A team from the Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility is in Fiji this week as part of a regional technical assistance mission to support the use of Nature-based Solutions in infrastructure planning and investment across the Pacific.
The team met with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change this morning to discuss Fiji’s experience, priorities and lessons in using natural systems to support more resilient development.
The discussions focused on how Nature-based Solutions can be better reflected in infrastructure planning, public investment, project design and long-term maintenance. This includes the use of mangroves, forests, wetlands, river systems and other natural assets to reduce flooding, coastal erosion, heat and other climate-related risks.
This work is about the choices we make before infrastructure is built. It is about asking whether a road, drain, bridge or coastal protection system will still serve people when the next flood, storm surge or extreme weather event comes.
The PRIF mission will help document existing and planned Nature-based Solutions in Fiji, identify challenges and good practices, and develop case studies that can inform regional guidance for other Pacific countries.
The Ministry welcomed the engagement and said the work would support Fiji’s wider efforts to align environmental protection, climate resilience and sustainable infrastructure development.