Welcome to the Department of Environment Protection and Conservation's official website.
In 1986, the Department Environment Protection and Conservation (DEPC) began as the Vanuatu Environment Unit. Today we are formally recognised as a department under the Ministry of Climate CHange Adaptation, Meteorology & Geo-Hazard, Environment, Energy and Disaster Management.
The vision of DEPC is "leading Vanuatu to a clean, resilient and sustainable environment" and its mission is to achieve its vision by leading by example "Think Environment First: Show People!"
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Over the years, the Vanuatu Government has introduced a number of pieces of environmental legislation, but not all of this legislation falls under the mandate of the Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation (DEPC).
Some environmental legislation is administered by other government agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries, and Biosecurity and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
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The DEPC aims to protect and conserve natural resources, biodiversity and significant species and their ecosystems for everyone. Be alert and prepared for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
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An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an assessment of the possible impacts, positive or negative, that a proposed project may have on the environment taking into consideration natural, social and economic aspects.
The purpose of an Environmental Impact Assessment is to ensure the decision makers consider the environmental impacts to decide whether to proceed with the project.
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Waste Management & Pollution Control is currently funded by the Vanuatu government with some assistance and collaboration from JICA through J-PRISM Project. The Ozone Project is currently funded by UNEP under the Montreal Protocol and Vienna conventions for Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS).
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Welcome to the website of the Vanuatu Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation. This website aims to give you updated information on Environmental Protection and Conservation in Vanuatu.
But what does this involve? It includes, assessing the environmental impact of proposed developments; working with communities to establish Community Conservation Areas; working with researchers to learn more about our unique environment; protecting internationally endangered species; controlling ozone depleting substances; and working with municipal and provincial governments to manage waste and pollution.
Environment is very essential as it supports and sustains life. Living being are depend upon the environment for their survival. Hence it is our responsibility to manage, protect and conserve our environment for today and tomorrow.
It also means administering environmental laws and collaborating with other partners to address local, regional and global priorities. Thanks for your interest in the envinronment of Vanuatu.
Honourable Silas Bule
Minister of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology & Geohazard, Environment, Energy and Disaster Management
The variety of plants and animals found in Vanuatu is called its biodiversity.
Conservation, in relation to the environment, is the act of protecting and preserving biodiversity.
Bioprospecting is any activity undertaken to harvest or exploit genetic resources.
Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA, is the process for identifying and managing the impacts of a project on the natural, social and custom environment.
EIA is a proactive planning and decision-making tool that has an important role to play in identifying impacts, assessing risks, and evaluating the costs and benefits of development projects before they are implemented.
Environmental impacts are impacts on the natural environment. That is, they are impacts that affect landforms, land and soil; water resources; plants and animals; the atmosphere and climate; and the links between all of these elements.
The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is designed to safeguard the Earth’s biologically rich and most threatened regions known as biodiversity hotspots. It is a joint initiative of Conservation International (CI), l'Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), the European Union (EU), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Government of Japan, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank. CEPF is a unique funding mechanism in that it focuses on high-priority biological areas rather than political boundaries, and examines conservation threats on a landscape scale. It is from this perspective that CEPF seeks to address conservation needs through coordinated regional efforts. Its fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation.
The Vanuatu government through the Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation (DEPC) has received some funding for a new project called, Assistance for data collection and management of community conservation areas across Vanuatu (ADCMCCA). Through this project the government is purchasing new GNSS receiver survey equipment’s to improve its boundary maps for registered community conservation Areas.
Title: Marine and coastal biodiversity management in the Pacific island countries and atolls
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU)
Country: Pacific island region: Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu
Lead executing agency: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
Overall term: 2013 to 2018
Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation,
Meteorology & Geo-Hazards, Environment,
Energy and Disaster Management compound, Nambatu
PMB 9063, Port Vila
Phone: (678) 25302 | 33430
Sanma Provincial Government Council,
PMB 239,
Luganville,
Sanma