Beach Clean Up and 400 Seedling Tree Planting Initiative

In a collaborative effort to promote sustainable tourism, support plastic circularity, and Fiji’s 30 million trees in 15 years planting initiative, the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) teamed up with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Fiji’s Ministry of Forestry, Ministry of Commerce Trade Tourism and Transport (MCTTT), and students from Sacred Heart College School to plant 400 tree seedlings.

Organised primarily by SPTO and UNDP, the exercise saw over 50 participants contribute to a clean-up campaign along the Queen Elizabeth Drive foreshore in Suva before proceeding to the tree planting programme at Sacred Heart College.

In acknowledging the importance of this activity, SPTO CEO Christopher Cocker noted the links between such initiatives and the ambitions of the Pacific-Sustainable-Tourism-Policy-Framework.  He further noted the need to continue promoting greater awareness of the importance of waste management, reducing plastic pollution and giving back to nature through tree planting, which is critical to the wellbeing of Pacific people and destinations. 

“Through this activity SPTO and our partners are showing our commitment to contributing to a more secure future for our region. Given its strong link to natural environments and ecosystems, the Pacific tourism industry is well aware of the need for transformative changes that work towards building a more sustainable sector that protects and restores our Blue Pacific”.

“ It is important for us to walk the talk in terms of making positive changes that we hope to see replicated across the tourism industry, for the benefit of future generations”, he said.