by Monika Singh
FIJI TIMES - Saturday, November 27, 2010
The dense mangrove swamp around Naivitavaya settlement at Laucala Beach Estate is slowly disappearing. Picture: ELIKI NUKUTABU
FIJI's ecosystem was worth $973million in 1994, contributing about 42 per cent of the 1994 Gross Domestic Product of $2312m.
This figure could have increased over the years according to the Department of Environment national co-ordinator for the National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan, Rahul Chand
Mr Chand made a presentation on the valuationof Fiji's natural assets for the action plan at the Eco Health Forum on Thursday.
He said it was easy to make people realise the importance of the ecosystem with an economic value placed on the ecosystem.
"We should realise that all ecosystems are at a threat of pollution and we must do our part to protect it," he said.
He said action plan was put together to look at implementation strategies to protect biodiversity.
He said Fiji signed up to protect its biodiversity at the Earth Summit in 1992 but it was not implemented.
According to Mr Chand Fiji signed Article 6 at the Earth Summit which required countries to develop national strategies and action plan for biodiversity.
He said some of the major natural eco-systems included the open sea, coral reefs and the mangroves and fresh water ecosystem.
Mr Chand said people did not realise the importance of ecosystem because there was no monetary value attached to it.
He said they undertook a survey of the natural ecosystem in 1994 and came up with the monetary value of the ecosystem for the purpose of the action plan.
"The department does not have the latest statistics on the monetary value of the ecosystem but we are sure it has increased from what we had recorded in 1994," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment