Implementing Agency:
Department For International Development (PAND)

Managing Institute:
WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature)

Contractor:
Foundations for the Peoples of the South Pacific

Project Code: 227-680-003	Start Date: 01-Oct-92	End Date: 01-Mar-96
Commitment: £276,300	Status: Completed	Type of Funding: Bilateral - JFS

Project Background:
Despite a hard pressed economy Vanatu has, until recently, been very reluctant to permit logging concessions, partly through a wish to harvest their own resources and also because it was aware of the environmental catastrophes associated with logging practices in many other areas of the Pacific. In these areas large scale logging has often negatively affected water quality, soil productivity, wildlife habitat and in some cases off-shore reef systems.

Most land in the Pacific is customary land, belonging to villagers themselves. Attracted by theprospects of roads and development villagers have often negotiated direct agreements for logging concessions. All too often the results are disatrous and frequently villagers resist attempts to replant since the tiny royalities offered means that they do not appreciate the true value of the timber and wish to clear the land for cash cropping.

The sawmill can be a useful tol in the promotion of sustainable forest management and the empowerment of local communities to control their own resources. perhaps the most significant achievement of this type of sawmilling is that the community recieves a highper price for their timber. This can mean the difference between recieving £2/m³ when harvested by themseleves.

Project Objectives:
The objective of the project is to provide the rural sector of Vanuatu access to technology, training and infrastructure for the initiation of rural, community based sawmilling enterprises.

The main focus of the programme will be to promote sustainable harvesting of the country's timber resources on a small scale basis as an alternative to the country selling logging concessions to overseas companies. This alternative method can serve to mitigate the environmental consequences of logging, provide greater benefit to local communities and the country as a whole, and encourage sustainable forest management.

Intended Outputs:
Facilitate access of the rural sector to the mobile sawmill technology that have been proven successful in other Melanesian countries through importation of mills and spare parts, facilitating bank loans and providing specialised on-the-job training programmes whereby operators can earn cash from timber sales to purchase mills.

Provide training in sawmill operation, sawmill business management, and sustainable forestry management to interest rural entrepreneurs.

Establish local NGO industry support for the long term continuation of project services ie importing and marketing of sawmills and spare parts, back-up technical services and on-going training.

based on the above, total project benefits at the end of the five year period would be estimated at:
1000 individuals trained

30 sawmills established

300 new jobs created

£2,275,000 gross income added to rural sector.