The Fiji Minister for Forests has pleaded with Suweni Villagers in Cakaudrove to protect the forest.
Rough sawn timber cut by villagers in Fiji after cyclone Winston. Photo: RNZI/Alex Perrottet
Osea Naiqamu said there was a growing tendency to harvest trees but there was no initiative to replant them.
Mr Naiqamu said the preservation of forests could help to fight climate change.
A manager from the Fiji Pine Trust, Pita Rokobiau, said the river the villagers depended on may not be there in the near future if they failed to preserve the forest
Mr Rokobiau said he had noticed the river's water level had dropped rapidly over the past two years.