As a signatory to the World Heritage Convention, Vanuatu is required to submit to the World Heritage Centre a "tentative list" of sites which Vanuatu considers possible candidates for nomination as World Heritage sites.
In December 2006, the following sites were listed on Vanuatu's tentative list of potential World Heritage sites:
1) The Nowon and Votwos of Ureparapara
2) The Roimata Domain
3) Yalo, Apialo and the sacred geography of Northwest Malakula
4) The President Coolidge
5) Vatthe Conservation Area
6) Lake Letas
The full text describing these sites and justifying why they could become World Heritage sites follows...
1) NAME OF PROPERTY: The Nowon and Votwos of Ureparapara
UTM COORDINATES: approx. 58L 0749370, 8504028 (Ureparapara Island, TORBA province)
DESCRIPTION:
The Nowon and Votwos of Ureparapara are the central architectural elements of pre-European contact Ureparaparan culture, and are inextricable with the Sok graded-society (commonly referred to as the Sukwe in reference to other of the Banks Islands). Nowon and Votwos architectural forms were built adjacent each other and were the overt manifestation of social power, authority, leadership and peacemaking; functioning as meeting places and for ceremonial dancing, pig-killings of the Sok, reverence to ancestors and oratory addresses by community big-men. Typically located along the mid-slope plateau (100-150m above sea level) of Ureparapara’s steep outer volcanic flanks, each ceremonial-complex was associated with the hamlet or village settlements that existed across the island prior to sustained European settlement. The influence of some of these places was felt across the island.
Nowon are the ornate façades of the raised stone foundations to men’s-houses (gamal). Standing, on average, one-metre high, they are built of precisely interlocking-stone brickwork, and are comprised entirely of shaped basaltic slab stone. Prior to the abandonment of these places due to depopulation and Mission presence, the Nowon created striking entrances to the long (over 20m) and imposing men’s-houses built atop the raised foundations. Today the gamal architecture is all but a memory, nonetheless, regularly spaced divisions within the foundations, marked by vertical stone slabs, and tabu stone-lined fireplaces positioned in line along the length of the foundation, are all still visible today. It is within these divisions, that men of specific rank once sat, ate and planned together, under the arching roof of their respected house.
Votwos are spectacular earthen platforms, typically 2m high or more and lined on at least one-side by the same system of interlocking-stone brickwork as seen on the Nowon facades, although on a larger, grander scale. The Votwos are symbolic of being ‘high’ or having rank, they provide a vantage point from where a man-of-rank or influence would stand and address his community as their leader. Votwos can comprise a sole high platform, or can comprise several physically linked elements, including one or more stone-lined platforms connected to long linear stone-lined walls, which incorporate the area’s existing steep terrain for support. Votwos also incorporate several levels or standing platforms of varying heights, which accord with the rank of those permitted to stand, and a series of ascending step-stones regularly spaced throughout the brickwork to accommodate the ascent of influential men.
The proposed World Heritage Zone incorporates the area from Lehali village east for roughly 7km, following Ureparapara’s dramatic and sheer northern volcanic coastline. The zone will extend inland from this coastal line up to the mid-slope plateau. Within this area several of the most impressive Nowon and Votwos structures occur. Importantly, this area will also incorporate two other significant components of Ureparaparan heritage: (1) Due to the steep volcanic flanks encountered on the island, traditional land-use practices included creating extensive areas of terraced land supported by massive boulder stone retaining walls. Other areas also reveal massive boulders organised together to form walking paths. (2) An area of rock-art engravings, which according to oral tradition acted as a storehouse of information for the transmission of important cultural symbols and designs associated with the secret society of the Tamate. These designs include various headdress patterns and at least one that possibly reveals the traditional garments of the highest men-of-rank.
JUSTIFICATION FOR OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE:
Criteria met: (iii)
Banks Islanders share a united culture based on the ancestral hero Kwat and through their traditional associations with the graded society, commonly referred to as the Sukwe. Much of the tangible cultural heritage across the Banks Islands relates to the Sukwe institution, thus, virtually every pre-European period hamlet or village settlement comprised a ceremonial centre, which contained a men’s-house foundations and earthen platform. The size and degree of complexity in construction of these heritage places, however, varies across an island and quite markedly throughout the Banks group. It is clear, however, that these places all held similar function, as is suggested by the related vernacular terms for these ceremonial places across the region. For example: Nowon -Ureparapara; Nowonwon – Motalava; Wona – Mota. Genealogies associated with these properties throughout the Banks group indicates the architectural styles existed throughout the 1800s and perhaps some time before, but was flourishing at the time of early sustained European contact in the area (1860s).
