The Pacific Innovation Forum for Climate and Environment (PIFCE) 1st - 3rd July, 2026

VCAP2

Brief overview

The Adaptation to Climate Change in the Coastal Zone of Vanuatu Second Phase (VCAP2) is a Government of Vanuatu initiative implemented by UNDP and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

VCAP2 addresses critical challenges, including the depletion of coastal fisheries, threats to marine and terrestrial biodiversity, and the impacts of climate change. It aims to enhance the resilience of coastal communities through integrated biodiversity conservation, sustainable land management, climate-smart agriculture, early warning systems, community climate adaptation plans, gender empowerment and social inclusion, and rights-based approaches – from the local to the national level.

Your organisation’s goals

To enhance resilience of vulnerable areas and communities to climate change impacts through biodiversity conservation, integrated approaches, and lessons from VCAP1.

Describe your innovation:

VCAP2 delivers core services structured around four components:

1. Integrated community approaches to natural resource management and climate change adaptation – Establishing Community Conservation Areas (CCAs), promoting climate-smart
agriculture, sustainable fisheries management, and habitat restoration (mangroves, coastal forests).

2. Information and early warning systems on coastal hazards – Installing automatic weather stations, Weather TV broadcasting, and drone-based coastal mapping to provide localized, Realtime climate
data for disaster preparedness.

3. Climate change and natural resource management governance – Strengthening provincial and
community level institutions, integrating climate adaptation plans into local development planning, and applying rights based, gender-inclusive approaches.

4. Knowledge management and lessons sharing – Documenting community innovations, producing videos and case studies, facilitating peer exchanges across sites, and feeding lessons into national
and regional policy processes.

These services are delivered through a series of modalities, including implementation by
government and project officials, with the help of private firms, NGOs, and consultants; small grants;
technical training; and direct support to the Government of Vanuatu. All work aligns with Vanuatu’s National Adaptation Plan and Nationally Determined Contributions, ensuring scaling of proven
solutions.

How is this solution is innovative?

Our solution is innovative in four ways, distinct from topdown early warning systems: 1. Integration of recorded climate content with analog TV – Currently, we produce and distribute pre-recorded weather and climate advisory videos (e.g., planting alerts, cyclone preparedness, water conservation tips) that communities play back on standard TV sets. These pre-recorded weather and climate advisories reduce the use of live internet. We have secured equipment and plan to install a live broadcast encoder and transmitter in due course, enabling real-time alerts. 2. Community-owned data workflow – Solar-powered automatic weather stations record rainfall, wind, and temperature. Data is downloaded manually or via lowbandwidth radio, then turned into simple video bulletins in local languages by trained community members. These community-owned data ensure ownership and relevance. 3. Drone-aided community mapping – Communities co-create flood and erosion risk maps using drone imagery, then layer station data onto those maps – a rare fusion of participatory planning and low-cost sensing. 4. Linking warnings to onground actions – Alerts directly inform climatesmart agriculture (e.g., planting schedules), protected area management (e.g., temporary fishing closures), sustainable land management (e.g., contour farming after heavy rain), and water supply decisions (e.g., tank filling before dry spells). This staged approach (recording first, broadcasting later) allows testing and capacity-building before a full live rollout – a prudent, locally grounded innovation pathway suitable for remote PICTs.

How can the innovation be replicated and scaled up in other PICTs?

Replication is already underway, led by local partners who have adopted and adapted VCAP2.

How is the solution cost‑effective and affordable in the context of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs)?

Open-Source Architecture: The entire system is built on freely available tools including Python, R, QGIS, and Quarto, with all code, machine learning models, and training materials published openly through VBoS and the Pacific Community (SPC) GitHub repositories. This eliminates licensing costs and allows other National Statistics Offices to adopt and localise the methodology with minimal financial barriers.

Locations (country, island, or community) where this solution has been piloted and/or implemented

The innovation has been piloted and is currently operational (recorded weather video phase) in Vanuatu across the following locations:

West Coast Santo (Santo Sunset Environmental Network sites): Two automatic weather stations installed in 2024; drone mapping of 12 km of eroding coastline; community members trained to record weekly weather video bulletins in local languages, played back on village TV sets – reaching ~2,000 people. Live broadcast equipment is procured and planned for installation in late 2026.

