Vanuatu Islands Map

When Vanuatu bursts, 8000 village people are evacuated to Ambae.

Vanuatu Manaro Voui erupts on Ambae and 8000 persons are displaced on the isle. Penama Province Governing Councillor and the National Disaster Management Office are currently evicting inhabitants from the northern, southern and westerly parts of Ambae Isles to the eastern and neighboring islands. Vanuatu Meteorological and Geo-Hazards Department (VMGD) has increased the alert to 4, suggesting a mild outbreak.

The VMGD also alerts Ambae humans to the presence of hazardous airborne rock and vulcanic gases within 6.5 km of the craters of the vulcano; incidents of incineration have been recorded all over the isle. The last outbreak of Manaro Voui in 2005 led to the displacement of 5000 population. Ambae, also known as Aoba, lies to the north-west of Pentecost.

Vanuatu Digest is edited by Bob Makin.

a name=" P14815_518180">Introduction

Importantly, not all information was available to complete all segments and there are significant loopholes and uncertainty in the information (e.g. sand-wood resource and sustainable yields are little known). However, it is quite right to say that this document represents a significant enhancement of the information and information available in earlier reports on Vanuatu's Forests.

All employees who contributed to the compilation of this work: The following persons were consulted:: Principal Forest Officer Adam Gerrand ; Mandes Kilman, Inventory Officer ; Phyllis Kamestia, Mapping Officer ; Jonathan Love und Sebastian Buckingham, beide australische Freiwillige. For more information on Vanuatu woods and forest management, the Republic of Vanuatu, formerly the Anglo-French condominium of the New Hebrides, is made up of the main and south parts of an island that is one of the many archipelagos in the Western Pacific.

Santa Cruz Islands, the political part of the Solomon Islands, form the north of the islands (UNEP/IUCN 1988). It is a y-shaped range; the bigger islands are located to the east and consist of extinguished volcanos covering with fossilized or contemporary caves. It is a young arch with significant activities of volcanism and seismology (Cheney 1987).

By Pacific standard, the islands are hilly and many are deserted. The Douglas (1969) and UNEP/IUCN (1988) give a brief overview of the physics of most islands. Vanuatu most islands are of vulcanic origins and some are still alive, among them Mount Yasur on the Isle of Tanna.

Espiritu Santo's highest summit, Mount Tabwemasana, is 1 879 m high. Most islands have small coastlines lined with seaweed. The city has a moist tropic sea environment, tempered by P assat wind from May to October. The North Island temperature averages around 27Â C and a yearly precipitation of around 3,000 mm.

The temperature on the islands lies between 19 and 31° C with an annual precipitation of about 2,300 mm. Occasionally there are cyclions with a prevalence of about 2.5 per year affecting a part of Vanuatu (Longworth 1991, Neil and Barrance 1987). Chammers, M.R. and Bani, E., Resource Evolution and Environmental.

ESCAP, Port Vila, Vanuatu. Design of the Pacific Ocean Islands Check List. Vanuatu hurricanes: 1847-1991. Vila, Vanuatu Meteorological Service: 24. âCyclone Loss in Vanuatuâ Commonwealth Forestry Review 66(3):255-264. Vol. 3: Pacific Ocean, Western and Central. For Vanuatu there are no formal environmental areas that have been identified or charted. However, the Vanuatu Resource Information System (VANRIS) contains plant and climate information that can be used to map areas with similar plant life and climate.

Designed by Australian CSIRO (Bellamy 1993), it is now administered by the Vanuatu Department of Lands using the MAPINFO Geographic Information System (GIS). About 9,000 square kilometres, 74% of the entire surface area, are under native flora (Neill 1987). The most important formation are lowlands rainforest, small broadleaved areas, coniferous woods, mountain rainforest between 1 000 and 1 500 metres, cloudforest over 1 500 metres, vast coastline woodland, Efate marsh woodland and dispersed mangroves between 2 500 and 3 500 ha, of which 2 000 ha are found on Malacula (Beveridge 1975, David 1985, Davis et al. 1986).

