Future Management Plans for SagoThe

Future Management Plans for Sago
The future management plans for Sago are based on the recently completed Sago recovery plan (2010–2015) prepared by NatureFiji-MareqetiViti which was endorsed by the Fiji Department of Environment in June 2010 (NFMV2010). The sustainable harvesting approach rather than outright prohibition recommended in the recovery plan is not without its critics who believe that if Sago is as rare as is claimed, its use must be banned. While simple in theory, in reality in the face of a steadily increasing human population, absence of indigenous cultural values/uses of Sago and the demand for the accessible but marginal areas where Sago is found, Sago will not survive unless there is a use or a market for it, except in some strictly protected sites. Hence, NatureFiji-MareqetiViti’s recommended conservation approach, which is to stimulate the market for thatch,but by using sustainable harvesting methods.