How can supporting healthy forests and biodiversity benefit an entire community?

Left: Merremia, an invasive species identified by its large leaves and woody vines. Right: Surrounded by Merrima - Chief Skip, who manages forest restoration in the Loru Community Conservation Area © WWF-Australia / Charlotte Sterrett

The Pacific is home to some of the most bio-diverse and carbon dense forms of forest.

These ecosystems are critical to Indigenous landowners and local communities. Along with holding great cultural and social significance, many of these ecosystems support the production of nutritious foods, protect fresh water sources and provide a buffer from climate-related disasters. 

From the mid-1800s to the 1990s, forests in Vanuatu were heavily logged. Although cutting commercial round logs for export is now illegal in the country, many forests remain degraded and land clearing for agriculture and livestock continues.

It is in these locations – tropical rainforests that have been ‘disturbed,’ degraded and historically impacted by commercial logging – where Merremia, also known as 'big lif' has taken over.

As an invasive species Merremia vines quickly become widespread, halting opportunities for the regrowth and regeneration of native forests and killing remaining large trees and undergrowth.

Merremia – which is also found in Samoa and Solomon Islands – presents a threat on several levels. When Merremia’s thick, woody vines take hold, a forests’ ability to effectively capture and store carbon is reduced by up to 75%. Further, Merremia creates emissions by smothering and killing native forest trees.

A one-year-old agroforestry plot at the Loru Community Conservation Area shows how the process of forest restoration begins after Merremia has been cleared © WWF-Australia / Charlotte Sterrett

Nature-based solutions for forests and people

In the Loru Community Conservation Area in Vanuatu, rangers like Chief Skip (pictured above) manage their forest restoration and conservation activities through vine cutting and thicket removal. He explains in Bislama:

“Long ples ia we yumi bin work befo, sipos yu luk, yu save luk i gat sam diferens lo hem. Long forest ia, yu save luk hemi different lelebet sipos yu luk gud”.

“This place where we have been working before [clearing merremia vines], if you look you can see the difference. The forest, you can see it’s different if you really look.”

This way, customary owners can protect remaining old growth and clear space for more agro-forestry plots that can be used to grow trees and extend the “dakbus” [mature forest]. Food gardens are also grown that reduce weeding, contribute to increase food security and provide additional income for community members.

This all part of a project delivered by Nakau, working with Live & Learn Vanuatu and the community-owned business who manage the Loru Community Conservation Area, and supported by Climate Resilient by Nature, an Australian Government funded initiative in partnership with WWF-Australia.

Together, we’re working to support healthy forests and biodiversity, build new income-generating opportunities that can benefit everyone within a community and grow the emerging high-integrity carbon market in the region.

Fruit grown from garden plots (left) and tree saplings to be planted as part of agroforesty (right) © WWF-Australia /Charlotte Sterrett

Why carbon markets?

The development of carbon markets driven by nature-based solutions can offer countries like Vanuatu pathways to sustainable finance while conserving forests and delivering benefits to communities.

In Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCMs), project developers implement activities that remove, reduce, or avoid greenhouse gas emissions.

These activities are financed through carbon credits that are certified by a voluntary carbon standard. A credit can be purchased by parties seeking to offset their emissions, and in the case of a high integrity credit – go beyond this and contribute to broader positive impacts. Revenue from this credit then flows back to the community.

In the case of this project, connecting Merremia management with the carbon market incentivises the restoration and conservation of forests, allowing trees to continue their natural role capturing and storing carbon, supporting biodiversity, and providing food and income generating opportunities for communities. Communities own the projects, earn an income, using their knowledge and labour to restore the forests.  And income generated from the project is reinvested in community projects, alternative livelihoods and contributes towards strengthened climate resilience.

Dorolyn Ser, a community member and Finance Officer with the Loru Community Conservation Area, oversees income from the project. She shares some of the benefits communities have experienced: “When we receive the carbon credits it helps our families a lot by buying school fees for our children. They [families] also have built small stores for their business. They buy roofs for their house and water tanks.”

Dorolyn Ser, Finance Officer with the Loru Community Conservation Area © Charlotte Sterrett / WWF-Australia (left); A restored part of Loru Community Conservation Area ©Nakau (right).

Key ingredients for success

The Climate Resilient by Nature Indo-Pacific Knowledge Hub is building a community of practice and facilitating knowledge exchange to help make nature-based solutions work for people and nature across the Indo-Pacific.

As part of this, we are focusing on understanding how carbon projects can be developed to deliver benefits for Pacific communities and the key ingredients for successful project development.

VCMs in the Pacific are small and nascent but have been growing rapidly in the context of the region’s significant carbon mitigation potential.

Growing demand combined with a weak regulatory environment has seen criticism around greenwashing and questions of integrity levelled towards carbon market projects that deliver mixed results.

The unique Pacific context further presents challenges concerning land tenure, project scalability, and equitable benefit sharing that carbon market projects must get right. This points to the importance of robust project development to ensure carbon markets first and foremost prioritise and serve Pacific communities.

Successful examples from the region – including from Nakau and Live and Learn Environmental Education - demonstrate key learnings and ingredients that go into developing a sustainable and equitable project. Most critically, carbon markets projects must be high integrity and at their core deliver real benefits for communities.

Visit Climate Resilient by Nature’s Knowledge Hub to learn more about voluntary carbon projects.

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