South Epi (EcoLivelihood partner communities): Pilot for flash flood early warnings; recorded climate advisories linked to water supply management (rainwater harvesting) and sustainable land management (contour farming). Community technicians trained in 2025. 

South Tanna (Live&Learn Vanuatu partners): Focus on drought monitoring for climate smart agriculture; recorded bulletins advise farmers on planting drought resistant crops and managing livestock. Integrated with protected area management (locally managed marine areas).

Wusi and Linduri (West Coast Santo): System used to support coastal community conservation areas, including mangrove restoration and fisheries closures informed by weather station data.

All pilot sites continue to operate the recorded video model. The project is currently assessing infrastructure readiness for live broadcast rollout across these locations.

Abyss Vanuatu Ocean Institute

About

Abyss Vanuatu Ocean Institute (AVOI) is a science-led, community-driven initiative advancing marine restoration, climate resilience and sustainable blue economy development in Vanuatu. Through its Havannah Harbour pilot, AVOI integrates Reef Ball deployment, artificial reef design, drone-enabled monitoring and workforce training via the Vanuatu Ocean Rangers. The model combines innovation and local stewardship to restore ecosystems, strengthen biodiversity and support climate adaptation. By linking technology, community engagement and practical delivery, AVOI is developing a scalable national framework that helps translate ocean policy into measurable outcomes, creating jobs, building local capability and supporting long-term environmental resilience across island communities.

Abyss Vanuatu Ocean Institute (AVOI) delivers integrated, science-led services focused on marine restoration, climate resilience and sustainable environmental management. Its core services include the design and deployment of Reef Ball artificial reef systems and managed vessel reefs to restore degraded marine habitats, enhance biodiversity and support fisheries recovery. AVOI also provides drone-enabled monitoring and survey services, using autonomous and manned systems to track climate impacts, support conservation planning and improve data-driven decision-making across marine and coastal environments.

A central component is the development of the Vanuatu Ocean Rangers program, which builds local workforce capability in restoration, monitoring, conservation and environmental stewardship. AVOI also supports Marine Protected Area (MPA) design, ecological baseline assessments and long-term monitoring frameworks aligned with national ocean policy objectives.

Through community engagement, eco-tourism integration and applied innovation, AVOI connects environmental protection with economic opportunity. Its Havannah Harbour pilot serves as a scalable model to deliver practical climate adaptation, strengthen ecosystem resilience and enable coordinated, whole-of-government environmental outcomes across Vanuatu.

The Innovation

One of AVOI’s key innovations is the integration of the Vanuatu Ocean Ranger program with locally delivered marine restoration systems, including Reef Ball fabrication and deployment. This model combines workforce development, community engagement and practical restoration into a single, scalable framework designed for island environments.

Through structured Vanuatu Ocean Ranger Camps, over a 3 day period AVOI identifies and trains local Ni-Vanuatu participants in marine conservation, Scientific diving, restoration techniques, monitoring and stewardship. One aspect of the Rangers responsibilities is to support the fabrication and deployment of Reef Ball artificial reef systems using locally sourced materials and regional supply chains, significantly reducing costs and increasing local ownership. The approach enables degraded reef systems to be restored while simultaneously building in-country capability and employment pathways, guided by our National AVOI Play Book at its core.

This innovation directly addresses climate change by strengthening reef resilience, supporting fisheries recovery and enhancing coastal protection against storm surge and extreme weather events. It also improves ecosystem health, which is critical for food security and long-term adaptation in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs).

What makes this model particularly relevant for PICTs is its practicality and scalability. It does not rely on high-cost external inputs but instead builds local capacity, integrates customary stewardship and aligns with government policy frameworks. The system can be replicated across islands using a consistent training, deployment and governance approach.

Supported by drone-enabled monitoring and AI self learning data collection, AVOI’s model provides a cost-effective, community-led solution that connects restoration, climate resilience and sustainable economic opportunity in a way that is both locally grounded and nationally scalable.

How is this solution innovative?

