The Urban Growth Trends Report forms part of the Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction Project: Risk Mapping and Planning for Urban Preparedness Project being undertaken by the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazards Department. The report analyses the trend existing urban development, the historical growth trends, teh legislative framework and key drivers that are directly growth in Port Vila and Luganville urban areas.
This report assesses adaptive capacity in the Tegua island community in northern Vanuatu and examines the role of the ‘Capacity Building for the Development of Adaptation Measures in Pacific Island Countries’ (CBDAMPIC) relocation project in shaping it.
This vocabulary was created as part of the Griffith University Pacific iClim Project. The Project has been funded by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade initiative Government Partnerships for Development Program to support SPREP in implementing a regional approach to climate change data and information management throughout the Pacific.
In 2013, the Government of Vanuatu and UNDP requested technical assistance from the USAID funded Adapt Asia-Pacific Project to support four specialists, including an International Gender Advisor, to prepare the “Adaptation to Climate Change in the Coastal Zone in Vanuatu Project” (VCAP).
The Government of Vanuatu has decided to develop an oceans policy, which aligns with recommendations from the
Commonwealth Secretariat.
This report summarises the main findings1 of an analysis and assessment of 69 instruments of legislation and
subordinate policies and plans that are relevant to management and use of Vanuatu’s territorial waters and therefore
relevant to the development of the national oceans policy. The review of Vanuatu’s legislation, policies, strategies and
The Mini Census was conducted in response to the recent disasters affecting the country, to update the list of households affected by the disasters. The Mini Census also provide an opportunity to update basic counts of certain government programs and policies.
The Government of Vanuatu recognises that effective institutions and the inter-relationships between them are at the heart of its ability to respond to growing climate and disaster risks. To this end, a comprehensive analysis of climate and disaster risk governance is undertaken.
Pacific Tool for Resilience
PARTneR will enable Pacific government Ministries and stakeholder organisation to effectively developed and used risk-based information to support development decision making on DRR & DRM
PARTneR will tailor RiskScape, a disaster impact mapping and modelling software developed jointly with New Zealand NIWA and GNS science.
Van-KIRAP will support VGMD to provide five target sectors, including the Department of Agriculture
and its stakeholders with climate information ready to be used in current and planned activities. A
sector Coordinator in the Department of Agriculture will co-ordinate the Agriculture and Climate
Action and Communication Plan to advance the mainstreaming of climate information services into
agricultural policy, planning, design and delivery.
Van-KIRAP will support VGMD to provide five target sectors, including the Department of Agriculture
and its stakeholders with climate information ready to be used in current and planned activities. A
sector Coordinator in the Department of Agriculture will co-ordinate the Agriculture and Climate
Action and Communication Plan to advance the mainstreaming of climate information services into
agricultural policy, planning, design and delivery.
The Government of Vanuatu, with the guidance of the Recovery Operations Centre (ROC) conducted a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) with support from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Pacific Community (SPC). The PDNA, which took place during the months of April and May 2023, was implemented in collaboration with ADB, FAO, UNFPA, UNWOMEN, UNICEF, WHO, ILO, the World Bank.
The coastal zone is one of Vanuatu’s greatest assets. Its unique values and resources are vital to the Ni- Vanuatu way of life, subsequently, the capacity to ensure ecologically sustainable use and development of the coastal zone is imperative for all the Ni-Vanuatu people, both now and into the future.
Climate Change long Vanuatu
Vanuatu i stap experiencem ol rabis impak blong
climate change finis. Ol kaontri long Pacific nao oli
moa sensitive long ol envaeronmental problem mo tu
yumi no kat enuf risos blong dil wetem ol problem ia.
So far yumi lonfg Vanuatu yumi stap lukim ol impak
olsem sea leve rise, jenj long amaon mo taem blong
ren we i foldaon, damaj long ol strongfala cylcone ,
disis mo sik long ol animol mo plant, lak blong drinking
wota mo plante moa.
‘Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island
There are about 30 species of mangroves in Solomon Islands, representing 40% of the world's mangrove species. They can be found on most islands ans it is estimated that mangroves here cover an area of about 50 000 hectares.
Mangroves are important resources for livelihoodof rural coastal communities. However there ias not an endleess supply.
Climate change is impacting on food security and biosecurity in the Pacific region by degradation of
food production areas (sea level rise, salinity, drought), devastation caused by extreme weather
events (cyclones, flooding) and impacts on recovery time such as replacement of lost crop
germplasm and the need to import food substitutes. The aim of this project was to identify the key
impacts of climate change on the unique cropping systems in four small Pacific nations (Tonga,
Vanuatu, Kiribati and Tuvalu). Information was collected by the development of a questionnaire
Climate change, resulting from both natural and anthropogenic factors, is expected to affect virtually every aspect of marine ecosystem structure and function from community composition and biogeochemical cycling, to the prevalence of diseases. Climate can affect all life-history stages through direct and indirect processes and the possible effects of climate change for marine populations include changes in population dynamics (body size, reproduction), community composition and geographical distributions.
The Pacific Islands region is experiencing climate change. Key indicators of the changing
climate include rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, rising air and sea temperatures,
rising sea levels and upper-ocean heat content, changing ocean chemistry and increasing
ocean acidity, changing rainfall patterns, decreasing base flow in streams, changing
wind and wave patterns, changing extremes, and changing habitats and species distributions.
Currently, the most vulnerable areas include low islands (atoll islands and other
Erosion is the process where soft shorelines (sand, gravel
or cobble) disappear and land is lost. Erosion generally
comes in two forms; 1) A natural part of the coastal environment
where a soft shore moves and changes in response to
cyclic climatic conditions, and 2) Erosion can be induced by
human interference of natural sand movement and budget
patterns. Erosion can be slow and ongoing over many
years or fast and dramatic following large storm events.
Many erosion problems in the Pacific today, occur because