Developing forest policy in a small nation: the Vanuatu national forest policy

The small island nation of Vanuatu in the south-west Pacific has recently developed its first National Forest Policy using a process of extensive consultations with stakeholders including forest industries, customary landowners, non-government organisations and the government. Forest issues are addressed in the policy with a hierarchy of objectives, policy statements and specific strategies, aimed to ensure that the policies are implemented. The formulation and selection of policies occurred over a two year period of consultations with a gradually widening group of people and organisations refining and adding to a draft policy, culminating in a series of forest policy workshops enabling effective stakeholder participation in development of the policy. This process also contributed to legitimation of the policy by stakeholders and the Vanuatu Government and to the passage of necessary legislation. Key lessons from Vanuatu include the importance of developing an appropriate consultation process, of policies having local ownership and the value of stakeholder involvement in effective implementation.