Josua Waqanivalu, the environment officer of the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB), has highlighted weak sectoral governance as an obstacle to effective planning. In his address at the Situation Analysis Workshop on Forest Landscape Restoration in Nadi, he noted the numerous sector-specific plans from different governmental departments, which lacked an inclusive vision for overall progress.
Waqanivalu lamented the lack of a unified plan, mentioning that the Department of Forestry, the Ministry of Forestry and the TLTB each had their individual plans, but no overarching plan to integrate them all. To resolve these issues, he proposed the creation of a comprehensive “master land use plan” for all of Viti Levu.
He asserted that this master plan would deal with significant matters like biodiversity, climate change, land governance, land conflict, food security, and socio-economic growth. His comments underscored the importance of coordinated and comprehensive planning for sustainable management of resources.