17th November 2016 The Minister in Charge Lord Ma’afu officially opened a new eco-tourism project in the village of Vaini today as part of a Ridge To Reef (R2R) management approach for the Fanga’uta Lagoon Catchment (FLC).
Acting CEO for the Ministry of MEIDECC Mr Andrew To’imoana said Tonga’s R2R program was developed to boost the country’s ecosystem goods and services.
“The Tonga’s Ridge to Reef Program, known as the Integrated Environmental Management of Fanga’uta Lagoon Catchment was developed as a response to the Pacific Islands National Priorities ‘Ridge to Reef’ (R2R) Program their countries ecosystem goods and services to contribute to poverty reduction, sustainable livelihoods and climate resilience focusing on Fanga’uta Lagoon Catchment area,” he said.
To’imoana said the Eco-tourism project would support the livelihoods of both youth and women interested in tourism activities.
“It is a bounty that all stakeholders that have engaged closely in the process of the Make Over is here today to witness the completing of this pilot site as an Eco-tourism area at Vaini with the hope to support the livelihoods of the women and youth interested in tourism activities.”
“With the new partnership established between the town council of Vaini and relevant stakeholders of the Ridge to Reef program, we hope to document learning from the experience gathered by the community from the utilization of this space.”
This project was funded by the GEF/UNDP, and facilitated by the Department of Environment, under the Ministry of MEIDECC, working in collaboration with other government and non-government organisations, private sectors, and the community of Vaini.
The eco-tourism project, known as the Vai ko Felefonu Make Over Approach, is part of the coordinated package of interventions devised to meet the needs of the Vaini community.
The interventions were developed to be implemented as a ‘makeover’ to ensure maximum impact on the community for the amount of funding available.
The makeover focuses on a community spring, with a cemetery nearby, and an area of degraded mangroves.
A number of community consultations were held with the community members of Vaini in 2015, where environmental issues and other concerns were discussed with regards to Fanga’uta Lagoon.
The issues of concern to the community included mangrove replanting, solid waste management, sanitation, water quality (groundwater, water springs and marine water), eco-tourism activities, marine resources, fisheries and the access road to the site.
Following the consultations, baseline data were collected through a monitoring programme which helped identify key interventions that could be implemented to help mitigate issues identified by the community and improve conditions within the Fanga’uta Lagoon Catchment overall.
The interventions included:
- Mangrove rehabilitation – in the area adjacent to the spring where mangroves were cut in the past;
- Rubbish removal – included the general clean-up of the land and intertidal areas at the site; and installation of four (4) rubbish bins
- Spring Rehabilitation and Upgrade of Access Road – included water quality assessments, restore and reinforcement works or rock walls and upgrading access road to the site, dredging of infilled pool, and with farming of kanahe (mullet) fish as added values to eco-tourism package.
- Eco-tourism & Landscaping – provision of Fales (Tongan huts), beautifying the site by improving landscaping around the spring, fencing off the site, to omit pigs, and developing the ornamental garden
- Fish reintroductions – within the spring – this will recover a previous traditional use of the area, focusing on farming of kanahe (mullet) fish.
The area has a population of 2,900 people in 492 households.
The surrounding Vaini District has a population of 13,000 people (Tonga Census 2011), encompassing the villages of Longoteme, Folaha and others.
The plan for the Felefonu Spring was the result of consultations held with the Vaini Women’s Group and Vaini Town Council for eco-tourism activities.
The makeover plan included the installation of Signs or Information boards; Construction of a fale for the display and selling of handicrafts; Construction of a boundary fence around the area; Replanting and landscaping work for the area; and provision of rubbish bins for the site.
A total of TOP$72,619 were spent on the project co-sponsored by the UNDP with GEF financing, through close collaboration with Tourism Ministry and line ministries engaged in the Ridge to Reef program.
ENDS
Issued by the: Ministry of Meteorology, Energy, Information, Disaster Management, Environment, Climate Change and Communications
For further information contact:
R2R Project Manager – Ms Ta’ahiriih Hikafonu, Phone: 8825050 email: tfifitahokafonu@gmail.com
Mr Iliesa Tora, R2R Information/Communication Officer, Phone: 8467762, Email: iliesatora2016@gmail.com