Common Property Resource Management In Vanuatu - Perspectives From A Community Amanda Leathers School of Earth Sciences Victoria University of Wellington Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand Submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master of Development Studies (MSD) Degree April 2008 Abstract Vanuatu’s common property natural resources provide essential ecological services for the global community and sustain the livelihoods of 80% of the Vanuatu population. Sustainable management of natural resources is dependent on locally developed systems that govern common property resources. Understanding the drivers of commons management problems from local resource-users’ perspectives is essential to know how local governance systems can be supported and strengthened. I explore locally identified drivers of commons management problems using a case study of the Tangoa Island community of South Santo, Vanuatu. Methods include participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques and 31 interviews with local people. Literature from Vanuatu as well as 18 interviews with Vanuatu government departments, NGOs, and aid donors informs how relevant the issues identified in the case study are for other communities across Vanuatu. I found that drivers at different contextual scales, from local to global, affect two main elements of a community’s cooperative capacity for commons management - social cohesion and governance systems. The issues identified by the Tangoa Island community affect many Vanuatu communities because they are driven by wider processes of social, cultural, economic, and institutional change. Approaches to support and strengthen local social and governance systems can target drivers at multiple contextual scales. ii Acknowledgements The Tangoa people taught me so much more than this thesis begins to reflect. Their hospitality, support, warmth and humor made my first field research experience truly enjoyable. The new perspectives on life that I gained from my stay on Tangoa Island will be an enduring source of energy and inspiration. Thanks especially to Vetabe and the family for taking such good care of us. Thanks to Ioan Viji for inviting us to Tangoa. Thanks to Meto for providing essential research support and translation. My principle advisor Dr. Michael Gavin provided essential guidance, motivation, and encouragement throughout the research. I appreciate of all his work giving clear advice and focus, which has kept me on track and enabled me to finish this thesis. My secondary adviser Dr. Sean Weaver is always a source of energy and inspiration. I am thankful for the positive relationship that he has built with the Tangoa community since 2005. The high regard and fondness that many Tangoan people hold for Sean provided an excellent foundation from which to establish our own relationships. The quality and quantity of research has been greatly benefited by my co-researcher Olivia Warrick. Her collaboration and support has been extremely valuable. I am grateful that I had Olivia to share the fieldwork experience, and to reminisce and discuss ideas with since leaving Tangoa Island. Thanks also to Isabel Heymanns for all her help with digital map making. I thank my family – Dad, Matt, Cali and Jill – for believing in me and reminding me to believe in myself. Special thanks to my mother, who let me rant my confusion into clarity on many occasions, for always offering sound advice, and for her help with editing. Thanks to my partner Roger Young for being so patient, for sharing me with “Thesis”, and providing much emotional and livelihood support throughout. Thanks to my friends that still love me after months of my neglect. I’m looking forward to making it up to you! Thanks to the staff and students of the School of Geography, Environmental Studies and Earth Sciences who donated some beautiful children’s books which were much appreciated by the Tangoa Community. iii Table Of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements......................................................................................................................... iii Table Of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv Chapter 1 - Introduction................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The Big Picture: Sustainable resource management in collective property regimes........................................................................................................ 1 1.2 The issue.................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 The topic.................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Purpose and objectives .............................................................................................. 3 1.5 Thesis structure.......................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2 - Literature review: the findings of commons research ............................................. 6 2.1 Historical roots of commons research and current aims ........................................... 6 2.2 Collective action theory............................................................................................. 8 2.3 Important factors affecting commons management ................................................ 15 Chapter 3 – Methodology .............................................................................................................. 36 3.1 Methodological approach........................................................................................ 36 3.2 The research site...................................................................................................... 39 3.3 Methodological issues ............................................................................................. 44 3.4 Participatory research activities............................................................................... 49 3.5 Census...................................................................................................................... 60 3.6 Interviews ................................................................................................................ 60 3.7 Data analysis............................................................................................................ 64 3.8 Summary of methods used ...................................................................................... 65 Chapter 4 - Results Part 1: Tangoa Island Case Study .............................................................. 67 4.1 Where are the important natural resources that the Tangoa community uses? ....... 67 4.2 What are the important resource area types?........................................................... 68 4.3 How are Tangoa’s natural resources used? ............................................................. 70 4.4 Who uses and manages Tangoa natural resources and how? .................................. 75 4.5 What are the threats to Tangoa’s natural resources? ............................................... 83 4.6 What are the causes of resource degradation?......................................................... 91 4.7 Governance issues ................................................................................................. 106 4.8 Declining social cohesion...................................................................................... 116 Chapter 5 - Results Part 2: Relevance of Case-Study Findings for the Wider Context of Vanuatu ...................................................................................................................... 130 5.1 Use of natural resources ........................................................................................ 130 5.2 Community management of natural resources...................................................... 131 5.3 Causes of degradation............................................................................................ 131 iv Chapter 6 - Discussion ................................................................................................................ 143 6.1 Cooperative Capacity Model................................................................................. 144 6.2 Study limitations and areas for further research.................................................... 158 6.3 Finding solutions and an appropriate development pathway ................................ 160 Chapter 7 - Conclusion and Recommendations ....................................................................... 169 Bibliography.................................................................................................................................. 173 v Tables Table 2.1, Critical enabling conditions for sustainability on the commons ....................................... 17 Table 3.1, Case-study objective question and corresponding methods .......................................... 50 Table 3.2, Group Research Activities ............................................................................................... 50 Table 3.3, Transects and participants involved ................................................................................ 53