In Viru Harbour, conserving the remaining lowland forests and rich biodiversity is a community effort. The lives of the people of Viru Harbour are intertwined with the forest – and they are ensuring everyone has a part to play in protecting it.

Despite damage from commercial logging and timber plantations, more than 900 hectares of healthy forest remains. Important native trees like vitex, pometia and brown terminalia fill up the forest, and rivers run throughout that provide freshwater to hundreds of people, and support the marine ecosystems of Viru Harbour. This now forms the Sobehatunga Conservation Area.

Photo credit: Wilko Bosma, NRDF/Nakau Programme

Logging has not happened here in decades, though the threat of deforestation remains. To keep their forest intact, the communities of Sobehatunga are working to secure legal protection for the area through the establishment of a Protected Area . Conservation and alternative livelihood will be funded in the long term through the carbon market, under the Nakau Programme.

Crucial to the success of this process is the full inclusion of all community members, with a focus on ensuring equal access to opportunities for participation and benefits for social groups like women and people with disabilities. 

Through the Forest Value and Enhancement Project, supported by MCC – which is helping establish the legal protected area and carbon project – a gender, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) consultation was recently held to make sure the project is representative of the entire community.

Run by Lorah Etega, a GEDSI officer from the Natural Resources Development Foundation (NRDF), the session discussed gendered roles and expectations in the communities, how climate change affects people differently, and how the project can meet the diverse needs of all people involved.

‘GEDSI activities are integral to the carbon trade project – advocating for the inclusion of community members and ensuring that marginalised groups play an active role in the project’s success,’ Lorah said.

Fred Tabepuda, NRDF Manager, working closely with the Viru Harbour communities, has said that the involvement of the community so far has been encouraging.

‘It is quite interesting to observe community involvement,’ he said. ‘They are keen to cross over the line as quickly as possible. 

‘What really makes them so special is the commitment and effort demonstrated by the community.’

That effort is now focused on guaranteeing all voices are heard throughout this process, begun through the recent consultation. Attended by more than 60 people, these sessions provided space for women and people with disabilities to speak openly about their experiences. 

‘There were focus group discussions on key topics including education and knowledge, roles and rights, social dynamics and climate change impacts,’ Lorah said.

‘[We then] explored real-world scenarios related to the carbon project, discussions on inclusive solutions and the gathering of feedback.’

Strong social networks already existed among women and young people, but the rest of the community was also open to engage with themes on inclusivity, and are beginning to understand the importance and value of inclusive practices to the project. This includes men, whose common role as decision makers and ability to support change made them important to include in the consultations.

Participants said the sessions gave them valuable insight into fostering inclusivity while sustainably managing their forests to make sure the benefits are shared by all. 

While Viru Harbour’s customary landowners continue to work towards legal protected area status. With consultations and discussions like these happening within the community – and with two women part of the team of Rangers being trained to take care of the forest –  Sobehatunga Conservation Area will hopefully soon be an area which is protected for the benefit of all.

The Viru Harbour (Sobehatunga) Forest Carbon Activity is funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation and is the first project to be announced in a suite of forest carbon activities supported by the Solomon Islands Threshold Program, and implemented by Nakau Programme, Live & Learn Environmental Education and NRDF.