Tougher enforcement helps curb illegal logging, says Forestry Minister

Complaints involving illegal logging operations have reduced this year compared with previous years, according to the Ministry of Forestry.

The ministry says this reflects the effectiveness of its enforcement efforts.

Forestry Minister Alitia Bainivalu said the ministry had managed to contain illegal logging through stringent enforcement by its inspection and monitoring teams.

"We have beefed up our enforcement."

When asked how many illegal logging complaints had been received in 2026, Ms Bainivalu said she could not divulge exact figures at present.

Ms Bainivalu said the ministry had strengthened its operations to maintain compliance following the recent promulgation of forestry laws.

"So, I can confirm we have been able to address illegal logging at this stage," she explained.

When asked about whether developers complied with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements, Ms Bainivalu said a reasonably good number of developers were complying with the process.

"They have been compliant with the EIA process because it is a legal requirement for any ongoing development."

Streamlining landowner access

Ms Bainivalu said the ministry had asked the Ministry of Environment to streamline the process through which landowners could access and harvest their forest resources.

"Instead of conducting the whole EIA process, we want to streamline the means to allow effective harvest by landowners without any complications,"

She highlighted the possible use of an Environment Management Plan (EMP) instead of the EIA process for landowners who wished to access their forest areas for logging.

She said landowners wanted a more affordable process to enable them to harvest their forest resources for financial sustainability.

"Landowners want to harvest their forest resource for their financials and the EIA process requires a huge amount to pay to meet compliance requirements," Ms Bainivalu added.