FAO Forestry country profiles - forest management
Managers
Responsibility for enforcing the government¿s forest policies and programmes rests with the Department of Forestry in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The responsibilities of the Department of Forestry encompass issuing of timber licenses, monitoring of harvesting, provision of advice on the possibility of investment in the forestry sector, and enforcement of statutory requirements. The Department also carries out operational aspects such as plantation site selection, preparation and planting, and provision of information regarding estimated timber volumes throughout the country. They also determine conservation/reserve areas as well as establish sites for reforestation, afforestation and research. The Department of Forestry is also responsible for the development and implementation of forest policies.
The Environment Unit of the Ministry of Lands is the principal national environment institution for Vanuatu. The Environment Unit has broad responsibility for environmental protection and co-ordination, as well as running environmental awareness workshops, partnering with the Department of Forests in a biodiversity assessment project, and assisting with the management of the Big Bay Conservation Area.
Day-to-day management of forest areas is largely vested with private customary owners - generally individual or family ownership. Melanesian customary ownership gives fundamental rights to landowners, with the government having only an advisory role in land management. Ownership is mandated in Vanuatu's 1980 independence constitution, which declares that all land belongs to indigenous customary owners, and that rules of custom are the basis for determining the ownership and use of land.
Public participation in forest management
Almost all of the land in Vanuatu is under customary ownership and, as a consequence, day-to-day management of forest lands rests with owners. In practice, most forest land that receives active forest management is leased either as a logging concession, or for plantation establishment. In many cases, forestry is a significant source of cash income for rural dwellers. In 1999, for example, landowners were paid about US$250 000 in royalties for 41 000 m3 of logs. It is estimated that more than 500 people are employed in forest operations and fixed wood-processing industries. Several hundred more are employed in operating small mobile sawmills. In addition, the forests provide a wide range of products used for subsistence purposes.
The National Forest Policy notes that, "forests, land and people in Vanuatu are inseparably linked. The forests are a vital part of the country's cultural heritage and contribute to the welfare and economic development of the people". The NFP is the result of an extensive consultative process that sought the views of stakeholder groups including government representatives, local chiefs, and representatives of women, youth, churches as well as the forest industry. The active involvement of the ni-Vanuatu in forest management, conservation and development is an integral part of the NFP.