The mutual and pervasive presence of these closely related architectural forms within only the Banks Island cultural group, is an indication that an important interchange, or spread, of belief system occurred across the group; perhaps over a short period only a few centuries ago. It seems probable that there is a concordant relationship between the oral traditions of Kwat and his brothers’ travels around the region, and the presence of a common architecture. Within the culturally diverse Melanesian archipelago, this degree of cultural and architectural unity is unique and of outstanding universal value.
A rich set of living oral traditions gives context to these heritage properties. Stories tell of the origins of the tribes of the people who built the Nowon and Votwos; of the specialist stone-craftsmen (Wostel) who were commissioned by men-of-standing within the Sukwe to build the monuments; of the exceptional economic wealth in traditional valuables, such as shell money, mats and pigs, needed by ‘big-men’ of rank to commission these developments; of the wide community cooperation required to gather raw material resources and complete such an undertaking. These heritage properties are great monuments to the complexity of traditional society and to the endeavors toward maintaining peace and authority within the communities. Within an archipelago so badly affected by depopulation a century ago, the presence of this rich array of oral traditions is of the greatest importance and is an exceptional testimony to the Banks Islands cultural traditions. This knowledge and history must be celebrated and promoted as it can challenge negative perceptions of Melanesian history as the ‘time of darkness’ engendered during the colonial period.
Criteria met: (iv) and (v)
Among the Banks Islands, Ureparapara exhibits the finest examples of this distinctive heritage type. It is here that one can see the peak in the development of this architectural form, its structural complexity and monumental size. As such Ureparapara bears a unique and exceptional witness to the cultural tradition that had spread across the Banks Islands prior to European settlement. Many of these properties also reveal the extent to which this island’s steep and difficult volcanic terrain was altered and adapted to, most clearly by terracing and the establishment of massive stone boulder retaining walls and walking paths. Of great significance also are the cultural sites where records of important symbols and headdress designs of the Tamate secret society, once practiced across the entire Banks group, were stored as an archive for access by upcoming members of their society. Together, these heritage types portray outstanding examples of architecture and land-use.
ASSURANCES OF AUTHENTICITY OR INTEGRITY:
The following statements support the authenticity of the Nowon and Votwos as ceremonial monuments of great significance to traditional society.
1) The presence of genealogical connections between these ceremonial grounds and individuals and communities living today;
2) The presence of oral traditions on Ureparapara that discuss aspects of the society involved in these sites construction;
3) The remembered associations of these properties with the Sukwe graded societies, combined with the presence of clear tangible evidence (gamal divisions and tabu fireplaces) at each site, recorded during survey, that this association is true and correct.
4) The use of closely related vernacular terms across the Banks Islands for these ceremonial sites (for example Nowon on Ureparapara, Nowonwon on Motalava and Wona on Mota Island);
5) The clear parallels in this site types’ architectural form across the Banks islands and their memories of associations with the Sukwe graded societies.
6) Descriptions and photographs of this type of heritage property form and design, from Ureparapara and other Banks Islands, by ethnographers, missionaries and social researchers including Robert Codrington (1891), Felix Speiser (1996 [for 1923]), and Greham Ward (1979). These academic works establish as true and credible the association of the properties on Ureparapara as associated with the people and their culture.
On the whole the heritage properties of Ureparapara remain in an exceptional state of preservation, wholeness and intactness. The primary impacts of deterioration come through the affects of tree root growth damaging the integrity of the structures. Some structures have suffered badly, however, those considered exceptional and within the World Heritage zone remain in great condition. Further effort will be made to address this issue.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER SIMILAR PROPERTIES:
Megalithic structures associated with graded societies are present across northern Vanuatu, however, the Nowon and Votwos of Ureparapara are exceptional examples of the manifestation of power and authority associated with such societies, and of the economic and social communities responsible for their construction. The overall monumental size and aesthetic beauty, the extent of stone craftsmanship and attention to detail in construction, the complexity in design and linking of its elements, and the rich associated oral traditions make these properties unique.
2) NAME OF PROPERTY: The Roimata Domain
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: S 17° 38', E 168° 08' (west Efate island, SHEFA Province)
DESCRIPTION:
The Roimata Domain is an evolving cultural landscape located in Northwest Efate that is centred on the life and death of the legendary chief Roimata. It consists of a triangle formed by three main sites: Mangaasi, located on the north coast of Efate; Feles cave on Lelepa Island; and Retoka Island. Each site occupies a position within the Hilliard Channel, at the entrance to Havannah Harbour, and is separated from the others by a distance of between 3 and 5 kilometres.
