The Government of Vanuatu, through the Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation (DEPC), with support from the Expanding Conservation Areas Reach and Effectiveness (ECARE) Project and the Santo Sunset Environment Network (SSEN), has successfully concluded the country’s first national Community Conservation Area (CCA) Peer-to-Peer Exchange Programme, held from 7–17 December 2025.
Community Conservation Areas (CCAs) are a special mechanism in Vanuatu to acknowledge traditional and community environmental protection practices under the Environmental Protection and Conservation Act [CAP 283], and are the tool used by Vanuatu to meet its international commitment to protect at least 30% of Vanuatu’s high-biodiversity marine and land areas by 2030.
