Voutmélé palms small palms endemic to the Cumberland Peninsula on Santo. This species has relatively small individuals and grows in small colonies. It commonly grows between 900m - 1200m elevation and in volcanic soils.
This report documents and reviews the results of plant diversity surveys of mangrove vegetation
conducted during 2012 by Dr Norm Duke in collaboration with five MESCAL country teams in
Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. Work in each country involved team training,
support and consultation, as well as the compilation and preliminary review of data gathered.
2) Data presented in this report includes species keys and checklists for each country, noting a
number of significant new discoveries for most. Success was measured not only by these new
Dahl (1980 & 1986) lists the following wetland habitats as occurring in Vanuatu:
• permanent lake (Ambae, Ambrym, Efate, Epi, Espiritu Santo, Gaua, Maewo, Malekula, Tanna and
Thion);
• hot springs with algae (Efate);
• freshwater swamp and marsh (Anatom, Efate, Epi, Erromango, Espiritu Santo, Gaua, Maewo, Tanna
and Thion);
• mountain streams (common);
• lowland rivers (common);
• riverine forest on alluvial soils;
• swamp forest (Efate, Malekula and Espiritu Santo);
• non-tidal salt marsh (Loh);
The two studies reported in this chapter have both concluded that there are substantial benefits to be enjoyed by Australians as a result of forest conservation initiatives in Vanuatu. The magnitude of these benefits more than eclipses the costs born by the ni-Vanuatu landowners because of foregone extractive use income. From a global perspective, there are clear net benefits to be gained from forest conservation in Vanuatu. To ensure intragenerational equity, it is important for the ni-Vanuatu landowners to be adequately compensated for the costs they incur as a result of conservation.
Wetlands are among the world’s most productive (and threatened) ecosystems and the
services that they provide to humanity are significant. In order to effectively conserve and
manage wetlands, a first step is to document and understand their distribution and status
through conducting detailed baseline wetland inventories. Across the Pacific region, The
Directory of Wetlands in Oceania 1993 documented available information on the distribution,
status and values of wetlands in Pacific Island Countries and Territories, however, much of
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.