Our forests are our future
On Tanna and Erromango islands, forests are the foundation of community life. They provide food, building materials, clean water, protection from cyclones, and homes to birds, plants, and animals found nowhere else on Earth. Increasing pressures from climate change and growing populations mean these precious ecosystems are under threat.
In response, the Life & Land project has emerged. Developed by Nasituan together with communities across three sites on Tanna and Erromango, Life & Land combines forest protection, active land restoration, and improved land management practices into a single, community-led programme. It is funded in part through the global carbon market, meaning the trees we protect and plant generate income for local families while contributing to the fight against climate change.
The project name reflects the interconnected relationship between the land that sustains life, and in turn is shaped by the way we interact with the natural world. Life & Land aims to restore the balance between humans and the environment, allowing them both to thrive.
In response, the Life & Land project has emerged. Developed by Nasituan together with communities across three sites on Tanna and Erromango, Life & Land combines forest protection, active land restoration, and improved land management practices into a single, community-led programme. It is funded in part through the global carbon market, meaning the trees we protect and plant generate income for local families while contributing to the fight against climate change.
The project name reflects the interconnected relationship between the land that sustains life, and in turn is shaped by the way we interact with the natural world. Life & Land aims to restore the balance between humans and the environment, allowing them both to thrive.
What we do
Life & Land brings together nine land management activities across three project sites: Whitegrass and Middlebush on Tanna, and South River on Erromango. Every activity was designed with and by local communities, drawing on generations of knowledge about the land, the seasons, and what works here.
Protecting what mattersAt Whitegrass, communities have established community bylaws to create a Community Conservation Area (CCA) to protect 396 hectares of forest from clearing and unregulated logging. Species that will be protected in this habitat include the critically endangered Snake Palm, and vulnerable Vanuatu Flying Fox.
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Restoring what has been lostVanuatu is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Cyclones, invasive vines, and decades of logging have left parts of our landscape degraded and exposed. Across all three sites, we are planting native trees along riverbanks and in damaged forest areas, clearing vines that prevent natural recovery, and bringing back species that have declined.
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Agriculture in balance with natureLife & Land supports communities to use their land in ways that are productive and sustainable over the long term: integrating shade trees into coffee plantations, planting fruit and timber trees in gardens and cattle grazing areas, stabilising eroding hillsides, and planting sustainable timber and fuelwood to reduce the pressure on native forests.
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Who is involved
Life & Land is led by Nasituan and implemented directly by and with the communities in the project areas. Each community has its own working committee, including traditional leaders, women, youth, farmers, and people with disabilities, that oversee activities, manage finances, and make decisions about how the programme develops.
118 households and 649 people participate directly across the three sites. Community members carry out the planting, monitoring, and land management activities, and receive direct payment for their work. At least 60 cents of every dollar generated through carbon credit sales goes straight back to communities.
The programme is implemented in partnership with Tearfund New Zealand, who provide technical support, funding oversight, and connection to the global carbon finance system.
118 households and 649 people participate directly across the three sites. Community members carry out the planting, monitoring, and land management activities, and receive direct payment for their work. At least 60 cents of every dollar generated through carbon credit sales goes straight back to communities.
The programme is implemented in partnership with Tearfund New Zealand, who provide technical support, funding oversight, and connection to the global carbon finance system.
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Carbon credits: what they are and why they matter
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When we protect a forest from being cleared, or plant trees that grow and store carbon over decades, that carbon benefit can be measured, verified, and sold as a carbon credit in the international voluntary carbon market. Companies and organisations around the world purchase these credits to offset their own emissions while supporting communities like ours to protect and restore the natural environment.
Life & Land is undergoing certification through Plan Vivo, the world's oldest community-led carbon standard, which ensures that credits are independently verified, that communities are fairly rewarded, and that the social and environmental benefits of the project are genuine and documented. Our credits will be registered on the S&P Global registry, providing full transparency to buyers about where the credits come from and what they represent. The project will generate approximately 7,000 Plan Vivo Certificates per year, from 2026 onwards, across a 30-year crediting period. |
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Get involved
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Whether you are a company looking to invest in high-integrity carbon credits, a researcher or journalist wanting to learn more, or simply someone who is interested in our work, we would love to hear from you.
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Contact us: [email protected]
Learn more about Plan Vivo certification: planvivo.org Implemented in partnership with: Tearfund New Zealand — tearfund.org.nz |