Even though lowlands have been largely cut down and substituted by man-made flora, the woodlands remain the dominating feature of most islands. Research carried out in the mid-1960s showed that some 180 square kilometres of Erromango were covered by enclosed woods, of which 50 square kilometres were covered by cauri pines (Johnson 1981). The Quantinâs (1976) map shows that high woods are limited on most islands, especially those with dense populations (Whitsun, Aoba, Tanna and Shepherd) or volcanic activity (Ambrym).

The low mountain woods, however, are generally well conserved and cover large areas; thick, secundary woodland forms, often with a thicket-like hibiscus population, are extended. Vanuatu's wooded landscape comprises low-lying rainforest, foggy mountain rainforest, saisonal rainforest, mangroves, coastal rainforest and secondaries. In Corner et al. (1975) and Mueller-Dombois and Fosberg (1998) a botanic descriptions of the different plant species is given.

As part of the Swiss Federal Agency for Forests, the system of classifying forests and lands has been integrated into the Vanuatu Resource Information System (VANRIS). Introductions from this document and the description of flora and forests are the foundation of the current forestry inventories and cartography system and are contained in the appendices.

The most important woodland species for the bigger islands are included in Appendix 2. The Vanuatu Resource Information System (VANRIS) manual. Revaluation of the sustained harvest for the Vanuatu woods. Rainforest of the Pacific Islands. Vanuatu forestry resource. Vanuatu Trees Guide.

The Vanuatu plantations. Most of the forests are located on the bigger islands Santo, Malakula, Erromango and Efate, smaller areas on the islands Gaua, Ambae, Ambrym and Tanna. All over the land there are 205 000 ha of medium altitude woodland (20-30 ha high) and 234 000 ha of coppice (10-20 m).

In the following chart the Vanuatu autochthonous plants are listed in detail. The Vanuatu National Resources Inventory System (VANRIS). According to the national forestry inventory, the entire forestry resources are approx. 13 million m³. However, it is assumed that only about 20% of the entire forestry resources are available for commercial purposes, due to conditions such as precipitous hillsides, cut areas, small quantities of sawdust and culturality.

Vanuatu forestry resource. The Vanuatu forestry resource from the National Wood Register. The Vanuatu Provincial Reports to the South Pacific Forestry Chiefs. It seems to be a good stock-taking exercise, but this document does not contain good land and volumes sums for the state. Vanuatu's first large national forestry inventories.

Reworked estimation of sustained yields on the basis of different suppositions, but using the same basic information from the 1993 forestry inventories. This estimation was later reviewed to be included in the national forestry policy (1997) so that more resources are available for community-based enterprises with portable saw mills and islands with less than 5 000 cubic metres of lumber can be included to allow islands under 10 cubic metres per hectare.

An old stock with area and volumetric estimations for this isle. Helpful for historic comparisons of volumes. Map of forests and vegetations from air photos, layering by islands, flora, height and land form (225 layers), parcel sampling (see annexed summaries of fields). It was the first National Wood Survey (NFI) for Vanuatu and is the basis.

NFI 1993 results should be adapted to Incoll's revised 1994 assumption and as indicated in the National Forest Policy. Notice property has not been classed as all woods are owned by customs officials. This was a considerable investment and took more than 2 years and can be regarded as a relatively good stocktaking of the scope and qualitiy of the resources.

Chart 4: Area of woodland according to nomenclature. The above numbers come from the country report, Vanuatu, from the 1998 Forestry Directors' Group. Vanuatu's forestry reserves make a surface area (p. 89) of 418,175 ha. Remark: The above mentioned area of VANRIS is more current and GIS mapped, as it is regarded as the more exact area.

Approximate woodland area that contains commercial wood and is not too precipitous for deforestation. The present members of our office do not have a copy of this document and therefore cannot give any detailed comments on this stock. Vanuatu forestry inventories summary in the 1998 Country Review, Vanuatu. An additional remark would be that âthicketsâ are normally not regarded as woods, let alone as âclosed forestsâ of ni-Vanuatu forester, but they correspond to the definitions of the FA.

In Vanuatu there is currently no system to record changes in forestry and use. While we know how important and necessary this is, it is currently outside our capabilities and capacities. Secondly, a fellowship for a doctoral or postgraduate degree, which would be possible and cost-effective, and support in building skills and capacities within the host countries to further track and document changes in forestry coverage.