AVOI’s solution is innovative because it integrates community workforce development, marine restoration and applied technology into a single, scalable delivery model tailored for island environments. Rather than treating conservation, employment and climate adaptation as separate challenges, AVOI combines them through the Vanuatu Ocean Ranger program and locally delivered Reef Ball restoration systems. This creates a practical pathway where communities are directly trained and employed to restore and monitor their own marine ecosystems. The model also incorporates drone-enabled monitoring and emerging AI-supported survey systems to improve data collection, ecological tracking and rapid response capability, including in remote and disaster-affected areas. This blend of low-cost, locally sourced restoration methods with advanced monitoring technology allows for both accessibility and scientific rigour. What makes the approach particularly innovative is its focus on scalability and replication. By developing a standardised training, deployment and governance framework, AVOI provides a repeatable model based on a National AVOI Play book that can be adapted across Pacific Island Countries, helping translate policy into measurable, community-led climate and environmental outcomes.

How can the innovation be replicated and scaled up in other PICTs

AVOI’s model is designed for replication across Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) through a structured, partnership-driven and capacity-focused approach. Following an initial two-year proof-of-concept in Vanuatu, AVOI will develop a refined National PICT Playbook outlining standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safe work method statements (SWMS), delivered in both English and Bislama, with visual and pictorial elements to ensure accessibility across diverse communities.

Scaling will be enabled through institutional partnerships with government agencies, regional bodies, scientific partners such as UTS, and local stakeholders, supported by blended financing models including public-private partnerships, eco-tourism revenue streams and conservation funding.

A key component is the development of a simplified, citizen science-based survey framework focused on key indicator species. This approach lowers technical barriers, enabling participation from communities with varying levels of formal education while strengthening data collection and stewardship.

By combining local workforce training, accessible science, and standardised systems, AVOI creates a practical, low-cost model that can be adapted regionally, empowering communities while supporting climate resilience, biodiversity restoration and sustainable economic development across PICTs.

Is your solution cost‑effective and affordable in the context of Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs)?

AVOI’s solution is designed to be highly cost-effective and affordable for communities, local governments and small operators across PICTs. A core principle of the model is the use of locally available materials, including aggregates from regional quarries and, where appropriate, surplus or repurposed government materials. This significantly reduces construction and deployment costs for Reef Ball systems and associated infrastructure.

From an end-user perspective, the model lowers financial barriers by building local capability through the Vanuatu Ocean Ranger Camp Initiative and subsequent program, reducing reliance on external expertise and enabling communities to deliver and maintain restoration activities themselves. The integration of eco-tourism also creates revenue-generating opportunities that can help offset ongoing costs.

Affordability is further strengthened through the development of a streamlined cross-departmental approval pathway within the AVOI Playbook. By providing clear guidance on site selection, environmental considerations and standardised processes, local governments can reduce delays, duplication and administrative costs, enabling more efficient project delivery at scale.

Together, these elements create a low-cost, accessible and sustainable model that is practical for widespread adoption across PICTs.

Where is this being piloted?

AVOI’s solution is being piloted in Vanuatu, with Havannah Harbour (North-West Efate) identified as the primary proof-of-concept site, supported by a permanent operational and training hub at Lot 149, Lapita Estate. While over 1,000,000 Reef Balls have been deployed globally across more than 80 countries, this will be the first integrated deployment of this system in Vanuatu. The pilot combines initial baseline surveys across 12 regions using Reef Life Survey (RLS Methodology) prior to any deployments. Once 6 of the sites are selected for deployment we will deploy 50m x 10m of Reef Ball habitat restoration—designed as a 500+ year solution—, allowing us to. Continue to conduct 6 monthly replicated surveys in exactly the same 50m transects to demonstrate recruitment changes providing proof of concept. Together with the Vanuatu Ocean Ranger program, which trains and employs local Ni-Vanuatu to deliver restoration, monitoring and stewardship, supported by drone-enabled surveying, community engagement and eco-tourism integration. The approach is intentionally holistic, linking marine restoration, climate resilience, workforce development, local supply chains and government coordination into a single, place-based model. The Havannah Harbour pilot will be used to refine systems, demonstrate measurable outcomes and establish a scalable framework for national and regional replication across PICTs, through the development of our AVOI National Playbook, helping guide replication across all our satellite sites. Initial training will be conducted through AVOI Headquarters in Havannah Harbour, with Ranger selection conducted through a multi-day conservation camp where participant will all leave with new knowledge and appreciation for the terrestrial and marine environment, and Ocean Rangers selected for employment within the AVOI team at the conclusion of the camps.