.
This is no easy task, but a simple commitment and hard work that, as small Island states needs to be serious on, to reignite our hope for a better future. Small Island states need this more than ever.
The point is the current forest stand must be protected at all costs. Whilst it is also equally important to replant trees at the same time. This is our fight and guiding light towards reigniting that islanders hope.
For Solomon Islands, the natural regeneration approach to the over logged places has been a piloted initiative that is ongoing. Other alternatives are also being consider with the likes of the sustainable forest resource management project; whereby proper land management and planning are equally important towards driving the long-term, medium-term, and short-term benefits that surely sustains people’s livelihood.
So, basically in any small island states; as humans we rely on forests and its resources for most of our needs from cultural, social, ecological, and economic benefits. The, how well we can manage and sustain its ongoing support that it provides for us is the question. Only then, we can surely contribute to ease the negative impact of carbon emissions that resulted to the climate change dilemma where we are also victims at the forefront, facing the most severe consequences of its impact.
But thanks to the technical knowledge from scientists that gave as some hope through trees and forests. Giving us the courage to fight, discuss and agree together on, so that when we talk about natural climate solutions and forests, we can focus on these three main things: Protecting the critical places we need for our climate especially virgin forest areas especially; restoring and expanding the footprint of natural ecosystems, so they can do what they do best; that is replanting of more trees and improving how we manage our working lands whilst planting more trees.
These however are no new practices known by our very ancestor’s way back decades, likewise the challenges faced through disasters, environmental changes, managing of the forest and its resources, and off-course the persisting issue of land related conflict that they themselves find solutions to. These are all part of Solomon Islands history and other small island states I believe have that same trend.
In this essence, while much of the terminology around “climate security” feels new, Solomon Islands as an island nation and its many islanders feel as though these weather and climate challenges, including conflict resolutions have been here before.
Thus, options for food security, climate change adaptation, carbon offsetting and mitigation exist, so as the traditional means of conflict resolution that helps a lot amongst the country’s various peoples related to land use conflicts are not new.
Today, governments, international finance institutions and development partners needs to reconsider their approach, to flip the focus from the new jargon to an older struggle: how to reignite and increase the existing indigenous knowledge, on managing challenges in times of natural disasters, food shortage, food, and plant medicine and many more related to the use of forests.
Doing so would allow Solomon Islands to transition from a country labelled as a country where unsustainable logging practice is common, and is a sticker used, attached on its forehead. And into a more responsible island nation with its people cares for its forests and its resources.
On the outset it will surely allow Solomon Islands to transition from a country at high risk for climate change and natural resource-related conflicts to a more peaceful, resilient, and sustainable future. – MoFR PRESS