Documentation of Wan Smolbag's Vanua-tai resource monitor program in Vanuatu

Abstract

The Wan Smol Bag (WSB) Turtle Monitor (TM) Program that came about as about as part of the SPREP 'Year of the Turtle' and included the drama 'I am a Turtle' in 1995 has had a significant impact on efforts to sustainably manage turtle resources of Vanuatu. The program started with a small number of rural communities around the central island of Efate that chose TMs to work voluntarily within their communities to promote the sustainable management of declining turtles populations. Driven by community needs, the network has since expanded its role to include the wise use of all natural resources depended upon by ni-Vanuatu and the Program renamed the Vanua-tai Resource Monitors (VTRM).