The Clearing-House Mechanism of the Convention on Biological Diversity Document status Draft Generated on 08 AUG 2019 06:45 TH National Report for the Convention on 6Biological Diversity 1 Table of contents Section I. Information on the targets being pursued at the national level ................................................................ 3 Section II. Implementation measures, their effectiveness, and associated obstacles and scientific and technical needs to achieve national targets........................................................................................................................ 39 Section III. Assessment of progress towards each national target ....................................................................... 217 Section IV. Description of national contribution to the achievement of each global Aichi Biodiversity Target ......... 277 Section V. Description of the national contribution to the achievement of the targets of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation .................................................................................................................................................... 320 Section VI. Description of the national contribution to the achievement of the targets of indigenous peoples and local communities ............................................................................................................................................. 322 Section VII. Updated biodiversity country profile ................................................................................................ 322 2 Sixth National Report Section I. Information on the targets being pursued at the national level Country Vanuatu National Targets National Target 1: By 2030, representative examples of at least 17% of terrestrial and 10% of coastal and marine areas to support 100% of local communities’ livelihoods and 'kastom' importance are conserved through effective community and government management measures. Rationale for the National Target This target aims to increase the representative examples of conservation areas, which are managed in either of the two conservation management systems in Vanuatu - traditional customary areas in which certain activities are prohibited (known as 'tabu' areas) under community and customary governance or management, or through the legislative pathway of the Environmental Protection and Conservation Act (EPC Act), supported by the Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation. This target aligns with Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 most directly, though the timeframe for the national EN target has been extended by an additional 10 years than the ABT, to ensure it is has a greater chance of being achieved and implemented in a sustainable manner, and so that it aligns with the Vanuatu National Sustainable Development Plan 2016-2030 timeframe. The target contains three important focus areas: - Ecologically representative examples in the protected area network 3 - Community managed areas - Government managed areas. It is understood that a protected areas network cannot be effective in biodiversity conservation if it does not adequately represent the range of ecosystems throughout the country (Elliot et. al, n.d.). For Vanuatu, this is particularly important due to the high level of endemism in the country (DEPC, 2017). Achieving ecological representation requires a systematic approach to identify, assess and measure biodiversity (Elliot et. al, n.d.), and the establishment of such a system in Vanuatu to achieve this target is an important goal which will assist in the management of the country's biodiversity, in a more comprehensive way that has not been part of conservation area selection processes in the past. This of course, will need to be balanced with practical and budgetary constraints, and the level of awareness and understanding of conservation principles in communities. IUCN’s Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories defines a protected area as: "A clearly defined geographical space,ecognised, r dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values" (2008, p.8). The IUCN guidelines provide an opportunity for Vanuatu to ensure that our conservation area efforts towards sustainable resource management qualify as protected areas and therefore meet our international commitments and obligations (DEPC, 2018). Vanuatu saw it vital that both community and government management measures were encompassed by this target. In Vanuatu, constitutionally vested, inalienable land ownership rights rests with customary tenure, with recognised leasing arrangements under ministerial consent. All land in Vanuatu belongs to the indigenous 'custom owners' and almost all land is held under customary tenure, whether leased (9.3%) or un-leased (89.7%) (Stefanova et. al, 2012). Under the National Land Use Planning Policy (GoV, 2013) 'kastom' provides one of three pillar foundations informing the way forward for land use planning. Vanuatu’s traditional societies and the inter-relationships between units of family, clans, and tribes is organised in meaningful patterns of customary resource access rights, which are communally shared, and which in turn supports a highly resilient traditional economy. Of particular note is that such access rights are inextricably linked to kinship ties, which transcend the physical boundaries of defined localities. Although direct and physical access to land and its produce is guaranteed 4 to those that hold active stewardship over customary land/marine areas, participation and access (to land/ sea and its produce) is open to kin-folk in urban areas (DEPC, 2018). Community 'tabu' areas (marine and terrestrial) have always been, and are increasingly being used as conservation measures by villages/communities, as unique and time-tested customary tools in resource management, accepted and understood through kastom in ni-Vanuatu cultures. It is important that effective customary management is acknowledged in conservation evaluation in Vanuatu. Existing tabu areas, in combination with other priority sites which have been identified for their biodiversity values, have the potential to provide the basis of a representative system of protected areas. The intention is for the representative system of protected areas to be strengthened by a large number and variety of protected areas which are important at the national, provincial or local level. DEPC will also work towards the establishment of more legally-protected Community Conservation Areas, as per Part 4, Division 2, Section 37 of the EPC Act. The Vanuatu Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation would like to provide support and extension to all community conservation initiatives in Vanuatu, regardless of what they are called or how they are expressed. The DEPC is especially interested in supporting Community Conservation Areas that are of national "biodiversity significance" (DEPC, 2013, p.1). All protected areas should also be established and managed in close collaboration with, and through equitable processes that recognise and respect the rights of indigenous and local communities, and vulnerable populations, and this principle will underpin the processes used in achieving this target. Reference list: • Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation, 2013, Information Booklet on the Registration of Community Conservation Areas, Government of Vanuatu. • Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation, 2018, National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology and Geohazards, Environment, Energy and Disaster Management, Government of Vanuatu. • Dudley, N. (Ed.), 2008, Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories, with Stolton, S., P. Shadie and N. Dudley (2013), IUCN WCPA Best Practice Guidance on Recognising Protected Areas and Assigning Management Categories and Governance Types, Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series No. 5 21, Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. • Elliott, J., Gah, E., Hartley, K. and C. Vis, no date, Discussion paper: Ecologically Represetation, Department of Environment, Canada. • Environmental Protection and Conservation Act CAP238, 2011 (latest consolidation), available at <http://www.paclii.org/countries/vu.html> • Government of Vanuatu, 2013, National Land Use Planning Policy, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. • Stevanova, M., Porter R. and R. Nixon, 2012, Towards More Equitable Land Governance in Vanuatu: Ensuring Fair Land Dealings for Customary Groups, World Bank. Level of application Jurisdiction National / Federal Relevance of National Targets to Aichi Targets Aichi Target components At least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water areas are protected. At least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas are protected Areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services protected Protected areas are ecologically representative Protected areas are effectively and equitably managed Traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities are respected With the full and effective participation of indigenous and local communities Sub-Aichi Targets or Target components People are aware of the steps they can take to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity Governments, business and stakeholders at all levels have taken steps to achieve, or have implemented, plans for sustainable