Solomon Islands aims to get more from its forests

Trainees from the Solomon Islands tour an industrial park focused on innovating equipment used in the forestry and grassland sector. (Photo provided to CHINA DAILY)

Christina Gabuvai, chief forester at the National Herbarium and Botanical Garden Division under the Ministry of Forestry and Research of the Solomon Islands, recently completed a two-month forestry utilization program at the National Academy of Forestry and Grassland Administration in China.

"In Solomon Islands, forest coverage is around 90 percent, and most of the country's revenue comes from logging, with limited development of downstream products," Gabuvai said. Logging is the country's largest export, but unsustainable practices have become a growing concern for local communities.

"I joined this seminar because the government of Solomon Islands recognized the importance of this training," she said. "Here, I've gained new ideas and skills, including how to transform timber into value-added products."

The bilateral training program, held from May to July, focused on forest utilization and downstream processing. Eleven forestry officers from the Solomon Islands took part in seminars covering topics such as wood processing, wood industrial development and ecological poverty alleviation.

As part of the program, the group visited Zhejiang province in East China and Henan province in Central China, where they learned about the local experiences in forest economies, forest management and the wood industry supply chain.

Field trips and cultural visits also gave participants insight into China's historical relationship with forests, according to Gabuvai. "We learned about China's journey from a hunting society to an agricultural one and then to industrialization, which brought deforestation and land degradation," she said.

She was impressed to see how modern China has learned from its history and now places strong emphasis on environmental protection.

"The idea that 'lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets' was new to me, and it perfectly sums up forestry," she said. "It's about balancing environmental protection and economic development."

The delegation from the Solomon Islands held in-depth discussions with Chinese experts, exchanging ideas on green development across the Pacific, from combating illegal logging and promoting community co-management models to developing under-forest economies and building disaster early warning systems.

Although China's advances in technology and green energy have inspired her, Gabuvai admitted that applying these lessons back home remains a challenge.

"Given our national conditions, Solomon Islands is a small country and we lack adequate infrastructure," she said.

One takeaway from the program, she added, is the importance of looking beyond logging for profit. "Instead of relying solely on the timber industry, we can also develop eco-tourism," Gabuvai said. "But to do that, we need supporting infrastructure and facilities."