The coral reefs of Vanuatu contribute to rural incomes, nutrition, shoreline protection and, more
importantly, self reliance for the people of Vanuatu, particularly coastal communities. However, there
are relatively few extensive shallow water reefs surrounding the 80 high islands in the Vanuatu
archipelago. Inner reef areas are limited to narrow fringing reefs and reef platforms surrounding
islands and a few lagoons and barrier reefs, totalling an area of approximately 408 km2 (Bell & Amos,
This report documents findings from the program of works for 2012-2013 directed by Dr Norm Duke with the MESCAL Vanuatu Technical Working Group involving their training, support and consultation, prescription of methodology and approach, as well as the compilation and assessment of data received.
The coral reef communities of Vanuatu have been little studied and nothing has been previously published on
We found the following total economic values for the nine ecosystem services (ES1–ES9, figure A) in the two mangrove
systems:
• In Crab Bay in 2012, mangroves (136.5 hectares) produced ES worth an estimated Vt53 million (equivalent to US$586
000). This total comprised ES values ranging from Vt36 million to Vt70 million.
• In Eratap in 2012, the mangroves (31.2 hectares) produced ES worth an estimated Vt24 million (equivalent to US$266
000). This total comprised ES values ranging from Vt17 million to Vt31 million.
Mangrove ecosystems play an extremely important role in our communities because of the goods that they provide in the production of wood for fuel and construction, the invertebrates and finfish for subsistence and commercial fisheries but also the services provided in coastal protection from storm surges, bioremediation, sediment trapping and carbon sequestration in mangrove soils mitigating climate change.
The Tagabe Catchment is of high conservation value due to the high endemism. Vanuatu has six plant
species on the IUCN Red List, three of which are in Tagabe Catchment, which makes its protection
even more critical. The taboo has allowed for the replenishment of commercially important finfish
and invertebrate species. The Blacksands community has adapted to the taboo by changing their
fishing grounds and methods so that they are fishing further offshore. The findings are important to
establish baseline targets under the current state of the catchment.
In conclusion, major mangrove vegetation boundaries which are, back boundary species, normal high water mark and off-shore mangrove boundary, Amal Area and Crab bay on Malekula and Eratap on Efate have been positioned and established for future monitoring purposes. Future monitoring objectives would be to determine if sea level is rising within the mangrove pilot sites and also change detection of mangrove vegetation within the three pilot sites.
L’inventaire est donné à l’Annexe I, et la totalité des échantillons a été étudiée. 90 % des
taxons ont pu être identifiés au niveau de l’espèce. Parmi les 10 % restant, au moins 7 espèces
sont encore inédites.
On compte 284 espèces dont 8 phanérogames marines, et 4 cyanobactéries. Les 272 espèces
d’algues se répartissent en 164 Rhodophyta, 82 Chlorophyta et 26 Ochrophyta.
The Republic of Vanuatu is an island nation located in the Western Pacific Ocean. The country is an
archipelago of over 80 islands stretching 1,300 kilometres from North to South. Vanuatu’s terrain is
mostly mountainous, with narrow coastal plains larger islands are characterised by rugged volcanic
peaks and tropical rainforests. Vanuatu is located in a seismically and volcanically active region and
has high exposure to geologic hazards, including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis and
landslides.
The herpetofauna of Vanuatu is unique for its lack or scarcity of several widespread Pacific island gecko species (Gehyra mutilata, Hemidactylus garnotii and Hemiphyllodactylus typus). Other Vanuatu species include widespread Pacific species (Gehyra oceanica, Emoia caeruleocauda, E. cyanura, E. impar, Lipinia noctua, Laticauda colubrina, L. laticaudata, and Pelamis platura), southern species which are absent north of the archipelago (L. buleli), species with Solomon affinities (Gekko vittatus, Lepidodactylus guppyi, Nactus multicarinatus, Emoia
Climate change is the most critical existential threat of our time, and its adverse impacts
pose significant threats to the sustainable livelihoods and wellbeing of Vanuatu’s people.
It is against this critical conditions that Vanuatu urges committed global action against climate
change. Most importantly this will also entail strengthening the implementation of the
Paris Agreement and limiting global temperature rise to 1.5⁰C above the pre-industrial level.
Vanuatu’s Third National Communication is an essential document for Vanuatu to fulfill its
Dilapidated transport routes, unsafe power grids, buildings in a state of disrepair: During extreme natural events, a fragile infrastructure can have grave consequences for the local population, for whom it represents a direct threat. In addition, it delays the effective potential for those affected to help themselves and impedes humanitarian relief provided by the local authorities or from abroad. Usually, the challenges that relief agencies face are on the “last mile”
Resilient community water supply (i.e. a continuously safe and secure supply) is constantly being challenged by limited and fragile water resources at the mercy of natural hazards such as cyclones, droughts, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and the impacts of climate variability and change. Small communities spread over vast distances, and limited human and financial resources to reach out to these communities add to their vulnerability.
Orthoptera are world-wide distributed insects easily recognized by their enlarged hindlegs, adapted to jump, and by their forewings, which cover the dorsal and the lateral sides of the body. They include two infraorders, Caelifera (short- horned Orthoptera) and Ensifera (long-horned Orthoptera), subdivided into several major taxonomic groups.
The exploration of Santo surface freshwater habitats undertaken in 2006 revealed a second example of the colonisation of island freshwater habitats by a predominantly marine group: this time an isopod belonging to the basically marine family Sphaeromatidae. Isopods are a diverse group of crustaceans containing terrestrial forms, such as woodlice, as well as freshwater and marine forms. Some species are even parasitic on shrimp hosts and
exhibit highly modified body shapes.
Vanuatan ground beetle tribe Platynini has been revised recently by Liebherr as represented by 11 species, five of them recorded on Santo. We identified so far six species, three of which are new island records of described species and one — of apparently undescribed one. Twenty one species of anthribids from Saratsi Range and camp site have been sorted so far. The entire Vanuatu fauna is represented by nine species, and only five of them are known from
Santo.
Vanuatu is warming and is expected to warm throughout the 21st century. Future rates of warming are clouded
by current models’ inability to simulate very localized changes but, warming is expected to be in the range of
0.7°C–2.9°C depending on the 21st century rate of global emissions.
• Natural variability between years, even decades, ensure short- and medium-term rainfall changes are difficult
to detect and project into the future. Further research is urgently required to develop models better suited to
modelling the future climate of Pacific Islands.
Vanuatu’s contribution to man-made global emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHG)
is minute by international standards. Most emissions come from the combustion of
fuels for transport and electricity generation, with carbon dioxide the predominant
GHG emitted. Given the small proportion of the population with ready access to
transport and electric supplies, the importance of expanding these services for
economic and social development, and the dependence of Vanuatu on imported
There is increasing recognition of traditional knowledge as an important store of information and practices for
building adaptive capacity for climate change in the Pacific. However, empirical research and documentation of
how Pacific Islanders experience climate change, identify relevant adaptation options, and mobilize their
adaptive capacity, including traditional knowledge, remains limited. Given this context, indigenous islander
perspectives on traditional knowledge and its role in building their adaptive capacity are examined in this article.
Water has been high on the agenda at international sustainability forums for over a decade. During the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 the international community re-confirmed support for the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. By 2015:
To half the number of people without access to basic sanitation
To half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.