WITH cyclones intensifying and coastlines under pressure, Vanuatu is turning to one of its oldest defences: healthy forests, mangroves, reefs, and seagrass as it strengthens its national climate adaptation strategy.
That push took a major step forward this week with the official launch and handover of three policy tools under the Promoting Pacific Island Nature-based Solutions (PPIN) project, providing the Vanuatu with new guidance to weave nature-based solutions into national adaptation planning, coastal resilience, and forestry policy.
The documents handed over in Port Vila were the Guideline for Integrating Nature-based Solutions into Vanuatu’s National Adaptation Plan, the National Policy Framework Assessment on Nature-based Solutions for Coastal Resilience and Forestry Sectors in Vanuatu, and a supporting policy briefing paper.
Together, they are designed to move nature-based solutions from a promising concept into day-to-day planning and decision-making.
For the Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation, the issue is not abstract. Healthy ecosystems are part of the country’s resilience toolkit, said Director Osborne Melenamu, whose remarks framed nature not as scenery but as infrastructure that protects people.
“These reports recognise something that communities across Vanuatu have understood for generations,” he said, “that healthy ecosystems are fundamental to resilience, livelihoods, culture, and wellbeing.”
He pointed to the practical work these systems do every day: “Forests regulate water systems, reduce erosion, protect biodiversity, and support food security and livelihoods.
Mangroves, reefs, seagrasses, and coastal ecosystems protect our shorelines, reduce wave energy, sustain fisheries, and strengthen resilience against storms and sea level rise.”
The case for nature-based solutions is especially clear in a cyclone-prone Pacific nation where communities often rely on ecosystems long before they see formal disaster aid.
Mangrove forests can blunt waves before they hit villages. Coral reefs act as natural barriers against storm surge.
Forests hold soil in place, reduce erosion and help safeguard water sources during extreme weather.
New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the policy shift builds on practical experience and local knowledge, not imported theory.
“Nature-positive solutions work because they are practical, proven, and rooted in place,” said Holly Peacock, First Secretary at the New Zealand High Commission in Vanuatu.
“They also build on something fundamental – generations of local knowledge and stewardship: our collective ‘kastom save’.”
She said the next step is to embed those approaches in the systems that shape everyday development.
“Together we must embed these approaches into how we develop our infrastructure and industries, plan our settlements, and invest for the future,” she said.
“The policy tools we’re launching today represent an important step in doing exactly that.”
For SPREP, the launch reflects a wider Pacific trend: nature-based solutions are increasingly being recognised as practical policy, not just environmental language.
“As the Pacific’s regional environment organisation, SPREP is committed to supporting our members to strengthen climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable development through approaches that are grounded in both science and Pacific knowledge systems,” said PPIN Project Coordinator Utulei Lui.
“Nature-based Solutions are now recognised across the Pacific as a practical and effective approach for addressing climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development challenges,” she said, adding that Vanuatu has shown “strong leadership” by committing to integrate NbS into national planning and adaptation processes.
Lui also credited the range of institutions and communities that shaped the outputs, including the departments responsible for environmental protection, climate change and forestry, along with technical stakeholders, consultants and community representatives.
“The strength of these outputs reflects the collaborative efforts of many individuals and organisations who shared their expertise, experiences, and perspectives throughout this journey,” she said.
The PPIN project, funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and managed by IUCN in partnership with SPC, SPREP and the Global Green Growth Institute, was set up to support policy and legislation for nature-based solutions, build regional awareness and capacity, and strengthen Pacific cooperation on the approach.