While this will give a second picture of the coverage of the forests, it will require much more effort than modeling or the above -mentioned approach. That also requires support from donors, both financially and technically. Until 1986 the entire area of the plantations had grown to 1 067 ha. There is now a clear political commitment on the part of the authorities to facilitating privately owned investments in plantations.

National forest policy envisages an ambition of 20,000 ha over the next 25 years, averaging 800 ha/year. While many Vanuatu orchards are old and could be reaped as construction materials, this has not yet happened on any significant industry scales.

The Fiji region has an industrie that uses coconutwood, but Vanuatu has practically no such industries except for a few researches. In the 1980s, firewood was considered an upcoming problem and many islands across the nation started establishing LSPs (local utility plantations). Later on, the focus was on the development of forestry orchards (IFPs) for merchant logging productions.

Groves and Fingleton's EU 1997 Jaako Poyry Assessment showed that there is considerable opportunity for Vanuatu to attract planted population. The plantages are to comply with the state policies of self-sufficiency in lumber and forestry produce. The APCC ( "1998") indicates the area by several years, the overall area of the year 2000 is approximated.

Vanuatu Department of Forest 2000 Country Review. Prospective investments by the retail industry in Vanuatu's plantations. Zyklonschaden in Vanuatu. Hurricane Uma and damages to the south woods. The Vanuatu Department of Forests: Vila, Vanuatu. Chart 7: Volumetric information (from nature forests). Gross area (000 ha): 1 226. -905 (effective area).

In fact, only areas with significant industrial forestry assets were surveyed. Yeah (see Bellamy, 1993), all islands with significant forestry ressources listed. Cartography of types on the basis of air photographs, properties in select booths for estimating volumes. Nature of the metered volume: Bark measurement is calculated by volumetric equation. Random errors for the mean per ha with 95% likelihood ( "%"): 7% overall volumetric area, 8% for the volumetric area on areas without layers with an inclination of more than 30°C.

Cartography of types on the basis of air photographs, land on transect for volumetric assessment. Nature of the metered volume: Random errors for the mean per ha sample with a 95% likelihood ("%"): Specified in the sandwich reports. Remark: It is not known that biomass was appreciated in Vanuatu trials. Definition: aNumber from Annex 2 of the Incoll document using the lowest possible yields of 10 m3/ha. bâPacmerchâ varieties, i.e. generally recognised Pacific varieties. c Adjusted numbers includes quantities in areas below 10 m/ha, estimations of forested areas in rural areas and a reduction in consideration of deforestation losses due to demographic increase. d Erromango numbers are not reliable and should be upgraded as a priority.

Special emphasis should be placed on reducing the volumes of land form and bank problems. In 1993 the last forestry survey was concluded. Information on current volumetric output and market access was generated from this information in several different sources. Forestry policy (1997) indicates the amount available on the market at 2.635 million m³.

The latter was deducted from the projected overall value of 13.22 million m³. Incoll' s study puts the overall GDP of the entire woodland at 9. It has been calculated that the available trade in stagnant wood is 1.89 million cubic metres (area 1 200 km2). The 1997 National Forestry Policy includes estimations of sustainable yields.

Sustained revenue estimation for each of the islands forms the foundation for the granting of logging licenses and the control of the yearly logging work. Appraisals shall be regularly fine-tuned to take new findings on forestry resource use into consideration. Vanuatuâs woods have a population of 13. 22 million m³.

In order to assess the available capacity, Incoll6 cut the overall volumetric area by 80% to: embankments > 30°, heavily fissured areas; volumetric areas < 10 m³/ha; islands with < 5,000 m³; and for agricultural areas. Approximate available capacity was used to determine the domestic sustained output of 51,700 m³ over a 50-year slicing cylce.

For the various islands of Vanuatu, a revision of the rate of estimations of sustainable yields is suggested. Incollâ? "s suggested revisions to its estimate have been made as many of the initial assumption of ressource accessibility does not cover portable sawing operations. That means that a greater part of Vanuatu's entire wood reserves can be reaped using a combined portable mill and traditional harvest.

The revised figure includes quantities in areas below 10 m3/ha, estimations of wooded areas in rural areas and less consideration of deforestation due to demographic increase. d. The Erromango figure is not reliable and should be upgraded as a next step.

