Environmental policy and administrative management

Crab Bay marine resources were overharvested by local villagers for subsitence needs including women earning family cash from sale of land crabs daily at the local market. Due to deline of target community fisheries resources, the community leaders declared a 600 hectares of mangrove, coral reef and sea grass under tradional taboo (no entry and no take zone) so to allow the resources to replenish. The taboo as enforce by a local Taboo committee using local traditional management system. The GEF/UNDP/SPREP Intenational Waters programme assisted the community to document their management plan and train local community undertaking baseline assessment. It is now just over 4 years that the taboo had since set up in 2004 and marine resources had been abundantly replenishing including those of international endagered spceise, the turtles and the dugongs. In 2006 record of 90 flora and fauna species found in the area. The project is a community base intended to build on from a successful community initiatives to protect a 6 hundred hectares of magroves, coral reef and seagrass bed. The project aim to generate cash income through ecoutourism activties in Crab Bayfor long tem sustainablity of protection of the productive marine habitat in crab bay.

Vanuatu