Vol 3 Land Resource Inventory Report - Department of Environment ...

3.2 SOILS OF FIJI
Studies confirm that 65% of soils have been developed on steep slopes (over 21 o ), 20% on
gently undulating and hilly land (4-21 o ) and 15% on flat land (under 4 o ) (Leslie, 1997 as
cited in Macfarlane, 2009). Lowland (below 600 m, mean annual temperature over 22 o C)
soils are formed on beach sands, marine marshes, poorly and well-drained alluvia, highly
organic parent material, acidic and non-acidic terraces and peneplains (Macfarlane, 2009).
Further, soils from lowland rolling and hilly terrain are formed from young and weathered
volcanic materials, volcanic ash over reef limestone, calcareous tuffs and marls and from
basic, intermediate and acidic geologies (Macfarlane, 2009). Upland soils (over 600 m, mean
annual temperature 15-22 o C) are formed on recent poorly and well-drained alluvia, raw
volcanic materials and basic rocks (Leslie, 1997 as cited in Macfarlane, 2009). Low
available soils such as sculpture, potassium, copper, molybdenum are the most likely limiting
chemical attributes of grazing land soils (Macfarlane, 2009). Importantly, the most fertile
soils are in the floodplains of the Sigatoka, Rewa, Nadi, Ba, Navua and Labasa rivers and
these soils are generally derived from basic volcanic parent material (Macfarlane, 2009).
3.3 FORESTS OF FIJI
During 2006-2008, the Natural Forest Inventory (NFI) was carried out in Fiji. The outcome
of the NFI was new forest definitions for forests in Fiji. In particular, under the new forest
definitions the following new definitions were incorporated:
Closed forest-Includes the former ‗Dense and Medium Sized Forest‘.
Open Forest-Includes the former category of ‗Scattered Forest‘.
Non-Forests and Inland Water Bodies- These are now calculated for the first time and
thus did not appear in the 1991 data.
(Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2010)
Table 3.2: Total Forest Cover in Fiji Under NFI
National Class (1000
ha)
1990 1991 1992 1996 1997 1998 2002 2007
Closed Forest 704.856 556.385
Open Forest 152.665 342.845
Pine plantations 43.63 49.62 51.56 51.38 51.38 52.88 48.59 93.524
Hardwood plantations 36.24 39.22 41.64 50.23 50.69 51.4 52.33 60.448
Coconut plantations 34.56 27.137
Non-forests 629.835
Inland water 19.208
Total land area 946.361 1729
(Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2010)
3.4 NATIVE FORESTS
Native forests are subdivided into 2 major categories which include protection forests and
multiple use forests (Ministry of Forest, 2006:9). Table 3.3 and figure 3.2 shows the
proportions of each of the categories of forest types.
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