Nature in Vanuatu

Vanuatu is a volcanic archipelago with strong differences between northern and southern islands and between individual catchments. Its natural areas include lowland and mountain rainforest, freshwater systems, beaches and offshore ocean, mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs. About 98% of the country's area is ocean according to the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. Nature remains relatively intact in many places, but information is incomplete for small and remote islands. Local endemism and subspecies diversity are high even though total biodiversity is moderate by global comparison. Protection combines formal law with customary governance. A Community Conservation Area (CCA) is a locally managed conservation site supported by a community, customary landowners and public agencies. CCA registration uses a registration form, a management plan and an annual report; the reviewed form lists no registration fee and publishes no fixed processing period. Chiefs and customary landowners can apply customary rules, including tabu or taboo areas where access or harvesting is restricted. Community-based fisheries management may close coastal areas or limit particular species, gear, seasons or collection methods. Access therefore depends on the island, the site and local consent rather than on one nationwide access rule. The Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation (DEPC) works with the Vanuatu Fisheries Department, Department of Forests, provinces, communities and customary landowners. Relevant legal frameworks include the National Parks Act Cap 224, the Fisheries Act 10 of 2014 and the Environmental Protection and Conservation Act Cap 283. The DEPC biodiversity mapping includes marine protected areas, marine reserves, conservation areas, forest protected or conservation areas, recreation reserves, mangroves, Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) and Important Bird Areas. A KBA is a site that meets scientific criteria for globally significant biodiversity. A Special Unique Marine Area (SUMA) identifies marine areas with particular ecological or conservation value. Published figures describe different inventories and dates and should not be treated as one current national total. A 2018 baseline recorded four formal protected areas in the World Database on Protected Areas, covering about 98 square kilometres and roughly 1% of land. A DEPC inventory recorded three formal forest areas and one mangrove area covering about 11,000 hectares, while the coastal and marine figure was about 45 square kilometres. A 2025 ministry report recorded 13 mapped conservation areas, three species assessments, three management plans developed or revised and 2.5 hectares rehabilitated. The ECARE programme, operating since July 2023 in Sanma, Malampa and Shefa, supports representative protected-area networks and work involving KBAs, SUMAs and CCAs. Lake Letas on Gaua is Vanuatu's first Ramsar Site, designated on 15 September 2023 and covering 8,248 hectares. It is a geothermal freshwater wetland associated with Mount Garet's caldera and the Solomul catchment. The site contains recorded crustacean and fish diversity, including the Vanuatu-endemic gobies Schismatogobius vanuatuensis and Stiphodon astilbos. Customary ownership, a CCA and a management plan shape its use. Eel and prawn harvesting and small-scale nature tourism occur within that local setting. Species requiring conservation attention include Vanuatu and Banks flying foxes, the Collared Petrel or Tekerkark, Vanuatu Petrel, megapode or Namalau, green, hawksbill and leatherback turtles, dugongs, coconut crabs, giant clams and the crocodile of Vanua Lava. Plant and marine resources include Carpoxylon macrospermum, Neolalage banksiana, Santalum austrocaledonicum, Endospermum medullosum, kava, Turbo marmoratus, Trochus niloticus and Panulirus species. CITES obligations apply to international trade in species and products such as turtles, dugongs, flying foxes, giant clams, coral, humphead wrasse and oceanic whitetip sharks. Species status can differ locally, especially on remote islands, so a national label does not replace site-specific advice. Natural-resource use supports fishing, farming, construction, medicine, transport, food, income and kastom practices. The Department of Forests promotes sustainable forest use, forest management plans, research, plantations and agroforestry. The Fisheries Department uses community-based coastal management and may control species, fishing gear, areas and seasons. A declared tabu area, closed inshore area, marine reserve, sanctuary or community protected area can restrict fishing or ornamental collection. Under the Fisheries Regulations 28/2009, a closed-area violation can carry a maximum penalty of VT 10,000,000 for an individual or VT 50,000,000 for a body corporate. Main pressures include rainforest, freshwater and mangrove loss from agriculture and development; overharvesting, hunting and collection; and local pressure on coconut crabs, green snails, trochus, lobsters, flying foxes and giant clams. Invasive species include little fire ants on the Banks Islands, rats, feral pigs, Mikania, Merremia, water hyacinth, Indian mynas and giant African snails. Cyclones, volcanic activity, drought and climate change can damage ecosystems and restrict access. Infrastructure and tourism can conflict with habitat protection, while subsistence or commercial harvesting can conflict with conservation or recreation. Research and bioprospecting can also raise questions about traditional knowledge, community consent and benefit-sharing. Nature-based activities listed by the Vanuatu Tourism Office include bushwalks, waterfalls, river kayaking, volcanoes, hot springs, birdwatching at Vatthe, turtle tagging on Moso and reef or lagoon visits. Access commonly depends on transport, weather, local guides, site permits and customary landowner consent. The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department's alerts should be checked before visiting volcanoes or remote sites. For example, East Epi has a 2-kilometre danger zone at Alert Level 1 on the volcano alert scale from 0 to 5. Evacuation and disaster management belong to the disaster topic; here the relevant issue is the effect on ecosystems, site access and visitor safety. DEPC supports provincial outreach, biodiversity assessments, CCA facilitation, monitoring, school materials, community field days and events connected with National Environment Week, World Environment Day, Ocean Day and Wetlands Day. Environmental education can combine curriculum materials, model schools, local knowledge and kastom conservation practices. Documentation should protect the knowledge rather than expose information that communities regard as restricted. An Environmental Permit may be required for an environmentally relevant project. DEPC can conduct a Preliminary Environmental Assessment (PEA), including a site visit and consultation with agencies and communities. Depending on the findings, the applicant may need an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and an Environmental Management and Monitoring Plan (EMMP), prepared with a registered consultant and reviewed by an EIA Review Committee. The application fee is VT 20,000 and an EIA report fee is VT 100,000; consultant and review costs are additional. The PEA outcome is case-specific, and no fixed nationwide processing period is published. DEPC states that more than 90% of applications are decided at the PEA stage. Bioprospecting covers biodiversity samples, genetic resources, derivatives and associated traditional knowledge. An application to the DEPC Director identifies the applicant and beneficiaries, location and scope, resources or knowledge involved, timing, sampling, commercial research plans and confidentiality needs. Commercial proposals may also require a research proposal, code of ethics, institutional or focal-agency letters, payment, landowner or community support, a binding agreement and provincial information. The application costs VT 50,000 plus a refundable information bond of VT 100,000. The Biodiversity Advisory Council meets within at least 21 days, and the Director gives written notice within at least 14 days. Importing foreign organisms that could cause substantial adverse impacts also requires a permit. Violations of the environmental law can lead to a fine of up to VT 50,000,000, imprisonment for up to five years, or both. There is no verified nationwide Nature Pass, no reliable current total for all customary, tabu, CCA and marine areas, and no uniform national nature-site tariff. A practical assessment therefore starts with the specific island, site, customary authority, public agency, activity and season. Formal protected status, customary permission, a fisheries closure, an environmental permit and a tourism payment are separate matters and should not be treated as interchangeable.