Aneityum Forestry Lease Cancelled

The chiefs and people of Aneityum have welcomed the cancellation of the Aneityum Forestry lease that covered 3,415 hectares.

It was this lease that enabled the planting of pine trees on the island for timber.

The community has acknowledged the assistance of the Head of Land Records Office, the Director of Land Department and Land Desk of the Vanuatu Kaljoral Senta for their assistance in this matter, as well as the legal representative and others that ensured this became a reality for the chiefs and people of Aneityum.

Speaking on behalf of the community, Mr Joel Simo says the land has returned under the custody of the chiefs and their people.

This lease was registered on August 31, 1984 by the Aneityum Trustees Limited as the lessor to Aneityum Timber Development Company Limited as the lessee.

It was one of the biggest rural leases initiated by the founding fathers of the newly independent state to ensure that rural Vanuatu communities have some means of income for support and most of all allow development to be part of the rural communities.

While the lease covered an area of 3,415 hectares (around 34 square kilometres), it is a huge area for a small island like Aneityum.

The forestry project was sponsored by the New Zealand for the people of Aneityum to plant a species of pine called the Caribbean pine or pinus caribaea.

This was cultivated as a source of commercial timber with hopes of exporting the sawn timber to foreign and local markets.

In the early to late 1980s and early 1990s there were major works to plant pines that covered most of the eroded savannah land.

When financial support stopped, the project ceased in the early 1990s.

However, the Aneityum Community operated a mini-mill that supplied the local communities with sawn pine timber and the surplus sold to interested construction companies.

The lease has been sitting idle for around 30 years after the company ceased to operate, Mr Simo said.

With the current land development issues in the country the chiefs and the people of Aneityum requested the Land Desk of the Vanuatu Kaljoral Senta to work closely with the Ministry concerned and the Department of Lands to cancel the lease.

The reasons are that:

a) Aneityum is a small island with a rapid population increase and people want to ensure there is land available for everybody

b) Aneityum Timber Development Company has ceased to operate and the lease land is sitting idle thus making it prone to be given to any foreign company which will deprive most people of their livelihood

c) The lease to be cancelled to ensure there is wide consultation with the whole population if there is any prospect of land development on the land as most of those who initiated the lease have all passed on.

d) With the population increase people are using the leased land to settle and produce food

e) Aneityum chiefs and people do not encourage ‘land to be lease out’ as most of the government services on the land are on customary land which is healthy for the people on a small island

f) The Government to place its development on customary land where the people and chiefs of Aneityum will care for the property, when there is need for such government service to be withdrawn, the movable items can be removed without any effect to the status of the land.

Currently there are government-run schools on the island as well as a national police post and clinic facility all cared for by the community and all built on custom land.