Marine ecological baseline report for Amal/Crab Bay Tabu Eria, Malekula Island, Vanuatu / by Francis Hickey

Abstract

An ecological baseline survey of the Amal/Crab Bay Tabu Eria (AKTE) was performed between November 2004 and May 2005. Resources were surveyed with the assistance of Community Facilitators (CFs), and under the direction of the AKTE Management Committee (MC); surveyed resources included land crabs, terrestrial flora, mangroves, avifauna,mammals, finfish, shellfish, turtles and dugongs. Available literature regarding these resources and their distrubution within Vanuatu was reviewed and summarised, and traditional and local knowledge documented, including vernacular names for resources. The impacts of tectonic uplifting affecting mangrove zonation and nearshore reefs was also documented.