Vanuatu NAB Search
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This UNDP-supported, GEF-LDCF funded project, "Vanuatu Coastal Adaptation Project (VCAP)", is working to build resilience through improved infrastructure, sustained livelihoods, and increased food production.
These efforts (with National Government as Key Collaborators) aim to improve the quality of life in targeted vulnerable areasor communities in the coastal zone of the island nation.
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World Fisheries Day is celebrated annually on November 21. The annual event recognises the importance of our fisheries whether it’s coastal or offshore. Additionally, it is a call for restoration of some of our degraded ecosystems that support important fisheries. One of which is seagrass. Seagrass is an important blue carbon ecosystem providing ecosystem goods and services such as carbon storage, shoreline protection, food security, tourism revenue and water quality. It is a highly efficient carbon sink, storing up to 18 per cent of the world’s oceanic carbon. According to the UN, twenty-one per cent of seagrass species are categorized as Near Threatened, Vulnerable and Endangered Species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Furthermore, it is estimated that 7 per cent of this key marine habitat is being lost worldwide per year.<br>
Seagrass in the Pacific<br>
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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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News
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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Van-KIRAP technical report on Marine Heat Waves - "Van-KIRAP technical report on Marine Heat Waves"
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Component 1: Institutional Strengthening for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management ($3.15m). This component builds on the planned establishment of the National Advisory Board for Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change (NAB). The project would complement the staffing and functional roles of the NAB-secretariat/PMU, through three sub-components that provide “start-up” support and guidance needed to operationalize the project management functions including development of guidelines/approaches for implementing climate adaptation projects/programs at national and community levels, support the restructured NDMO and strengthen early warning systems.
Component 2: Increasing Community Resilience on Active Volcanic Islands and in Coastal Areas ($2.5m). This component would seek to pilot ways to increase the ability of national, regional and community-level stakeholders to work together to enhance disaster and climate resilience in rural communities through two linked sub-components. Support would be sequenced to firstly, increase capacity at a national and provincial level; and secondly, pilot resilient community development through integrated community and ecosystem-based adaptation and disaster risk management activities.
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The project seeks to strengthen existing systems both within Live & Learn, Government Agencies and the Ranputor community to increase resilience to the shocks of climate change in Vanuatu. Live & Learn will use existing resources developed in water management, river care, food security, forest-management and good governance to support a holistic approach to ecosystems-based adaptation. The Departments of Fisheries, Agriculture and Forestry will be engaged in specific activities during the project increasing their capacity to respond to community vulnerabilities on a systems-level. For Ranputor itself, existing governance systems, institutions and customary practices will be empowered through the funded activities to enhance communities’ resilience to climate change.
The project will focus on three key areas:
(i) Governance and strengthening of social systems for long term project sustainability and social resilience (ii) Ridge to Reef conservation work as example of ecosystems-based resilience (ii) Food Security work to bring in other Pentecost communities and to make connection between ecosystems and food.
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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
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PEBACC is a five year project funded by the German Government, implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to explore and promote ecosystem-based options for adapting to climate change. The overall intended outcome of the project is: EbA is integrated into development, climate change adaptation responses, and natural resource management policy and planning processes in three Pacific island countries (Vanuatu, Fiji and Solomon Islands) providing replicable models for other countries in the region.
Overall Goal:
· Natural adaptation solutions are fully integrated into development, climate change adaptation and NRM policy and planning processes in four ecologically and geographically diverse Pacific island countries, also providing replicable models for other countries in the region, and is successfully demonstrated through implementation at national, provincial and local levels.The project will employ staff in Vanuatu; In addition to a SPREP Officer who will be the Vanuatu component project leader for this project and may be based in Vanuatu; One or two locally hired positions will directly support the project implementation and develop linkages to other projects and programmes, it is proposed that a locally hired position will be located within the SPC-GIZ CCCPIR.
