Nature Fiji and Rivers Fiji are leading the way in raising awareness on the impor­tance of protecting and conserving our forest on the Upper Navua Con­servation Area (UNCA).

Rivers Fiji is the only white-water rafting company in Fiji that takes tourists on excursions through the Upper Navua River.

Operations manager, Basilio Cakaunivalu said Rivers Fiji has made an agreement between the Se­rua landowners of nine clans from the two villages of Nabukelevu and Wainadiro and TLTB for no logging, mining and extracting gravel for the 16 kilometres river stretch that its protects.

Nature Fiji director Nunia Moko said “the UNCA is one of the wet­land sites that contains one of the largest remaining protected stand of the endemic and threatened sago palm.

“One of the reasons we work with Rivers Fiji is because we believe the fact that the UNCA is a unique place that needs to be conserved.”

She said they believed the future conservation of the area lies in the hands of the landowners.

“In order to sustain this conserva­tion programme, we had designed with Rivers Fiji through the oppor­tunity of the Ramsar small grant fund and awareness campaign that will target the landowners.”

Dilisi Lewanivaturu, 50, of the Cawanisa clan said a lot of logging was going on in the area, and the clan thanks Rivers Fiji for the idea on the protection of the river’s corri­dor which is 200 meters on each side.

“We have a beautiful place and we don’t want it to be destroyed.”

Edited by Percy Kean

Feedback: lusiana.tuimaisala@fijisun.com.fj