Graham James,

Chairman of the Local

Committee

Crab Bay Community Crab Bay Community Conserved Area, Vanuatu, Conserved Area, Vanuatu, South West PacificSouth West Pacific

Crab Bay area covers 11 communities, with a population of about 5,000 people

The people always had a “taboo” area where they did not allow fishing in the Bay

In 2003 a GEF project started implementation (through SPREP) to support communities to better manage their fishery resources under pressure because of “development initiatives”…

This included participatory analyses and planning in cooperation with the Fisheries and Fisheries and Environment DepartmentsEnvironment Departments

The project strengthened the traditional institutions and management system

For instance it provided resources for running workshops that involved the traditional chiefs

This managed to help the chiefs resolve the conflicts that existed among the communities about some local land dispute claims and enhance cooperation in managing the taboo area

People appreciate the taboo area because for centuries they have respected it and it has an important positive effect on the natural resources

The government recognised the The government recognised the recognise customary marine recognise customary marine tenure system.tenure system.

The Chiefs placed a taboo on The Chiefs placed a taboo on Crab Bay, which effectively Crab Bay, which effectively becomes a ‘no go zone’.becomes a ‘no go zone’.

We developed a management We developed a management plan about the resources that plan about the resources that spill over from the taboo area spill over from the taboo area developed by the 11 developed by the 11 communitiescommunities

The plan includes management The plan includes management rules, and the chiefs ensure rules, and the chiefs ensure that community members that community members respect and abide by the rules.respect and abide by the rules.

Chiefs have their own Chiefs have their own community guards who community guards who regularly patrol the Crab Bay regularly patrol the Crab Bay Community Conserved AreaCommunity Conserved Area

What is our What is our Community Community Conserved Area Conserved Area about?about?

There is a “Management There is a “Management Committee” composed of Committee” composed of the ones who facilitated the ones who facilitated the process of the project, the process of the project, but this Committee takes but this Committee takes decisions only together decisions only together with the Traditional Chiefs.with the Traditional Chiefs.

Intruders have been Intruders have been caught and had to pay caught and had to pay fines to the Committee.fines to the Committee.

The role of the Committee is to provide on-going The role of the Committee is to provide on-going support, raise awareness and re-enforce support, raise awareness and re-enforce communities regarding the resource management of communities regarding the resource management of Crab Bay, while emphasising the equitable benefit Crab Bay, while emphasising the equitable benefit sharing that is inherent in it.sharing that is inherent in it.

The Committee helps the 11 communities to The Committee helps the 11 communities to take decisions together!take decisions together!

In 2003 we approached the In 2003 we approached the government for help and they government for help and they “recognised” our CCA, and “recognised” our CCA, and the fact that we govern it the fact that we govern it alone...alone...

They sent us someone to They sent us someone to become a member of our become a member of our CommitteeCommittee

We prepare our management We prepare our management plans and we send them to plans and we send them to the government responsible the government responsible authorities for their authorities for their information, official information, official recognition and to provide us recognition and to provide us with requested supportwith requested support

The government helps us to enforce our own by-laws!The government helps us to enforce our own by-laws!

There are problems to be resolved:There are problems to be resolved: we would like to promote tourism, we need to we would like to promote tourism, we need to

understand better the level of sustainable resource understand better the level of sustainable resource use…use…

we also need to register the Crab Bay Community we also need to register the Crab Bay Community Conserved Area so that it is also nationally Conserved Area so that it is also nationally recognised by the Vanuatu Governmentrecognised by the Vanuatu Government

Importantly, we are Importantly, we are a living a living demonstration of the demonstration of the fact that protected fact that protected areas work best areas work best when declared and when declared and run by the people… run by the people… We have much We have much better results than better results than any PA declared by any PA declared by the governmentthe government