Special emphasis should be placed on reducing the volumes of land and embankment. Suggested sustainability yields are a prudent estimation of the amount of wood that can be gathered from different islands on a long-term basis. Despite these suggested adaptations, the overall long-term harvest accounts for only about 25% of Vanuatu's entire woodstock.

However, it should also be acknowledged that maintaining sustained yields in the long run depends on maintaining the ability of the entire stand to grow and recover. That may not be the case for many reason, which includes landowners' desire to transform the forests into alternate uses of landholdings and their lack of satisfactory recovery.

Trade area on 14,100 ha. In Vanuatu there is currently no system to periodically record changes in forestry coverage and biomas. The commentaries here are similar to the changes in forested area. In Vanuatu, fire is not an essential element in the wellbeing, cultivation and/or conservation of forests. Most of them have created grasslands (see map of woodland types in the appendix).

Fires play a part in the maintenance of a vibrant border of woodland grasslands in these areas. Unaffected / not available for Forests. The new Forestry Act of 2001 provides that authorisations are required for certain areas of forests at certain periods when a fire is a danger to lives and property. However, the new Act does not provide for the granting of authorisations.

In Vanuatu, insects in woodlands are not well known. The illnesses of forestry have also attracted little interest, although no true gravity is currently regarded as worrying. The results of a 1987-1992 survey of rottenness in the roots of the browns by Phellinus Nebius in Vanuatu, and the results of Dahrui (1993) show that a number of planting near large specimens of infested timber, among them 13 native and tropical tree varieties, are prone to the virus.

Vanuatu White Wood (Endospermum medullosum) is also very tolerant to the ailment. You will notice several insects pest on woodland tree, among them a white wood leaf-eater and a drift-tip drill in Mahagoni, which was previously unknown in Vanuatu. Vanuatu Phellinus neoxius â" Reflections on Mangement. Research report of the Department of Forests:

Vanuatu. Phellinus in Vanuatu (1993). âA preface to the Phellinus neoxius rottenness of Cordia aliodora plantations in Vanuatu. The Merremia is a strong and long-lasting woodsy climber that causes considerable difficulties with the recovery of woodland trees in some areas of Vanuatu. According to Thomson (1980), Merremia is also a major issue for plantations in the Solomon Islands' forests.

Five cyclions a year affecting part of Vanuatu (Longworth 1991). This can cause considerable forest degradation, especially on the plantation of tropical plants (Neil and Barrance, 1987). Ellison, J.C. (1995) Status of the Pacific island of mangroves. Maritime and coastal biodiversity in the tropical Pacific region. Vol. 1: Population development and conservation priorities.

Departement of Forests (1998) Country Report Vanuatu. The report was presented at the meeting of heads of forestry. Departmentofforests,Port Vila,Vanuatu. The VanuatuÂ? VanuatuÂ? Annual Resource Assessment System (VANRIS). Completion of the 1993 NFII. Excerpt from the Quantin map, P. (1972) Nouvelles-Hébrides archipelago. David, G. (1986) âLes Mangroves of Vanuatuâ.

Naika, Centre Orstrom, Port Vila Vanuatu. Genus are Avicennia, Ceriops, Rhizophora, Sonneratia and Xylocarpus. Some concerns were raised about the non-sustainable exploitation of mongolian wood in the south-east of Malekula (Maskylnes Islands) in 1996. Since then, the forestry policy (National Forest Policy 1997) has contained the goal of strictly monitoring the use of mongooses and the preservation of mongoose life systems as a whole.

Ongoing discussions in the Ministry of Forestry aim to tackle a significant shift in the use of resources, especially in other forest areas, through the monitoring of exports permits and the developing of landowner based landowners' land managers' schedules. Nine islands belong to the areas large enough to be watched by air photos (see map in the appendix).

Hiu, ureparapara, vanua and mota alava. Malekula, Epi, Emae and Efate are the main regions and Aniwa Island to the north. Travelogue Southern Santo Mangrove Sites. An internal report for the Ministry of Forestry. Rainforest of the Pacific Islands. Revaluation of the sustained harvest for the Vanuatu forest.

Report for the Australian International Development Assistance Bureau.