Chief Roimata lived around AD 1600 (although his title may extend further back in time) and was responsible for instituting a system of peace on the war-ravaged island of Efate. Roimata’s residence (farea) is said to have been the recently abandoned village site of Mangaasi, which has a history stretching back to the earliest colonisation of Vanuatu, around 3000 years ago. Mangaasi bears evidence of a rich and continuous sequence of human occupation punctuated by episodes of natural disaster, the most significant of which was a shower of ash and debris from the Kuwae volcanic eruption (Shepherd Islands) in AD 1452. Kuwae is one of the ten biggest volcanic eruptions in human history, slightly larger than the Santorini eruption that destroyed the Minoan Centre of Thera. While this cataclysm is memorialised in local oral traditions throughout central Vanuatu its impact was worldwide, reportedly influencing global climate for several years.
Mangaasi also contains the remains of several extinct species whose disappearance from the faunal record coincided with the arrival of humans, including a Mekosuchid land crocodile and a form of megapode.
Roimata is said to have drawn his last breath in Feles Cave on Lelepa Island, a deep chamber in a volcanic tuff cliff decorated with ancient paintings and engravings – some of which date back to the period of Roimata’s life. Roimata’s corpse was then carried and displayed in each of the villages of Efate owing him fealty. Members of his clans gathered at Tukutuku (on mainland Efate) before travelling to Retoka (Hat Island) to participate in a mass burial.
According to oral tradition, Roimata was accompanied in his journey to the land of the dead by family and clan members. These traditions have been verified through archaeological excavations, which have identified a mass grave on Retoka, of around 50 individuals, richly adorned with insignia of clan and rank. The skeleton identified as that of Roimata is buried in the deepest pit at the site, flanked by his advisors and possibly his youngest wife, who was laid beneath his feet. Above them, on a dance-ground surface, are the remaining individuals, including eleven embracing couples. The men are mostly stretched out on their backs, having possibly been drugged with a local narcotic (kava [Piper methysticum]) before being interred. The women appear in more contorted postures, clutching at their partners by the arm, waist or neck. Some traditions suggest that the women were buried alive; others that they were strangled or poisoned.
This mass burial associated with Roimata marked the end of human habitation on the island of Retoka, a tabu recognised and respected today by local communities. It also signalled the beginning of an ongoing protection of a particular marine habitat. Retoka (also known as Hat Island) is a rare offshore islet with a unique oceanic environment. Despite its close proximity to the mainland it is exposed to oceanic currents that promote the growth of a diverse and spectacular range of ocean seawater corals and particular fish species, such as the Flame Angel (Centropyge loriculus) and Dog Tooth Tuna. The absence of human occupation has also enabled both the Green and Hawks Bill turtles to use Hat Island as a nesting ground, a prime example of the interplay between cultural and natural phenomena.
JUSTIFICATION OF “OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE”:
Criteria met: Cultural Landscape – ii
The Roimata complex can be described as an ‘organically evolved landscape’. After the initial colonisation of humans in the Havannah Harbour region, the social, political and cosmological codes of the people gradually came to be reflected in the landscape. In particular, around 400 years ago, the individual who held the chiefly title of Roimata and who was responsible for bringing peace to Efate and nearby areas, left a powerful imprint of his life and death on the local landscape. The Roimata title has not been occupied since the abandonment of Retoka – the responsibility felt by potential candidates being too great. But his legacy remains, in terms of the political system that he instituted (known locally as the naflak) and which defines genealogical affiliations in the region today, and in terms of the way contemporary society interacts with the landscape, including respect in relation to the restricted access to Retoka. The Roimata complex is therefore a ‘continuing’ cultural landscape, such that the traditions set in place by Roimata still play a critical role in contemporary society. The strong association between oral history and material remains is further evidence of this continuity.
Notably, both land and communities on Efate are coming under increasing pressure from tourism and other forms of development. The custodians and living inheritors of the Roimata tradition are keenly aware of this threat to their cultural heritage and seek both recognition of and support for their ongoing protection of this cultural landscape.
ASSURANCES OF AUTHENTICITY OF INTEGRITY:
The authenticity of the Roimata Domain is demonstrated by a long history of academic research and consistent local oration about the past. Laying the foundation for the ‘written’ Roimata story is the exceptionally detailed ethnographic research undertaken by Jean Guiart during the late 1950s (published in 1973), which records numerous oral and genealogical histories for the area. These records were followed by the archaeological studies of José Garanger in the mid-1960s (published in 1972). Oral accounts detailing aspects of the life and death of Chief Roimata were tested using archaeological techniques. An exceptional accord between local history and material remains was found, particularly in relation to the mass burial on Retoka. Garanger’s research was strongly influenced by local people who sought a tangible reality for their living tradition.
