Etude des impacts socio-économiques des menaces volcaniques et autres risques naturels sur l'archipel du Vanuatu (Mélanésie)

Cyclones, séismes, tsunamis, éruptions volcaniques... toutes ces manifestations naturelles qui sont nécessaires à l'équilibre énergétique du globe, sont trop souvent synonymes de catastrophes naturelles pour l'humanité, c'est le cas de l'archipel du Vanuatu, situé au NO du Pacifique Sud, sur la célèbre "ceinture de feu", dont la localisation à l'aplomb d'une zone de subduction et dans une zone intertropicale, conduit cet archipel à subir les conséquences de tels phénomènes. Le contenu de ce rapport présente et traite les impacts socio-économiques des divers risques naturels que subit le Vanuatu (cycloniques, sismiques, volcaniques), plus particulièrement les éruptions volcaniques, en s'appuyant sur les cartes de menaces volcaniques élaborées par l'ORSTOM et le Système d'Information Géographique VANRIS, outil du bureau de la Planification de l'Utilisation du Sol du Gouvernement du Vanuatu (LUPO). Des analyses chiffrées des impacts des risques volcaniques, en considérant différents types d'éruption possibles, ont été faites pour le secteur économique le plus développé de l'archipel, l'agriculture. (D'après Résumé d'auteur

Understanding the cocoa genetic resources in the Pacific to assist producers to supply the growing craft market

The Pacific countries of Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu account for less than 2% of the world?s cacao dry bean production. To capitalise on the rapidly expanding origin craft cocoa market, understanding the genetic attributes of Theobroma cacao in the Pacific is essential. A six-year ACIAR-funded project collected 1647 dried leaf samples from research stations and smallholder farms to identify the population ancestry of T. cacao in the partner countries. Using SNP marker profiling, the study identified germplasm high in Amelonado, which represents the majority of material throughout the Pacific. However, the study also identified samples high in the remaining nine genetic groups, including Criollo, Nanay, IMC (Iquitos), Guiana, Parinari (Marañón), Nacional, Ucayali (Contamana), LCT EEN (Curaray), and Purus, which were distributed throughout the Pacific. The results, if utilised in local selection trials, could reposition growers in the Pacific countries, allowing them to supply the growing origin craft cocoa market, with genetically unique beans. Cocoa genetics was one aspect of a project incorporating production and postharvest research to refocus the commodity based cocoa industry to a supplier of high-quality beans of unique Pacific cocoa origin to the rapidly expanding craft ?bean to bar? cocoa industry

Participatory methods of incorporating scientific with traditional knowledge for volcanic hazard management on Ambae Island, Vanuatu

Ambae Island is the largest of Vanuatu’s active volcanoes. It is also one of the nation’s potentially most dangerous, with 60 million m3 of lake-water perched at over 1340 m in the summit caldera and over the active vent. In 1995, small phreatic explosions, earthquake swarms and heightened gas release led to calls for evacuation preparation and community volcanic hazard awareness programs for the ~9500 inhabitants. Differences in perspective or world-view between the island dwellers adhering to traditional beliefs (Kastom) and external scientists and emergency managers led to a climate of distrust following this crisis. In an attempt to address these issues, rebuild dialogue and respect between communities, outside scientists and administrators, and move forward in volcanic hazard education and planning for Ambae, we adapted and applied Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) approaches. Initial gender-segregated PRA exercises from two representative communities provided a mechanism for cataloguing local traditional viewpoints and hazard perceptions. Ultimately, by combining elements of these viewpoints and perceptions with science-based management structures, we derived volcanic hazard management guidelines, supported by an alert system and map that were more readily accepted by the test communities than the earlier “top-down” plans imposed by outside governmental and scientific agencies. The strength of PRA approaches is that they permit scientists to understand important local perspective issues, including visualisations of volcanic hazards, weaknesses in internal and external communication systems, and gender and hierarchy conflicts, all of which can hinder community emergency management. The approach we describe has much to offer both developing and industrialised communities that wish to improve their awareness programs and mitigative planning. This approach should also enhance communication and understanding between volcanologists and the communities they serve