Results for Environment

African leaf-mining beetles (Paradibolia coerulea) have been brought into Tonga to control the growing invasive weed called the African Tulip Tree (Spathodea campanulata). The tree is invading indigenous forests and arable land causing reductions in natural biodiversity and agricultural productivity.

A tree planting ceremony at the Fale Alea compound in Nuku'alofa on 7 March was initiated by the Speaker of the House, Lord Fakafānua and the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy, Mr Ruan Dewen. A total of $151,893.62 pa'anga was granted by the Chinese Government to the Legislative Assembly’s Tree Planting Initiative and nurseries in Tonga can apply for grants of up to $10,000 under the program.

Tonga becomes the 85th country to sign the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement to protect 2/3 of our ocean, or the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Illegal dumping of waste increased on Tongatapu when the Waste Authority closed during the holidays, causing many complaints circling around social media of rubbish bags that were dumped on the roadside.

Viliami Hakaumotu was named as the “2023 Pacific Invasive Species Battler of the Year”, at the opening of the Pacific Invasive Learning Network (PILN) Meeting, in Apia, Samoa, last week.

About 6,000 mangroves seedlings were planted at Sopu, in Nuku'alofa, under the 1 Million Trees project of the Department of Environment and Climate Change and NGO Tonga Citizens Science Initiative.

Tonga faces permanent losses from sea level rise and is at risk from a seismic events, a new multi-hazard report finds. The 2023 Multi-Hazard Disaster Risk Assessment was launched by Tonga’s Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Samiu Vaipulu and the Minister of Finance, Hon. Tiofilusi Tiuteti, and ADB Disaster Risk Management Specialist, Alexandra Galperin on in Nuku’alofa on 6 July.

A Deep Sea Mining Assessment commissioned by the Civil Society Forum of Tonga draws attention to the environmental risks and liabilities of deep sea mining.

On May 12, some 3,000 mangroves were planted at three different coastal areas in the western district of Tongatapu, under Tonga's Second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to plant one million trees by the end of 2023, administered by the Department of Climate Change.