Aspects of Garanger’s research have since been appraised and refined by a team of archaeologists from the Australian National University working collaboratively with staff of the Vanuatu Cultural Centre. Professor Matthew Spriggs and Dr Stuart Bedford have carefully defined the stratigraphic sequence and associated chronology at Mangaasi. Spriggs has also re-dated Roimata’s grave on Retoka.
The authenticity of the Roimata Domain can be gauged by the interplay between local history and archaeological discovery. The communities living in the region today, whose ancestors lived at Mangaasi, continue to respect and follow the traditional codes embedded in the local landscape – as evidenced by their continued respect for the tabu placed on the burial site of Retoka. The contemporary protection of the Roimata Domain derives from its continued significance within a living tradition.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER SIMILAR PROPERTIES:
The Roimata Domain presents the most impressive example in the Pacific of the convergence between oral history and archaeology. While there are many other mass burial sites, and other instances of archaeological confirmation of oral traditions, in the world, the Roimata Domain is a rare example of a continuous tradition extending between the archaeological past and a living community. The effects of the peace ceremonies and new social formations instituted by Chief Roimata reverberate into the present, and his name and his deeds are still the subject of daily reference in contemporary society. The biographical details of Roimata are mapped onto the landscape, culminating in a spectacular mass grave that led to the abandonment of an offshore islet, creating a unique cultural and environmental enclave. The Domain, together with its implications for contemporary life and habitat conservation, constitutes a unique cultural and environmental landscape.
Within Vanuatu there are two burials, located on the island of Tongoa (the island which developed out of the AD 1452 Kuwae eruption), that partly resemble that of Roimata. Ti Tongoa Liseiriki and Mwasoe Nua were buried with their close associates. Both burials were performed within the same cultural sphere as that of Roimata, but their scale (in terms of the numbers of people who voluntarily or sacrificially joined the chiefs in death), the stories associated with these chiefs, and the lasting impact that they had on the society and landscape, in no way match the richness of the cultural landscape associated with Roimata.
In 2004, Professor Matthew Spriggs and Dr. Stuart Bedford excavated a ‘Lapita’ site at Teouma in South Efate. They revealed a series of 13 individual burials, some of which had been interred with large broken sherds of decorated Lapita pottery. The dentate-stamped designs found on this pottery are similar to those found in some of the earliest Lapita sites known elsewhere in Island Melanesia, and therefore strongly suggest that this is the oldest site thus far discovered in Vanuatu, perhaps connected to some of the earliest colonists who arrived in the archipelago. However, there are no oral traditions linking these finds to any living community and their significance remains purely archaeological.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, notable mass graves include the Petania burial mound on East Uvea (Central Polynesia). Described as ‘Tongan’ in style, the burial consists of a central coral-lined vault containing one or more chiefs (Kirch 2000: 228). The vault is surrounded by a circular configuration of more than 150 individuals who are buried (probably contemporaneously) in one of six stratigraphic layers. It is thought that these individuals represent a mass sacrifice for the chief(s) in the central vault, but again the archaeological finds cannot be fleshed out with reference to an oral tradition and therefore have limited implications for contemporary life in the region.
REFERENCES:
Garanger, J. 1972. Archéologie des Nouvelles-Hébrides. ORSTOM. Publications de la Société des Océanistes, No. 30 (English translation 1982 by R. Groube, Archaeology of the New Hebrides. Oceania Monograph No. 24)
Guiart, J. 1973. Le dossier rassemblé. In J. Espirat, J. Guiart, M.-S. Lagrange et M. Ranaud (eds) Systèmes des titres dans les Nouvelle Hébrides Centrales, d’Éfate aux îles Shepherd. Mémoires de l’Institut d’Ethnologie 10. Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris.
Kirch, P.V. 2000. On the Road of the Winds: an archaeological history of the Pacific Islands before European contact. University of California Press, Berkeley.
3) NAME OF PROPERTY: Yalo, Apialo and the sacred geography of Northwest Malakula
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: S 15°53' – S 16°10', E 167°09' – E 167°17' (northwest Malakula island, MALAMPA Province)
DESCRIPTION:
Yalo and Apialo are two ‘spirit’ caves located in Northwest Malakula. The terms ‘yalo’ and ‘apialo’ mean ‘place of the spirits’ in the languages of the Small Nambas and Big Nambas people. Yalo cave is located in Small Nambas territory, close to the site of Wonbrav in the Tenmiel area. Apialo is located approximately 7km to the south of Yalo in Big Nambas territory, between the coastal villages of Lekhan and Benenavet. The coastal and inland communities residing in the area between Lehuru and the northern bank of Malua Bay River believe that when a person dies their spirit enters Yalo cave. Those living to the south of Malua Bay River, between Alpalak Village and Benwé, believe that their spirits travel to Apialo cave. Yalo and Apialo are central nodes in the spiritual landscape or sacred geography of Northwest Malakula, regarded as places where a sense of community with and connectedness to the spirit world still exists. People conduct pilgrimages to these caves to visit their ancestors who are believed to have left tangible imprints on the walls of the caves in the form of rock-markings. Yalo and Apialo contain approximately 750 and 1500 rock paintings and engravings, respectively, many of them hand stencils. Descendents seek out the handprints of their ancestors, as well as their footprints – traces left behind as a result of their incessant dancing.
