Current view: Text account
Site description (2010 baseline):
Site location and context
This site encompasses parts of the central and eastern portion of the island of Espiritu Santo. This includes 2 community-managed protected area, together with tracts of unprotected lowland forest and agricultural and urban areas.
Good numbers of Vanuatu Megapode have been recorded at Loru, while Chestnut-bellied Kingfisher has a very signficiant population in the lowland forests.
Non-bird biodiversity: Coconut crab Birgus latro
Bat cave in Loru
Lowland forest, degraded forests, agricultural and urban areas.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The protected areas are relatively safe, as the sites are protected by the local communities. So long as the communities continue to obtain a benefit from the sites then this should be OK. The imipact of invasives is unknown.
Conservation responses/actions for key biodiversity
The two protected areas have been active since the mid 1990s.
Megapode surveys regularly undertaken at Loru.
Coconut crab surveys at Loru
Vatthe and Loru protected areas.
Vatthe community forest is owned by the communities of Sara and Matantas.
The kastom landowner for Loru is Chief Caleb Ser.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Vatthe (Vanuatu). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/vatthe-iba-vanuatu on 23/12/2024.
