Ministerial Conference on
Environment and Development
in Asia and the Pacific 2000
Kitakyushu, Japan 31 August - 5 September 2000
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The Vatthe Conservation Area Big Bay, Espirito Santo, Vanuatu The Vatthe Conservation Area is located at the southern end of Big Bay on the island of Espirito Santo in Vanuatu. It is 2,276 hectares of lowland alluvial rainforest owned by the villages of Sara and Matantas. The Vatthe Conservation Area Project was initiated in 1994. The basic idea for the project began in 1993 during a biodiversity survey of the area by the Vanuatu Environment Unit in collaboration with the Royal Forest and Bird Conservation Society of New Zealand. During the study there was some discussion with the community on the idea of setting up a national park. The project was developed by the Environment Unit with very little discussion with the community. “The prime focus of the Environment Unit at this time was to access funds by meeting the donor’s (SPREP) requirements and deadlines. It was seen by the project management that full community involvement would have been premature as many issues were yet to be resolved.” As a result, the community had a poor understanding of the concept and goals of the Conservation Area. Most of the planned activities were not done because of a lack of commitment. A major, long-term land dispute between the two villages was initially seen as a serious problem for the project. Some of the other conflicts that supported the land dispute are listed in below.
The Environment Unit conducted a community needs assessment in 1994 that revealed the major community priorities to be water supply, education, community health, sanitation and communication. These were outside the donor guidelines, but the Environment Unit assisted by linking the villages with other government programmes to meet these needs. In 1995, as the community became more involved in the work plan and budget, several social problems began to resolve themselves. SPREP arranged a trip to Fiji for the landowners where the two conflicting groups were able to share new experiences and view the progress of other conservation areas together. The project planning sessions and discussions acted as a stimulus to make peace between the two villagers and in 1995 a traditional ceremony united the two villages in a common cause. By 1996, the communities had formed a Community Management Committee that began to assume control over work plans, activities and budget. Two conservation Support Officers were appointed by the Committee to work with the project manager on a part-time basis. By 1998, The community had built a small hotel with six bungalows and restaurant, installed a water supply system with fibreglass tanks and a roof catchment system, created three walking tours, a coconut crab hunt, a garden tour and custom dance. The project had trained local guides, established a handicraft centre, created two sub-committees (eco-tourism and conservation), and appointed a full time eco-tourism manager. The Vanuatu Energy Unit contributed solar powered lighting and the Department of Geology and Mines provided a new water well. A radio-telephone link was established with the main urban area to facilitate reservations. A forest fruit project and Alley cropping garden project has been established as a further source of income for the villages. Sources:Nari, R. 1997. Vatthe Conservation Area Project – The first three years. CasoLink (6) SPREP.Reti, I. 1998. South Pacific Biodiversity Conservation Programme Report of the Project Manager 1998. SPREP |
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