Yalo is a large limestone cave with a main chamber that extends to a depth of some 120m and reaches a maximum height of about 30m. Apialo is a smaller cave than Yalo, approximately half its size. Aside from the cosmological similarities shared by these two caves, they are strikingly alike in terms of the ways in which people have physically modified them over the course of history. Both sites were initially occupied around 3000 years ago, as testified by the results of a rock-art dating program. They both have a main chamber with a large hole in the roof. At Yalo, a single tree has grown up through this natural skylight; at Apialo, two trees emerge out of this hole in the roof. Decorating the walls of these main chambers are numerous engravings, many of them images of faces, which are locally interpreted as self-portraits of the ancestors. The side chambers at both caves, which can only be viewed with the aid of torchlight, are where much of the painted art is located, in particular the hand stencils that living members of the community seek out during their visits to the caves.
At both sites a spirit enters the cave in one of two ways: either through the entrance reserved for spirits (mortals must enter through a separate corridor) or down the trunk of the tree. The manner in which a person dies determines which path into the cave a person will take. Death resulting from natural causes permits a spirit to enter through the ‘spirit corridor’ at the front of the cave. A death by unnatural causes, such as by killing, restricts the spirit to enter and exit the cave through the hole in the roof of the main chamber. The blood of these unfortunate victims is said to be visible on the trunk of the tree soon after death.
The social and spiritual importance of Yalo and Apialo extends well beyond the caves themselves, incorporating an entire landscape of physical and metaphysical points that play a role in the journey to the afterworld. For example, when death befalls a Big Nambas person, the spirit commences its journey at the site of Navet’itiet, a stone used by the spirit to file off its own nose. This stone is located in an inland cave that is decorated with engravings, some of which resemble those found in both Yalo and Apialo. The spirit then continues its journey to a coastal site near Purr Village where there is a wild apple tree (nakavika). The spirit eats the fruit of this tree and spits it over its family to help them to forget it. The spirit then goes to the river at Tenmaru and beats the water with a banana leaf, at which point it realises that it is dead. It then makes its final journey to Apialo.
Mortals who wish to visit these sites must comply with very specific custom (kastom) rules. People are required to enter the site in even numbers and, at Yalo, they must also signal to the spirits that they wish to enter by blowing into a natural hole (bubu) in the rock which makes a deep trumpeting sound that resonates throughout the site. A person wishing to visit an ancestor at Apialo first kills a pig that is then strung up and left to rot. The person then smothers their body with the remains of the rotten pig in order to render themselves unrecognisable to the spirits as a living being. This practice enables them to communicate with their dead relatives.
Apialo and Yalo are linked to the broader sacred geography or cultural landscape of Northwest Malakula by virtue of a powerful connection between places in nature and the spiritual journey to the afterworld. The social connections and exchanges which link people to this cosmography are still practiced, even though not all of the traditional burial rites and rituals have survived conversion to Christianity.
JUSTIFICATION OF “OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE”:
Criteria met: Cultural Landscape – iii
Yalo and Apialo contain rock-art unlike that seen anywhere else in the world. While certain images share similarities with art forms known throughout the region, particularly throughout Island Melanesia, the specific combination of rock-art motifs found at both sites, their unique relationship to natural features within the caves, and their connections to local cosmologies related to the afterlife, are unparalleled elsewhere in the world. For the entire community of Northwest Malakula, the spiritual map that is manifest in the natural environment has existed since time immemorial. Aspects of this spiritual world have been documented through a study of the rock-art found at both Yalo and Apialo, including a painted example of a ‘sand-drawing’ – an art form specific to Vanuatu that is a recognised example of intangible heritage.
The sacred geography of Northwest Malakula is most closely related to the World Heritage definition of an ‘associative cultural landscape’. Yalo, Apialo, and other features in the nearby landscape demonstrate an inextricable link between people and place in relation to the afterlife and the spirit world.
