BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The Country’s Mangrove Framework policy to manage and protect mangrove forests and ecosystems is anticipated to be launched this year.

In an interview, Agnetha Vave-Karamui, Chief Conservation Officer, Environment &Conservation Division, told Island Sun that the Mangrove Framework policy is still in draft form.

She said that the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology will organise an internal discussion on its stance on the important framework before consulting with stakeholders.

“We have a draft policy. Internal means we, from the Ministry of Environment, will come together and discuss the draft policy. The ministry consists of the climate division, meteorology, disaster and environment. We would look at it and see what the ministry’s position on it is,” she said.

Agnetha Vave-Karamui said that the internal meeting of the MECCDM aims to update the draft policy.

“The Management and Conservation of Blue Carbon Ecosystems (MACBLUE) project will play a vital role in the formulation of the Policy. The data from the MACBLUE project will be used to update the policy. After that, we will go out to stakeholders for the final consultation and launch,” she said.

She said that the MECCDM aims to finalise the Mangrove Framework policy around June or September this year before its launch.

She said that the policy framework would allow the government and its partners to work together with communities to protect and manage the mangrove forest and ecosystem in the Solomon Islands.

“It is to see what the government thought about the mangrove ecosystem and sea grass. The government does not have a policy to support communities in this matter at the national level to protect the mangrove forest. This will allow the government to collaborate with partners to set priorities in the management of mangrove forests,” she said.

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