Vanuatu NAB Search
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Starting Situation
Seagrass, mangroves and salt marshes sequester carbon at rates up to 66 times faster than terrestrial forests and store up to 5 times more carbon per hectare. Pacific Island Countries (PICs) possess significant Seagrass and Mangrove (SaM) resources, providing further ecosystem services related to shoreline protection, food security, tourism revenue and water quality. Habitat loss has been increasing rapidly, yet no adequate baselines exist to determine extent of habitats, rates of loss, or design of targeted management solutions. Methods for the assessment of carbon stocks and emissions in SaM areas exist since 2012, but have not been applied consistently to SaM areas in PICs. Policy makers and researchers note the urgent need to collect nationally relevant SaM data based on consistent methods, that ensure transparency and traceability to mitigate the loss of the world’s coastal carbon sinks and reduce the decline of coastal biodiversity.
Short Project Description
In close collaboration with national and regional partners (SPREP, SPC, USP, CSIRO, CIFOR) and the “Blue Planet” Initiative within the global Group on Earth Observations (GEO), the project will be mapping the SaM status in each of the 4 partner countries, and will assess related carbon storage capacity and ecosystem services. Resulting national inventories of SaM habitats, and associated blue carbon sinks and ecosystem service values will support government partners and policy makers in their efforts to strategically develop and implement conservation, management and rehabilitation efforts. Governments will be assisted to establish nationally appropriate incentives for sustainable management and rehabilitation efforts based on the quantification and documentation of SaM carbon stocks and the resulting emission reductions as part of NDCs and National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs).
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The “Committing to Sustainable Waste Actions in the Pacific” referred to hereafter as SWAP project aims to improve sanitation, environmental, social, and economic conditions in Pacific Island countries and territories through proper waste management.
To achieve this, the overall work focuses on three streams of wastes: used oil, marine debris, disaster wastes and an overarching issue on sustainable financing mechanisms.
Six countries and territories benefit from this overall project which include Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna.
Marine litter is one of the main issues that the SWAP project tries to address as Pacific islands are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of marine debris, due to the particular value and sensitivity of their coastal environments. A report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation has revealed that there are now over 150 million tonnes of plastics in the oceans. That's about one tonne of plastics for every three tonnes of fish. If the trend continues, plastics will outweigh fish in the oceans by 2050.
As behaviour change is a priority in order to address this problem of marine litter in a sustainable way, the SWAP project has produced a video to raise awareness of the problem of marine litter: ‘PLASTIC PARADISE’. This video is available in English and French as well as Fijian, Samoan, Pidgin, Tongan and Bislama.
This video is the intellectual property of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), and therefore may be used for educational or non-profit services without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. SPREP would appreciate receiving information on the use of the video: audience, purpose, etc. by completing this ‘SPREP/SWAP Marine Litter Awareness Video Use Request Form’.
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IUCN Marine & Coastal Biodiversity in Pacific Islands Countries & Atolls Project (MACBIO) is supporting the Vanuatu Government achieve sustainable management of ecosystems and marine resources in country. Natural resources in marine and coastal areas are of high importance for Vanuatu and sustain the livelihoods of coastal communities. However, the need to use marine resources sustainably is not well reflected in national planning processes, due in part to insufficient information regarding their economic value and lack of concerted marine spatial planning.
MACBIO project 2013-2018 aims to help Vanuatu to meet their commitments under the CBD Strategic Plan 2011-2020 and the relevant Aichi targets, including the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (POWPA) and the Programme of Work on Island Biodiversity (POWIB) Specifically, the project aims to enhance ecosystem-based management and support more effectively managed marine resources which should lead to more resilient coastal and marine economies, more sustainable use of marine biodiversity, and will contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as securing and strengthening local livelihoods. Tried and tested concepts and instruments will be adopted in Vanuatu.
The MACBIO project is being implemented by GIZ with technical support from IUCN-Oceania in close collaboration with SPREP.
. The IUCN components of the project aim to achieve the following outcome and outputs:
Outputs (specific project goals):
An ocean-wide policy and spatial planning framework
Project
The National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy was spearheaded by the Environment Unit (now the Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation) in 1999. English and Bislama versions are provided in a single PDF.
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The Government of Vanuatu has decided to develop an oceans policy, which aligns with recommendations from theCommonwealth Secretariat.This report summarises the main findings1 of an analysis and assessment of 69 instruments of legislation andsubordinate policies and plans that are relevant to management and use of Vanuatu’s territorial waters and thereforerelevant to the development of the national oceans policy. The review of Vanuatu’s legislation, policies, strategies andplans relating to oceans management is part of the Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Management in Pacific IslandCountries (MACBIO) project.The approach to the review involved an analytical framework comprising three components:1. Individual analysis of legislation, policies, strategies and plans;2. Integration of individual analyses into an assessment table for comparative analysis and assessment; and3. A report which provides an assessment narrative based on the individual analyses and the information from theassessment table.
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Vanuatu Marine Ecosystem Service Valuation SUMMARY & Final report
This study,conducted in 2015, aimed to determine the economic value of seven marine and coastal ecosystem services in Vanuatu. The study forms part of the broader MACBIO project (Marine and Coastal Biodiversity Management in Pacific Island Countries and Atolls) that aims to strengthen the management of marine and coastal biodiversity in Pacific island countries.
The role that natural ecosystems, especially marine ecosystems, play in human wellbeing is often overlooked or taken for granted. The benefits humans receive from ecosystems, called ecosystem services, are often hidden because markets do not directly reveal their value – nature provides these benefits for free. Failure to recognize the role that marine ecosystems play in supporting livelihoods, economic activity, and human wellbeing has, in many instances, led to inequitable and unsustainable resource management decisions.