ASSURANCES OF AUTHNTICITY OR INTEGRITY:
The people of Northwest Malakula are concerned about the future protection of their spiritual sites in a climate where development and tourism pose a threat. At the behest of the local community, a management plan has been developed for Yalo Cave and a community project is underway to define the nature of tourism desired in the Northwest Malakula area. Currently, the sacred geography of Northwest Malakula is entirely managed and protected by the local community by virtue of the strength of their spiritual links to place and the kastom rules that dictate how people may behave in relation to these places. These sites are also listed on the site register at the Vanuatu Cultural Centre, which provides an important additional form of protection.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER SIMILAR PROPERTIES:
While there are many sacred geographies known throughout the world, such as the ancient Mayan landscapes in Central America or the Neolithic and Bronze Age landscapes of Britain, there are no other examples known to us that match the associative cultural landscape of Northwest Malakula which represent a living unbroken tradition. The communities of Northwest Malakula continue to look towards Yalo and Apialo as the end-points of a spiritual journey that is mapped into their landscape. These two caves are natural monuments that have been modified through time according to strict kastom codes, to the extent that cultural features (such as the spectacular body of rock-art) blend with the natural in a uniquely similar way at both sites. The shared physical features of these two sites combined with the widespread regional respect for the metaphysical features that they embody, unify the Small Nambas and Big Nambas community.
4) NAME OF PROPERTY: The President Coolidge
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: S 15° 31' 16”, E 167° 13’ 32” (south-east Santo island, SANMA Province)
DESCRIPTION:
Launched on 21st February 1931 the SS President Coolidge was the largest passenger ship to be constructed in America (with her twin sister, the SS President Hoover) at that time. Built by Newport News Shipbuilding Drydock Company in Newport News, the Coolidge was 200m by 25m and had a gross displacement of 21,936 tons.
This ship first started out as a passenger carrier but by the beginning of the Second World War its role shifted to that of SS President Coolidge. On the 15th of July 1941 the President Coolidge began its first voyage, on a full-time basis, for the army, taking it from Honolulu to Manila. Up until the time it sank, the Coolidge ferried troops to the war front prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbour. On 6 October 1942 it sailed out from San Francisco headed for New Caledonia and Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu. This was the ship's very last voyage. On the 26th of October 1942, after striking an American mine, it sank in 20 fathoms of water at the east entrance of the Segond Channel of Espiritu Santo. Nearly all of the 5,000 officers and men on board were saved.
The President Coolidge is currently known as the largest most accessible wreck dive in the world. President Coolidge is particularly interesting because of the diverse range of features which can still be seen. It has all of the fine furnishings and décor of a luxury passenger liner as well as military hardware and equipment. As the wreck is so large, many dives are needed to see the wreck in detail.
Almost completely intact it is possible to swim through the many holds and decks viewing the many reminders of war, including the famous "Lady", an Elizabethan statue that sits above the fireplace. The Coolidge is divided into many different ‘dive sites’. All dives are accompanied by experienced professional dive guides. The Coolidge is also home to a rich array of corals and fish. Schools of barracuda, trevally, sharks and reef fish are permanent residents, including Boris, a 200kg (440 pounds) grouper that lives on the wreck and can be hand fed.
JUSTIFICATION OF “OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE”:
Criteria met: Cultural Property – i, iii iv, v
At the time when the SS President Coolidge was manufactured it was considered to be the largest of its kind ever built. It sank during a crucial period in the history of Vanuatu and the world as a whole – the Second World War. Not only does the wreck contain a partial glimpse of the technology, equipment and other components of what life was like at that time, it also reminds us of the dramatic changes the world went through during this time of war.
Given its underwater location the President Coolidge is under threat of corrosion. The wreck is currently being managed and looked after by the dive operators operating around the area and it is through them that the President Coolidge is in its present condition.
ASSURANCES OF AUTHENTICITY OR INTEGRITY:
The authenticity of the President Coolidge has been recognised by the Vanuatu Government and is protected by the Laws of the Republic of Vanuatu as a subsidiary legislation of the Fisheries Act Cap. 158, Gazette No.40 of 21 November 1983 which states that:
The area of waters defined below and the seabed underlying such waters is hereby declared to be a marine reserve.
Area of waters:
The area off the south coast of Espiritu Santo Island to seaward of the high water mark of spring tides and bounded by a line from the “white rock” in position latitude 15° 31' 16”S, longitude 167° 13’ 32”E (on British Admiralty chart 179) extending 180° true for 0.3
nautical miles, then 090° true for 1 nautical mile and thence 000° true, to the shore.