Relevant projects and strategy to avoid duplication:
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Progress to date and current activities:
C-CAP mobilized to the region in November 2012, working primarily to establish its headquarters office in Port Moresby, and satellite office in Suva; hire staff; and finalize work plans in consultation with project subcontractor University of the South Pacific, Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development (PACE-SD) and partners in regional governments.
After designing a Community Engagement Methodology that encompasses a project introduction, climate change risk mapping and vulnerable infrastructure identification, C-CAP piloted the training in four Papua New Guinea communities and two Fijian villages. C-CAP is in the process of planning implementation of the methodology in Vanuatu and Samoa, slated for January 2013.
Over the course of the year, C-CAP plans to work in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Vanuatu and rehabilitate/build new social, economic, and/or water infrastructure in one province/district and five communities in each country. At the end of 2013, C-CAP will continue disaster risk reduction and land use planning activities in these communities, and will identify 10-15 additional communities in each country to support.
Background:
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PACC Vanuatu
THEMATIC AREA: COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT"Demonstrating the integration of climate change risk reduction in road design in Epi, Shefa Province"Climate Change has brought increased precipitation and stronger storm surges to Vanuatu. As a result, flooding and coastal erosion have damaged national roads around Epi. This is despite regular maintenance and rehabilitation by government. The PACC Project will assist the Government of Vanuatu and key stakeholders in the island of Epi to relocate and re-design the national roads, to increase resilience to these climate change related risks.
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Climate Change long VanuatuVanuatu i stap experiencem ol rabis impak blongclimate change finis. Ol kaontri long Pacific nao olimoa sensitive long ol envaeronmental problem mo tuyumi no kat enuf risos blong dil wetem ol problem ia.So far yumi lonfg Vanuatu yumi stap lukim ol impakolsem sea leve rise, jenj long amaon mo taem blongren we i foldaon, damaj long ol strongfala cylcone ,disis mo sik long ol animol mo plant, lak blong drinkingwota mo plante moa.‘Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific IslandRegion (CCCPIR)’ projek hemi wantem helpem olman Vanuatu blong oli save adapt long climatechange. Projek ia hemi karem mani long the FederalRepublic of Germany mo Federal Ministry forEconomic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Olwok hemi keri aot by GIZ we i stap wok klosap wetemSPC mo SPREP. Lo region, projek ia hemi laen gudwetem Pacific Island Framework for Action on ClimateChange 2006‐2015 (PIFACC) mo long nasonel level istap sapotem Priority Action Agenda (PAA) blonggavmen blong Vanuatu.
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The ‘Coping with climate change in the Pacific Island Region (CCCPIR)’ programme aims to strengthen the capacities of Pacific member countries and regional organisations to cope with the impacts of climate change. The programme is funded by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented through GIZ working in partnership with SPC and SPREP.
The programme commenced its activities in 2009 working with Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu. In 2011 the program was expanded to another nine Pacific Island Countries, namely the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and the duration has been extended until 2019. The programme brief available at http://www.spc.int/lrd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=478&Itemid=44 gives further details.
At the regional level, the programme aligns with the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific (FRDP). The programme will support countries in implementing key strategic priorities in the area of climate change including, where relevant, their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Programmes for Action (NAPA), National Communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and other relevant national strategies, polices and plans.
The overall objective of the programme is that ‘the capacities of regional organisations in the Pacific Islands region and its member states to adapt to climate change and mitigate its causes are strengthened’. This objective will be achieved through six components highlighted below.
Component 1: Strengthening regional advisory and management capacity
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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 Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC) in collaboration with the IFRC and American Red Cross has received an award from USAID/OFDA to design and test a set of tools and services to assist RCRC National Societies and their partners to create effective city coalitions on community resilience, targeting climate smart resilience and coastal risk reduction in particular. The idea is that the RCRC National Societies would convene relevant partner organizations in lasting coalitions to focus citywide expertise, capabilities, and resources on priority risks facing vulnerable communities in the city. The coalitions are intended to complement existing urban governance processes led by local government and draw wider support from the business community, universities, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders into citywide civic engagement on community resilience.
