THIRD NATIONAL REPORT to the CONFERENCE OF PARTIES of the CONVENTION ON BIODIVERSITY November, 2006 Environment Unit, PMB 9063, Port Vila Ph: 25302 Fax: 23565 Email: [email protected] 1 CONTENTS A. REPORTING PARTY ........................................................................................................................ 4 Information on the preparation of the report............................................................................. 4 B. PRIORITY SETTING, TARGETS AND OBSTACLES............................................................................ 5 Priority Setting......................................................................................................................... 6 Challenges and Obstacles to Implementation............................................................................ 7 2010 Target........................................................................................................................... 10 Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC)........................................................................ 64 Ecosystem Approach .............................................................................................................. 95 C. ARTICLES OF THE CONVENTION.................................................................................................. 97 Article 5 – Cooperation........................................................................................................... 97 Article 6 - Genera l measures for conservation and sustainable use.......................................... 99 Biodiversity and Climate Change..................................................................................... 102 Article 7 - Identification and monitoring................................................................................ 104 Decisions on Taxonomy .................................................................................................. 107 Article 8 - In-situ conservation [Excluding paragraphs (a) to (e), (h) and (j)]........................ 111 Programme of Work on Protected Areas (Article 8 (a) to (e)) .......................................... 114 Article 8(h) - Alien species.................................................................................................... 119 Article 8(j) - Traditional knowledge and related provisions .................................................... 125 GURTS ........................................................................................................................... 125 Status and Trends .......................................................................................................... 125 Akwé:Kon Guidelines...................................................................................................... 126 Capacity Building and Participation of Indigenous and Local Communities ....................... 126 Support to implementation............................................................................................. 128 Article 9 - Ex-situ conservation............................................................................................. 130 Article 10 - Sustainable use of components of biological diversity.......................................... 131 Biodiversity and Tourism................................................................................................ 136 Article 11 - Incentive measures ............................................................................................ 138 Article 12 - Research and training......................................................................................... 140 Article 13 - Public education and awareness.......................................................................... 142 Article 14 - Impact assessment and minimizing adverse impacts........................................... 147 Article 15 - Access to genetic resources ................................................................................ 152 Article 16 - Access to and transfer of technology................................................................... 156 Programme of Work on transfer of technology and technology cooperation ..................... 157 Article 17 - Exchange of informatio n..................................................................................... 160 Article 18 - Technical and scientific cooperation .................................................................... 161 Article 19 - Handling of biotechnology and distribution of its benefits .................................... 164 Article 20 – Financial resources ............................................................................................ 165 D. THEMATIC AREAS ..................................................................................................................... 171 2 Inland water ecosystems...................................................................................................... 173 Marine and coastal biological diversity .................................................................................. 176 General............................................................................................................................. 176 Implementation of Integrated Marine and Coastal Area Management ................................. 177 Marine and Coastal Living Resources ................................................................................. 178 Mariculture ........................................................................................................................ 180 Alien Species and Genotypes ............................................................................................. 182 Agricultural biological diversity ............................................................................................. 183 Annex to decision V/5 - Programme of work on agricultural biodiversity............................. 184 Forest Biological Diversity..................................................................................................... 183 General............................................................................................................................. 189 Expanded programme of work on forest biological diversity ............................................... 191 Biological diversity of dry and sub-humid lands..................................................................... 199 Mountain Biodiversity........................................................................................................... 201 E. OPERATIONS OF THE CONVENTION........................................................................................... 204 F. COMMENTS ON THE FORMAT..................................................................................................... 206 3 A. REPORTING PARTY Contracting Party N A T I O N A L F O C A L P O I N T Full name of the institution VANUATU ENVIRONMENT UNIT Name and title of contact MR ERNEST BANI, HEAD OF THE ENVIRONMENT UNIT officer Mailing address PMB 9063, PORT VILA, VANUATU Telephone +678-25302 Fax +678-23565 E-mail [email protected] CONTACT OFFICER FOR NATIONAL REPORT (IF DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE) Full name of the institution Name and title of contact officer Mailing address Telephone Fax E-mail S U B M I S S I O N Signature of officer responsible for submitting national report Date of submission Information on the preparation of the report Box I. Please provide information on the preparation of this report, including information on stakeholders involved and material used as a basis for the report. Preliminary information was gathered by a team of three senior public servants: Mr. Robert Jimmy of the Department of Fisheries, Mr. Ioan Viji of the Department of Forestry, Mr. Sandy Ma el an agricultural scientist within the Vanuatu Quarantine and Inspection Services. Information was compiled from personal experience, informal discussions with colleagues and departmental policies and plans. Ms Jenny Whyte assisted with compiling and editing the report. A draft report was submitted to the Head of the Environment Unit for review in November 2005. The finalised draft was forwarded to senior officers of government and non-government agencies for review and comment. In addition agencies were invited to a one day consultation meeting to contribute to the report and discuss Vanuatu’s progress in addressing the Convention of Biodiversity. Subsequent to the consultation meeting the report was finalised. 4 B. PRIORITY SETTING, TARGETS AND OBSTACLES Box II. Please provide an overview of the status and trends of various components of biological diversity in your country based on the information and data available. Progress has been made in documenting Vanuatu’s biodiversity especially in genera associated with freshwater ecosystems, skinks and geckoes, butterflies and five priority tree species. However, in general Vanuatu’s biodiversity remains poorly known, with neither little research into species’ ecology nor research at ecosystem level. Research that has addressed species’ variation and ecology has been primarily confined to a small number of species of high use value (Trochus niloticus, Birgus latro, Santalum austrocaledonicum). Most work to document biodiversity has been funded by external and independent sources. This situation reflects Government priorities that direct Vanuatu’s limited national resources toward social services, governance and development of a private