Strengthening Sustainable Land and Agroecosystem Management in Tonga - GCP/TON/001/GFF

Strengthening Sustainable Land and Agroecosystem Management in Tonga - GCP/TON/001/GFF

Year of publication 2024

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 2

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Project

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) Tonga's biodiversity and land resources face serious threats from interconnected issues such as free-roaming livestock, particularly pigs, which damage crops, compact soil, remove vegetation and cause erosion, impacting coastal ecosystems like mangroves and reefs and hindering sustainable land management (SLM). The intensive production of export crops, like squash, has led to deforestation, excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides, and soil degradation, harming adjacent ecosystems like lagoons. Forest clearance for agriculture depletes natural habitats, while changes in traditional fallow systems degrade soil nutrients. These issues are worsened by cultural traditions, economic pressures and population migration to the main island of Tongatapu, causing localized land pressure. Tonga's current policies and regulations are insufficient to address these challenges effectively. Land use planning lacks reliable information on natural resources and tenure, complicating stakeholder negotiations. There is also a lack of capacity among government officials and land managers to implement sustainable practices tailored to local contexts.In response to the above, this project was initiated to create an enabling environment for integrated land and agroecosystem management, aiming to build local capacity for land use planning, strengthen sustainable practices using a Ridge to Reef (R2R) approach, and promote knowledge sharing. Implemented in Tongatapu, ‘Eua, Vava’u, and Ha’ano, these areas were chosen for their potential to deliver replicable lessons and global benefits.

Language English

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Regulatory and policy frameworks in Tonga do not adequately support land use planning and management. Land use planning capacities and tenure conditions for sustainable land management, and capacities for the support and implementation of sustainable land management practices are not adequate.To tackle these challenges, the Government of Tonga, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) have joined efforts to sustainably increase and improve provision of goods and services from agriculture through integrated land and agroecosystem management in Tonga.The final beneficiaries interviewed by the evaluation have been well engaged in the communal nurseries and medicinal plants preservation activities, which were considered useful for preservation of forest, biodiversity and enhancement of quality of soil. The enclosed piggeries model introduced by the project was overall accepted, but some of its elements (such as feeding and breeding), as well as its cultural appropriateness, deserve further attention. To improve the enabling environment for land management, the project also developed Policy Intention Papers and a Land Use Policy document, but there were questions regarding their endorsement and incorporation by the Tongan Government.