Abstract
Developing island states often struggle to identify and manage natural resources in settings characterized by ‘legal pluralism’. The existence of multiple rule systems with competing claims to legitimacy is a hallmark of Vanuatu’s institutional landscape. The resilience of local systems, the limited reach of central institutions and the rhetorical support of state actors for kastom nevertheless present an opportunity to think creatively about governance in Vanuatu and to develop innovative tools and methods to manage the impact of development in a way that is beneficial for local communities. On the basis of a case study of Vanuatu’s Chief Roi Mata’s Domain an – official UNESCO world heritage site since 2008 – the article explores options for the utilization of international and regional agreements in the sustainable development and preservation of heritage sites. The aim of the article is to contribute to the understanding of the impact such agreements have on the protection of Vanuatu’s cultural heritage, bearing in mind challenges that a small island country like Vanuatu may experience in the attempt to utilize international and regional conventions for the protection of cultural heritage. The ultimate question, however, is how indigenous culture can be protected and simultaneously sustainably accessed as a ‘development resource’.
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Notes
- 1.
See Tentative List inscriptions in Table 3.1, Annex.
- 2.
Thematic Framework for World Cultural Heritage in the Pacific, 5–8 September 2005, Port Vila, Vanuatu.
- 3.
The Preservation of Sites and Artifacts Act 1965 provides for the registration of such sites with the Vanuatu Cultural Center.
- 4.
These being the Environmental Management and Conservation Act 2003 and the Foreshore Development Act 1975.
- 5.
Kastom ekonomi is a form of traditional or subsistence economy. Regenvanu explains that this is “the way in which our indigenous Pacific societies are organised to look after the concerns and resources of their members, in counterpoint to the way the “‘capitalist’ or ‘cash’ economy organises itself to look after the concerns and resources of its members” (Regenvanu 2009: 1).
- 6.
It should be remembered that by virtue of Art. 26 of the 1980 Constitution, Vanuatu is a dualist country for purposes of treaty ratification. This means that Vanuatu considers the national and international legal order as two separate legal systems. As a consequence of dualism in Vanuatu, provisions of international treaties or agreements must be transposed into national law (usually in form of Acts) by the national Parliament before the provisions enter into force and create legally binding, enforceable obligations.
- 7.
The conventions to which Vanuatu is a party are spelled out in Annex.
- 8.
On this point see Adler et al. (2009).
- 9.
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Acknowledgements
The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the World Bank, its executive directors or the countries they represent. The authors are grateful for background information on this paper provided by Douglas Kalotiti, Chairman of the CRMD World Heritage Committee, and the international advisory group, including Adam Trau, Chris Ballard, Meredith Wilson and Alison Fleming. For more information contact Katharina Serrano at serrano_k@vanuatu.usp.ac.fj and Milena Stefanova at mstefanova@worldbank.org.
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Serrano, K., Stefanova, M. (2011). Between International Law, Kastom and Sustainable Development: Cultural Heritage in Vanuatu. In: Baldacchino, G., Niles, D. (eds) Island Futures. Global Environmental Studies. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-53989-6_3
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