This area includes the wreck of the President Coolidge and the area known as Million Dollar Point.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER SIMILAR PROPERTIES:
Although there are numerous ship wrecks throughout the world the wreck of the President Coolidge is unlike any other. It is considered to be the largest accessible shipwreck in the world and contains a unique combination of features belonging to its dual function as a luxury passenger liner and a military vessel.
5) NAME OF PROPERTY: Vatthe Conservation Area
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: S 15º 20', E 166º 95' (northern Santo island, SANMA Province)
DESCRIPTION:
The Vatthe (meaning “eye of the sea”) Conservation area is located in Bay Bay, on the Northern coast of Santo (the largest island in Vanuatu). Covering an area of 2,720 hectares it is believed to contain the only extensive alluvial and limestone forest left in all of Vanuatu. It extends westward to the Jordan River (one of the largest rivers in Vanuatu) and southward, covering the black sand beach of the bay, the Matantas River, and four kilometres to the top of a raised limestone cliff 400 metres above sea level. It has three caves that serve as roosting sites for insectivorous bats; one is “taboo” and can only be entered by the High Chief of Matantas village after performing a custom ceremony.
Within the conservation area there lives a snake spirit, Alawuro, who is the guardian of Big Bay and its forest. Alawuro lives in a cave of a limestone cliff overlooking the magical forest and sees all that goes on in Big Bay. He rides in his white horse to the village and warns them when he is not content with any happenings in the village. Sometimes Alawuro appears to villagers or visitors in their dreams. Alawuro helped protect the Big Bay forest by cursing a planter, Mr. Bardo, the builders of the first road to Matantas village, and a school teacher who was afflicted with lasting severe headaches. These people were led to flee the area. The villagers of Sara and Matantas fear and respect Alawuro and believe that it helped them establish the Vatthe Conservation Area.
Vatthe’s vegetation is grouped into seven broad plant groups, the alluvial plain forest, species rich forest, species poor Namatal (Kleinhouia hospital) & Nakatambol (Dracotommelon vitiense) forest, Bin Tri (Antiaris toxicariia) Forest, Swamp Forest, Coral Limestone Forest, Savanna and River Jordan riparian vegetation. The species rich forest is dominated by Melektri (Antiaris toxicariia). Two hundred and sixty five (265) species of plants (trees, shrubs, palms and vines) with traditional uses have been identified in this area. The conservation area provides food, custom ceremony, building materials, and medicine for the Matantas and Sara people. They harvest Nangai (Canarium indicum) nuts and Bin Tri seeds and sell them at the markets.
Vatthe harbours bird species of a richness and diversity unlikely to be exceeded elsewhere in Vanuatu. A total of 48 species of land and freshwater birds, out of the total 74 species of land and freshwater birds recorded for Vanuatu by Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand (1993) survey, are found in the region. This is 75% of the land and freshwater birds found in Vanuatu. Six out of Vanuatu’s nine endemic species (Ducula bakeri, Megapodius freycinet laryardi, Zosterops flavifrons, Ptilinopus tannensis, Phylidonyris notabilis) are known to use this forest. Vanuatu’s only endemic genus, the Vanuatu Flycatcher (Neolalage banksiana), is observed to be common. The endangered Royal Parrot Finch (Erythrura cyaneovirens) and Incubator (Megapodius freycinet laryardi) are also found in Vatthe. The Incubator Bird (Namalaus) is classified as vulnerable due to habitat loss and over exploitation and is listed as a priority species in what is known as the IUCN Megapode Action Plan. Five species of bats have been recorded, two fruit bats (Pteropus tonganus and P. aneitianus) and three insectivorous bats (Aslliscus tricuspidatus, Hipposideos cervinus and Miniopterus australis). A herptofauna study conducted by Whitaker in 1993 found 10 of the 12 species of reptiles found in Santo are located in Vatthe. There is a total of 26 terrestrial species recorded for Vanuatu. Three endemic species (Cryptoblepharus novohebridicus, Emoia nigromarginata and E. sanfordi) occur at Vatthe out of a total of 6 known throughout Vanuatu.
Recent freshwater survey conducted by Keith Philippe at Matantas river in 2003, recorded 21 species of freshwater fish out of the 62 species known for Vanuatu. Of these, 3 are endemics. The area contains 13 species of crustaceans. The endemic fish species include Schismatogobius vanuatuensis, Microphis sp and Stenogobius sp. The two latter species are still undergoing description. Keith expects that the entire catchment of the Jordan River is very important for freshwater biodiversity.
JUSTIFICATION OF “OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE”:
Criteria met: Natural – ii, iii, iv
With the view from the limestone cliff, 400 metres above sea level and some distance from Matantas Village, Vatthe is a massive forest lying adjacent to the coast of Big Bay. The forest is intact and has many indigenous tree species that are over 100 years old, including the famous Nakatambol trees with the buttress roots that rise 1 to 2 meters above the ground.