"Coastal Cities face a high risk from increasingly costly flooding from sea level rise amid climate change. Their current defenses will not be enough as the water level rises."
By focusing on priority risks, the coalition can target those risks and threats of greatest concern. With the support of diverse coalition members, the coalitions can identify solutions and interventions to address the priority risks and bundle the solutions into local campaigns to engage local communities and link the efforts of individuals, households, businesses, community and local organization, and local governments.
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The Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC) in collaboration with the IFRC and American Red Cross has received an award from USAID/OFDA to design and test a set of tools and services to assist RCRC National Societies and their partners to create effective city coalitions on community resilience, targeting climate smart resilience and coastal risk reduction in particular. The idea is that the RCRC National Societies would convene relevant partner organizations in lasting coalitions to focus citywide expertise, capabilities, and resources on priority risks facing vulnerable communities in the city. The coalitions are intended to complement existing urban governance processes led by local government and draw wider support from the business community, universities, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders into citywide civic engagement on community resilience.
"Coastal Cities face a high risk from increasingly costly flooding from sea level rise amid climate change. Their current defenses will not be enough as the water level rises."
By focusing on priority risks, the coalition can target those risks and threats of greatest concern. With the support of diverse coalition members, the coalitions can identify solutions and interventions to address the priority risks and bundle the solutions into local campaigns to engage local communities and link the efforts of individuals, households, businesses, community and local organization, and local governments.
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Project Components:
To enhance disaster preparedness and resilience in the selected city of Luganville – especially in response to the risks associated with climate change – through improved public engagement on resilience.
The project will do this by helping the participating coastal cities in the country to identify and address their top risks to community. This will increase resilience and by strengthening household resilience township wide.
Creation or strengthening of a city-level resilience coalition with a diverse range of partner organizations in each city.
Creation of a set of support services to support the work of the coalitions.
Implementation:
Project will be implemented by the Vanuatu Red Cross Society working in collaboration with the Luganville Municipality, Luganville NGO and Civil Societies, Luganville business houses and its communities.
The project will be funding 5 local positions based in Santo and one part time local position in Port Vila
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The project will involve a participatory process to identify and implement climate change adaptation measures, through the use of gender sensitive data gathering tools; specific location/areas for implementing adaptation measures and project sites will be identified during the project design phase in close consultation with relevant stakeholders. The project will increase the climate resilience of poor communities living on the selected island. The project will focus on combining soft ecosystem-based, gray-green and hard interventions while also building on existing activities of other relevant projects.
Enabling communities to increase their capacity to adapt to ongoing and uncertain changes requires active collaboration among government, partner agencies, CSOs, and particularly vulnerable and marginalized groups, in developing and delivering community-based adaptation and risk reduction programmes. Involving communities early onwards will lead to increased ownership of selected adaptation interventions and ensure that priority issues are being targeted. It will also ensure that local knowledge is being incorporated in the projects approach.
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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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In 2013, the Government of Vanuatu and UNDP requested technical assistance from the USAID funded Adapt Asia-Pacific Project to support four specialists, including an International Gender Advisor, to prepare the “Adaptation to Climate Change in the Coastal Zone in Vanuatu Project” (VCAP). The USAID Adapt Advisors worked closely with the UNDP funded consultants and staff from all implementing partner (IP) agencies including the Ministry of Climate Change (MCC), the Department of Local Authorities (DLA), the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Vanuatu Meteorological and Geohazards Department (VMGD) in preparing the project. In-country design work, including visits to all proposed V-CAP sites, was carried out in late 2013.
The aim of the project is: “To improve the resilience of the coastal zone in Vanuatu to the impacts of climate change in order to sustain livelihoods, food production and preserve/improve the quality of life in targeted vulnerable areas”.
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