A new conservation initiative in Solomon Islands is hoping to show rural communities in Malaita Province that there are alternatives to logging.
Academics and conservation groups have set up the Ma'asina Greenbelt Initiative in the province's Are Are and Kwaio regions.
One of the project's founders, Edgar Pollard, told Koroi Hawkins he was approached by community leaders while undertaking research on Malaita.
He said the communities wanted to develop without destroying their forests.