Coastal and marine resources provide Ni-Vanuatu businesses, households, and government many real and measurable benefits. The exclusive economic zone of Vanuatu, nearly 700,000 square kilometers of ocean, is more than 50 times larger than the country’s land area. This report, describes, quantifies and, where sufficient data is available, estimates the economic value of many of Vanuatu’s marine and coastal ecosystem services, in an effort to inform sustainable and equitable management decisions and support national marine spatial planning.
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The Project, Mangrove Ecosystems for Climate Change Adaptations and Livelihoods (MESCAL), coordinated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Oceania Regional Office (ORO) is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). MESCAL involves five countries: Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. The project is based at the IUCN ORO in Suva, Fiji within the Water and Wetlands Programme. It is managed by a Project Management Unit (PMU) currently consisting of one coordinator and three support staff. MESCAL started in December 2009 with the country component ending December 2013, although the IUCN component is extended to December 2014.
A mid-term review (MTR) was carried out from 22 January to 11 March, 2013 by Dr Kenneth T MacKay, an environmental consultant with considerable experience and familiarity with the Pacific Islands, mangrove projects, and monitoring and evaluation.
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The Invasive Species Flipchart is designed to support community groups working to address the issue of invasive species in Vanuatu. These groups can include farmers, NGOs and other agencies. Government ministries, high schools, universities and colleges may also find the chart useful.
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The Invasive Species Media Guide targets journalists, reporters, photographers, environmental writers and other people working within, or having an interest in, media and communication roles in Vanuatu. It aims to heighten awareness within the media and communications sector about the issue of invasive species in Vanuatu.
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With this project IUCN Oceania seeks to address the key challenges of mangrove management to increase the resilience of the Pacific people to climate change and improve livelihoods.
THE PROJECTWith the MESCAL project IUCN Oceania seeks to address the key challenges of mangrove management to increase the resilience of the Pacific people to climate change and improve livelihoods. By working with five Pacific Island Countries (Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Tonga) IUCN Oceania will promote an adaptive co-management approach as well as the restoration of mangrove ecosystems.
BACKGROUNDPacific Islanders are at the forefront of climate change; experiencing its varying impacts on coastlines, biodiversity, economy and most importantly on livelihoods. The conservation of mangroves and associated ecosystems is a key natural adaptation strategy and mitigation measure to climate change. Mangrove ecosystems provide goods and services highly valued by the people of the Pacific. However, this unique ecosystem faces continuing threats from overharvesting, degradation and land reclamation.
SITUATIONProtection of mangrove ecosystems will in turn safeguard the livelihoods of Pacific Island communities, especially for coastal dwellers. Weak governance, disconnect between formal and traditional management systems, limited baseline information, weakening traditional management, lack of awareness and limited capacity are the key challenges of mangrove management in the Pacific.
DONORGerman Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) under its International Climate Initiative.
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Le changement climatique est l'un des sujets dont on parle le plus dans le monde parce qu'll affecte le quotidien de tous les habitants de la planete, y compris ceux qui vivent dans les iles du pacifique. Les scientifiques disent que lechangement climatique pourrait rendre les saisons chaudes plus longues et amener beacoup de pluies durant la saison humide.
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Climate Adaptation Methodology for Protected Areas (CAMPA) Coastal and Marine is designed to build the resilience of protected areas and associated ecosystems based on a thorough understanding of their vulnerability to climate change and a participatory agreement on the best ways to respond to these threats. With minor adjustments the methodology could be adapted to terrestrial and freshwater protected areas.
CAMPA does two main things:
• It provides practical and scientifically sound guidance to facilitate climate change vulnerability assessments of coastal and marine protected areas (CMPAs).
• Based on an understanding of that vulnerability, it then facilitates decisionmaking on the most appropriate adaptation actions.
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The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)2013-2021 is designed to safeguard the Earth’s biologically rich and most threatened regions known as biodiversity hotspots. It is a joint initiative of Conservation International (CI), l’AgencieFrancaise de Developpment (AFD), the European Union (EU), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Governemnt of Japan, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. CEPF is a unique funding mechanism in that it focuses on high-priority biological areas rather than political boundaries, and examines conservation threats on a landscape scale. It is from this perspective that CEPF seeks to address conservation needs through coordinated regional efforts. Its fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation. CEPF’s US$9 million investment in the East Melanesian Islands hotspot was launched in 2013 and will continue until 2021. As we near the mid-term phase of CEPF’s investment in EMI (2017)
Vanuatu has been identified to be within the East Melanesian Islands Hotspot The hotspot is one of the most biologically important regions in the planet in terms of species richness and especially endemism. CEPF’s investment will be targeted where it can make the greatest and most sustained contribution to the conservation of globally important biodiversity.
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Established in 2000, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is a globalleader in enabling civil society to participate in and influence the conservation ofsome of the world’s most critical ecosystems. CEPF is a joint initiative of l’AgenceFrançaise de Développement (AFD), Conservation International, the EuropeanUnion, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Government of Japan, theJohn D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. CEPF isunique among funding mechanisms in that it focuses on high-priority biologicalareas rather than political boundaries and examines conservation threats on alandscape scale. From this perspective, CEPF seeks to identify and support aregional, rather than a national, approach to achieving conservation outcomes andengages a wide range of public and private institutions to address conservationneeds through coordinated regional efforts.
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