Malekula crab survey 17th March - 03 April 2000

Abstract

Literature reviews by the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan Project (NBSAP) revieled a gap in information on land crabs of Vanuatu despite their widespread subsistance and commercial use. This assessment is part of a baseline study of crabs conducted in selected islands of Vanuatu. Initial work on the species in 1999 excluded work on Malekula therefore this paper focuses on the island and attempts to identify different species of land crabs and their distribution, describe their habitats, local use, harvesting, impacts and management tools applied.