Nakau Programme

Hot off the press, news is out that Sobehatunga Conservation Area in Viru Harbour has been designated for protected area status. 🌳🌳🌳🌳👏

Congratulations to the community in Viru who have been working tirelessly towards this moment since 2023 with incredible support from NRDF. Official celebrations are to come but for now, here's a story reminder about what makes the Sobehatunga forest so special. 🐸🪺

The Viru Harbour (Sobehatunga) conservation and carbon work is supported by NRDF, Nakau and Live & Learn Environmental Education—as part of the Solomon Islands Threshold Program.

Forest walk - Nakau Programme Sobehatunga Conservation Area is a hum of life. A recent survey of plants, animals and insects has shown this secondary lowland forest is an important habitat for many of Solomon Islands's wildlife.

In the forest, dinner is gathered from the river and surrounds: eel, freshwater prawns, river snails and otta (wild fern). Cassava is carried from the village to supplement the meal. Other than coffee and sugar, there is little else the rangers need for food.

“This is our breakfast, lunch and dinner,” says Senitki with a grin, as he returns from fishing in a deep waterhole—his bucket brimming with small eels, huge prawns and snails. Here, homemade spears and goggles are essential gear for any forest trip.

📷 Tom Vierus



The Ideal Drawa Eco Retreat Live and Learn Fiji

It was truly special to be part of Lukulobere's Protected Area ceremony in this week—officially protecting 563 hectares of forest that sits within the Babatana lands in South Choiseul.

Chief Jeffrey Damusoe Sipuda says this moment “means a lot when reflecting back on our challenges but, finally, we succeeded. This milestone has made us secure and protects our land and resources from outside threats for our future generations”.

Lukulobere have been supported on this journey by the Lauru Land Conference of Tribal Communities, Natural Resources Development Foundation (NRDF), Nakau and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. They also received critical development support from Bread for the World and GIZ from 2023–2025.

Today also happens to be , so there is extra reason to celebrate forest conservation and the role of rangers and Indigenous customary landowners in protecting nature. 🌳

📷 Studiohomegrown Productions

Babatana Rainforest Conservation Project

Not everything we share is positive. Sasamungga—a normally, green and lush village in South Choiseul— is still recovering from Tropical Maila way back in April.

Our thoughts are with the wider community and all the members of the Babatana Rainforest Conservation Project who are still very much deep in the recovery process four months on.

Read their story: https://nakau.org/news/the-impact-of-cyclone-maila-on-choiseul

What this does highlight is how forest carbon projects and credits are a key form of climate finance in places where climate change is undermining efforts to improve lives.

Climate justice is part of the carbon story, and should be a critical factor when deciding where to source credits.

The Babatana Rainforest Conservation Project just got even bigger as Sikatuku Tribe joined the initiative, with plans to form a legal protected area across 571 hectares of tropical rainforest.

A big congratulations to Sakatuku for standing for conservation. And thanks to New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for their ongoing support of the Babatana project. The forests of Choiseul are pretty amazing and worth protecting. 🌳🌳🌟

Every rainforest is just a little bit different—which is what makes them so special. 🌿

But they all do a vital role: storing carbon, helping regulate our climate, supporting community life, and providing habitat for wildlife.

This , let’s celebrate and protect these incredible ecosystems. Because an old-growth, healthy rainforest is the best kind of forest. 🌳

We love seeing how others do things, and especially appreciated this big vision for rainforest restoration from Big Scrub Rainforest Conservancy and their Firewheel Nursery on our recent field trip out to Bundjalung Country near in New South Wales.

This crew are doing remarkable work in Australia bringing back native rainforest. We were lucky to work with them recently on a restoration field guide for Solomon Islands too.

Thanks to Georgie, Jo, Mark and the entire team for showing us what is possible, from seed collection and propagation to a thriving rainforest. 🌱🌱🌳🌳🌳🌺

Spending time in nature with forest rangers and community is a highlight of our work. The people behind the Drawa Forest Project are some of the most inspiring folks we've met—their passion for conservation when surrounded by logging is testament to this.

Don't forget to read their story! 🌳 https://stories.nakau.org/a-new-era-conservation-fiji 🌳 These custodians put so much work into protecting nearly 4000 hectares of stunning forest, and their story is an important one to share because it’s about the journey to now. Choosing conservation over logging.

A heartfelt thank you to Drawa Block Forest Community Cooperative for having us recently, and especially to Jerry, Senitiki, Kinijoti, Inoke, Lidiana and Niumaia Nalevea for your time and the knowledge shared. There are so many incredible photos that came out of this visit, and we haven’t even got to the bird and nature ones yet. Coming soon. 🐦

Drawa have recently established a new alternative business too, a beautiful retreat in Drawa Village—The Ideal Drawa Eco Retreat. It's a special place up there. 🌺

📷 Tom Vierus

Live and Learn Fiji