Marine Atlas: Maximizing Benefits for Vanuatu

CONCLUSION

Vanuatu’s vast ocean supports a myriad of marine values. To successfully conserve and manage these values, the island nation is strongly committed to holistic planning and effective management of its ocean.

Vanautu’s national vision for its ocean is:

ment, contributed input, guidance, data and/or information to this atlas and identified its utility to policy and decision-making (see list of data pro- viders listed in the References). In particular we thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade, the Ministry of Climate Change, Meteorol- ogy, Environment, Geohazards, Energy, Environ- ment and Disaster Risk Management and other relevant ministries for providing the project with data and support. We are grateful for the contributions of text and graphical elements from the Ocean Atlas 2017 of the Heinrich Böll Foundation to this atlas.

Dehm, Marian Gauna, Jimaima Le Grand, Thom- as Malone, Jan Steffen, Jonah Sullivan for their support, as well as the GRID-Arendal team: Kaja Lønne Fjærtoft, Georgios Fylakis, Elsa Lindeval, Petter Sevaldsen and Janet Fernandez Skaalvik, and Christopher Bartlett from GIZ. While the atlas provides the best data currently publicly available, the information about Vanuatu’s waters is constantly increasing. In this way, the atlas is an open invitation to use, modify, combine and update the maps and underlying data. The e-copy and interactive version of the Vanuatu Marine Atlas are available here: http://macbio- pacific.info/marine-atlas

“To conserve and sustain a healthy and wealthy ocean for the people and culture of Vanuatu, today and tomorrow.” Vanuatu has developed an Ocean Policy that pro- vides the framework for integrated ocean man- agement, including national MSP. Stakeholders across Vanuatu are working together to implement the Ocean Policy to secure a healthy, productive, resilient and biodiverse ocean for all. At present, Vanuatu is also initiating national consultations for a national Marine Spatial Plan to ensure that it is a truly participatory and inclusive process that gener- ates nationwide ownership across sectors.

We thank everyone who participated in meetings regarding this atlas and who, through their involve-

We also thank the professionals of the MACBIO team, in alphabetical order: Mia Avril, Jasha

Timeline of the Vanuatu Marine Spatial Planning process

2016 MAY 2015 – MARCH Over 1,000 people were involved in national consultations held on the draft Ocean Policy in 32 locations across the country. A consultation report was prepared. MAY A national marine ecosystem service valuation was presented to the National Committee (COM Decision 172/2014, Item b). JUNE The draft Ocean Policy was substantially revised based upon input from the national consultations. SEPTEMBER The Council of Ministers approved the revised Ocean Policy (see COM Decision 172/2014, Item 2).

2015 FEBRUARY The National Committee on

2012 APRIL The government of Vanuatu, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade, hosted an intragovernmental, cross-ministerial national workshop on ocean governance.

2018 Marine bioregions that describe the entire marine environment of Vanuatu were defined by Vanuatu’s marine experts for use in designing an ecologically representative network of MPAs.

2017 APRIL

2014 NOVEMBER The Council of Ministers (Decision No. 172/2014) approved the report arising from the 2012 national workshop on ocean governance as a framework to guide integrated ocean management support key areas of ocean management (recommendations 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 from the report), including marine ecosystem service valuation, legal analysis, development of an Ocean Policy, capacity-building and MSP in Vanuatu. They also decided to ask MACBIO to

The Acting Prime Minister launched the Ocean Policy at Vanuatu’s inaugural national Ocean Summit. JUNE At the United Nations Ocean Conference, Vanuatu shared its intentions with the global community to have in place, by 2020, a national Marine Spatial Plan including a national ecologically representative network of MPAs and a National Oceans Office. JULY First steps were taken to implement the most novel part of the Ocean Policy—the national Marine Spatial Plan. A workshop was held to describe the range of ocean zones to use in the Marine Spatial Plan. OCTOBER National experts described 109 draft biophysically special, unique areas of Vanuatu for use in MSP. A report is being prepared.

Maritime Boundary Delimitation, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and External Trade, established a cross- Ministerial Ocean Policy Sub-Committee. APRIL The Ocean Policy Subcommittee prepared a first draft of a National Ocean Policy for Vanuatu. An analysis of the legislative basis for an Ocean Policy and Marine Spatial Plan was conducted (contributing to COM Decision 172/2014, Item 3).. MAY– MARCH 2016 Over 1,000 people were involved in national consultations held on the draft Ocean Policy in 32 locations across the country. A consultation report was prepared.

MAXIMIZING BENEFITS FOR VANUATU • MARINE ATLAS

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