The area supports a diversity of flora and fauna, including many endemic and threatened species, such as the Royal Parrot Finch and the Vanuatu Incubator bird.
ASSURANCES OF AUTHENTICITY OR INTEGRITY:
The Vatthe Conservation Area was established in 1994. It is listed under the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan Conservation Area Database and is registered in June 2004 under the Environmental Management and Conservation Act N0.12 of 2002. It has a management plan and a management committee.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER SIMILAR PROPERTIES:
The proposed site is significant in terms of it being the largest area in Vanuatu established for in-situ conservation of a wide diversity of flora and fauna. Vatthe’s unique ecological diversity allows for the presence of many faunal communities, including 6 endemic species of Vanuatu birds, 3 endemic freshwater species, 1 endemic flying fox, and 3 endemic species of reptiles. This is not an exhaustive list as further research is likely to identify additional species of significance. Two internationally threatened bird species are also found in this conservation area.
6) NAME OF PROPERTY: Lake Letas
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: S 14º 27', E 167º 50' (central Gaua island, TORBA Province)
DESCRIPTION:
The above named area is a volcanic crater lake that covers an area of 19 square kilometres. It is the largest freshwater system in Vanuatu and the Pacific with a maximum depth of 350m. The water from the lake flows over a waterfall and cascades through a short river to the sea. The most prominent feature of the entire caldera is that the lake is associated with swampy vegetation and an active volcanic cone. This region is a cultural monument for the native people of Gaua. The local community believes that such a physical setting hosts ancestral forms of wealth. The area is respected and kept and contains many traditional taboo sites.
The lake and its river naturally accommodate a diversity of freshwater species of prawns, fishes and eels. A small island within the Lake is a nationally significant nesting site for waterfowl. Swamp vegetation includes natural stands of Metroxylon warburgii, and the swamp palm (which only occurs outside Vanuatu in the nearby islands of Santa Cruz, South of the Solomon Islands). Other vegetation includes Hibiscus tiliaceus, Heliconia sp., and Cyathea lunulata. Nineteen (19) endemic plant species have been recorded in this area. All plants have vernacular names and specified uses and are of importance to the local communities.
Nimoho et al have conducted two assessments of the region in 1998 and 2001, during which time they have recorded 39 species of birds, which constitute over 50% of Vanuatu’s land and freshwater birds. Two thirds of the bird species are endemic. Two rare species, the Green Palm Lorikeet (Charmosyna palmarum) and the Royal Parrot Finch (Erythura cyaneovirens) also inhabit this region. Other faunal communities include reptiles, with two endemic species, 3 species of fruit bats (including one endemic) and the primitive fruit bat (Notopteris macdonaldi), restricted to Vanuatu and three localities in Fiji.
JUSTIFICATION OF “OUTSTANDING UNIVERSAL VALUE”:
Criteria met: Natural – ii, iii, iv
Lake Letas lies on the ash plain at the foot of Mt. Garet. The Siri falls, which flow from this lake, offer a spectacular view as one flies over the island of Gaua. As described by Lonely Planet, the extraordinary ability of this lake to carry the reflection of passing ships hundreds of metres below has earned it the more prosaic name of ‘Lake Reflection’.
It is one of the areas of Vanuatu where the forest is still intact. It serves the purpose of in-situ conservation of many species of fauna and flora, many of which are yet to be studied but which are endemic to this area. Thousand of birds come here to breed. The Vanuatu Incubator Bird, an internationally endangered species, uses the area to lay their eggs, leaving them to be incubated by the warm mud.
ASSURANCES OF AUTHENTICITY OR INTEGRITY:
With the assistance of the Vanuatu Environment Unit, the local community would like to officially propose Lake Letas as a conservation area. The area is under a Medium Scale Project which the Environment Unit and has won funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to undertake further work for five years. This work will begin this year with assistance from local communities and landholders who are undertaking further studies. Further work intended for the area will lead to development of a management plan and the eventual registration of the area under the Environmental Management and Conservation Act N0.12 of 2002.
All volcanoes (and associated lakes) including that on Gaua have been identified by the Vanuatu Cultural Centre as important cultural sites.
COMPARISON WITH OTHER SIMILAR PROPERTIES:
Lake Letas is a unique place in the world due to its diverse and regionally-specific range of fauna and flora, including a swamp palm, 19 endemic plant species, and an exceptional number of endemic bird species. It is also significant in terms of its natural beauty: a crater lake with an ability to reflect passing ships.
