Republic of Vanuatu : national conservation strategy = Vanuatu : Plan national pour l'Environnement

Abstract

The traditional land tenure system and the customary rights to use land and sea resources are now part of the national constitution. All land in the Republic belongs to the custom owners and their descendants and rules of custom form the basis for ownership and use of both the land and off-shore resources. Within this system the chiefs played, and in most regions continue to play, an important role in regulating the use and management of natural resources for the benefit of the people they represent.