Honiara, Solomon Islands – In an initiative to combat growing urban pollution and restore one of Honiara’s last remaining green spaces, a waste management initiative has been launched at the Honiara Botanical Garden in Solomon Islands.
This comes as a response to the inability of rapidly expanding cities to keep pace with the waste they generate. Honiara, like many other urban centres in the Pacific, faces a mix of population growth, limited infrastructure, and weak enforcement of environmental bylaws. These conditions have turned once pristine spaces like the Botanical Garden into dumping grounds.
“Waste management is one of the key challenges of the Honiara Botanical Garden, and we are thankful for PEBACC+ support to address this issue,” said Mr. Myknee Sirikolo, Director of the National Botanical Garden and Herbarium, Ministry of Forestry and Research. “This Garden is one of the last urban green spaces in Honiara City and must be protected.”
The initiative, which ran from 3 to 17 April 2025, was a joint effort led by the Pacific Ecosystem-based Adaptation to Climate Change (PEBACC+) Project, the Ministry of Forestry and Research, and the Honiara City Council. The PEBACC+ Project is implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and funded by the Kiwa Initiative and the French Facility for Global Environment.
And it aligns with the project’s objectives of supporting ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and nature-based solutions (NbS) at key sites, while also building the capacity of local communities to manage and sustain environmental improvements.

“We identified over 26 informal dumping sites within the Garden, used by nearby communities,” said Joanne Aihunu, PEBACC+ Country Coordinator, SPREP. “Some of these are massive and require urgent attention to restore the area’s health and safety.”
“What made this initiative different was its integrated, community-based approach. A total of 166 residents (64 men, 99 women and 21 youths) from the Lengakiki, Ngossi ridge, and Water Pump communities actively took part in consultations. Their hands-on involvement not only cleared waste but also established ownership and responsibility,” she added.

Key partners involved in the initiative include the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology, Zai Na Tina, and Cheroa Waste Management, working under a unified vision of a cleaner, greener Honiara.
The waste management initiative not only marks a significant environmental milestone but also serves as a model for sustainable urban development and climate resilience across Pacific Island nations.
The project is in the process of bringing in landscaping experts who will focus on restoring and improving the garden to support biodiversity, promote climate resilience, and establish the garden as a hub for education on sustainable environmental practices.
PEBACC+ is a regional project implemented by SPREP and funded by the Kiwa Initiative through its donors the European Union, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Global Affairs Canada, Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), with co-financing from French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM). This four-year project seeks to strengthen the resilience of ecosystems, economies, and communities to the impacts of climate change in Fiji, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The project will develop, sustain, and institutionalize Ecosystem-based Adaptation to climate change in these five countries and territories.
For more information, please contact: Setaita Tavanabola, Communications Officer, PEBACC+ Project, SPREP; email: setaitat@sprep.org or visit www.sprep.org/pebacc-plus