C3 Fiji Programme Coordinator Attends Community Resilience Training in the U.S.

From November 5-17, 2023, Asena Steiner, the Programme Coordinator of C3 Fiji, participated in a 2-week training-seminar on Community Resilience in Savannah and Atlanta, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Forest Services (USFS). The training included meetings with various stakeholders, exploring collaborations such as public-private partnerships, capacity building, resilience planning, and National Incident Management System (NIMS). Visits to organizations like the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) emphasized local initiatives addressing environmental stressors and racial injustice.

In Savannah, the focus shifted to coastal issues, including flooding, hurricanes, and climate change impacts. Participants visited the Savannah State University Marine Science department to learn about educational initiatives fostering coastal awareness. They also met community members and experts involved in environmental sensing for flood preparedness. The training underscored the importance of resilience across emergency response phases.

Documenting Success and Challenges of Mangrove Restoration in Raviravi Village, Macuata

On October 28, 2023, the C3 Fiji partner community in Raviravi Village, Macuata, under the IUCN KIWA Project, received some important visitors. The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) documented the mangrove restoration activities led by the community for their climate action communication program. The program, in partnership with Dioscuri Marketing, focuses on showcasing climate change actions and their benefits to the people.

The story highlighted the significant ecosystem services provided by mangrove forests, valued at nearly $200,000 per hectare annually. C3 Fiji, in collaboration with KIWA, aims to achieve sustainable management of mangrove forests in three key sites in Vanua Levu, Fiji. The story addressed the impacts of climate change, particularly coastal erosion attributed to sea-level rise, evident in Raviravi.

Communities in Vanua Levu, facing climate change impacts, joined hands with C3 Fiji in replanting initiatives. Extreme weather events, including Cyclone Yasa, have led to the destruction of villages. Mangroves, crucial to communities, mitigate these events and also sea-level rise effects. C3 Fiji has assisted in replanting initiatives, planting 3,200 trees in Sese, Navidamu, and Raviravi.
 

C3 Fiji's Participation in the Pacific Island Forest Restoration Initiative (PIFRI) Workshop

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