Comments on: Coconut Crab Conservation in Vanuatu http://www.thetravelword.com/2009/07/30/coconut-crab-conservation-in-vanuatu/ Local Voices Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:41:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: John Nicholls http://www.thetravelword.com/2009/07/30/coconut-crab-conservation-in-vanuatu/#comment-55744 John Nicholls Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:23:26 +0000 http://www.whl.travel/blog/?p=1291#comment-55744 I'm not sure at the scale of your resort and it's impact on the local crab population but you can build sanctuaries for them, only problem is that they are very good at climbing out of any enclosure. I constructed one by digging a large hole in the ground (10 square meters by two meter deep), bricking & rendering it with s smooth finish, refiling the sides to the walls, ensuring that they could not claw themselves up the walls and we could look down into their "pit". Feed them fruits etc as per their diet and had my guests look for them with flashlights at night, the children loved it and parents were very happy to leave them looking for the crabs whilst they could return to their digestives... (best time to see them is at night, when they go foraging for food). We would leave coconuts for them to tear apart, much to our guests delights. Voila, no coconut crab on the menue, replaced by much more interesting live ones. The first thing to do in order to save them is not to eat them! The second is to leave them a corridor to the ocean for the females to lay their eggs, and lastly, educate the local people about the long term potential tourism revenue from habitats rather than short cash returns from catching & selling them to the restaurant industry (which also need to be informed). You also need to inform the visitors to the area that by ordering the crab in restaurants, they are effectively killing the next generation (which takes 5 years to reproduce). There is plenty of information on coconut crab on Google or contact me via my website: www.vanuatu-hotels.vu if you need more. Good luck, John I’m not sure at the scale of your resort and it’s impact on the local crab population but you can build sanctuaries for them, only problem is that they are very good at climbing out of any enclosure.

I constructed one by digging a large hole in the ground (10 square meters by two meter deep), bricking & rendering it with s smooth finish, refiling the sides to the walls, ensuring that they could not claw themselves up the walls and we could look down into their “pit”. Feed them fruits etc as per their diet and had my guests look for them with flashlights at night, the children loved it and parents were very happy to leave them looking for the crabs whilst they could return to their digestives… (best time to see them is at night, when they go foraging for food). We would leave coconuts for them to tear apart, much to our guests delights.

Voila, no coconut crab on the menue, replaced by much more interesting live ones.

The first thing to do in order to save them is not to eat them! The second is to leave them a corridor to the ocean for the females to lay their eggs, and lastly, educate the local people about the long term potential tourism revenue from habitats rather than short cash returns from catching & selling them to the restaurant industry (which also need to be informed). You also need to inform the visitors to the area that by ordering the crab in restaurants, they are effectively killing the next generation (which takes 5 years to reproduce).
There is plenty of information on coconut crab on Google or contact me via my website: http://www.vanuatu-hotels.vu if you need more.

Good luck,
John

]]> By: Amelia http://www.thetravelword.com/2009/07/30/coconut-crab-conservation-in-vanuatu/#comment-55709 Amelia Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:29:20 +0000 http://www.whl.travel/blog/?p=1291#comment-55709 Hi! It\'s really interesting to read such an articles on having coconut crab as part of eco-tourism effort. Am working in an island in Sabah,Borneo now that have coconut crab as well, and its threatened by the habitat destruction with new resort building. Wandering what are the things that i or our resort can do to save them as well as having eco-tourism. Thanks! Hi! It\’s really interesting to read such an articles on having coconut crab as part of eco-tourism effort.

Am working in an island in Sabah,Borneo now that have coconut crab as well, and its threatened by the habitat destruction with new resort building. Wandering what are the things that i or our resort can do to save them as well as having eco-tourism.

Thanks!

]]> By: Margot Clarke http://www.thetravelword.com/2009/07/30/coconut-crab-conservation-in-vanuatu/#comment-55280 Margot Clarke Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:56:18 +0000 http://www.whl.travel/blog/?p=1291#comment-55280 Recently spent part of the month of December on a cargo ship around the NZ coast. Your post reminded me to comment on the LACK of sea life around NZ compared with 10 - 12 years ago. Having been able to view a pod of killer whales playing "ball" with a seal, off the West Coast, I was disappointed when a few dolphins were drawn to the bow wave. There were hundreds seen in the past, only the odd fur seal was sighted. Over fishing has to be the reason, tuna may be popular but has to be caught sustainably. Recently spent part of the month of December on a cargo ship around the NZ coast. Your post reminded me to comment on the LACK of sea life around NZ compared with 10 – 12 years ago. Having been able to view a pod of killer whales playing “ball” with a seal, off the West Coast, I was disappointed when a few dolphins were drawn to the bow wave. There were hundreds seen in the past, only the odd fur seal was sighted. Over fishing has to be the reason, tuna may be popular but has to be caught sustainably.

]]> By: John Nicholls http://www.thetravelword.com/2009/07/30/coconut-crab-conservation-in-vanuatu/#comment-52739 John Nicholls Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:35:48 +0000 http://www.whl.travel/blog/?p=1291#comment-52739 Hi everyone, continuing to build a large image library on http://picasaweb.google.com/vanuatutravel Here you will find many other images of people, fishes & coral, flowers, fruits & veg, and many other facets/life of Vanuatu. Tropical regards, John Hi everyone, continuing to build a large image library on

http://picasaweb.google.com/vanuatutravel

Here you will find many other images of people, fishes & coral, flowers, fruits & veg, and many other facets/life of Vanuatu.

Tropical regards,
John

]]> By: John Nicholls http://www.thetravelword.com/2009/07/30/coconut-crab-conservation-in-vanuatu/#comment-10318 John Nicholls Sun, 13 Sep 2009 05:48:12 +0000 http://www.whl.travel/blog/?p=1291#comment-10318 Thanks Margot for your comment, I was unaware also of the Coconut Crab plight when I first arrived in Vanuatu and did not think twice about it, but like you had a naggling feeling about it. It is only through our opportunity of staying here that I became aware of it. That's what our organisation is all about, taking responsability for our actions when we travel. One day whl.travel will be globally understood, we are in function On Line travel agents (hopefully very good ones as we are all experienced travellers and try too provide what travellers want from us), but as travelling is our passion we naturally have to ensure that we can at all times preserve what we have inherited. Proclaiming ignorance is not in our vocabulary, we have to inform our travellers and hope that common sence prevails in order to hand over a sustainable planet to our children. Right now we are fighting the massively destructive long line Chinese Government fishing in Vanuatu that the local government has fully endorsed including killing sharks for their dorsal fins for the asian market as well as mass fishing of tunas in our territorial waters. These lines kill everything from turtles to dolphins, its a disastrous situation. Keep comments coming for they do not know what they are doing and only people power can change things, regreatably governments are the often the greatest threat to the environment. Cheers, John Nicholls Thanks Margot for your comment, I was unaware also of the Coconut Crab plight when I first arrived in Vanuatu and did not think twice about it, but like you had a naggling feeling about it. It is only through our opportunity of staying here that I became aware of it. That’s what our organisation is all about, taking responsability for our actions when we travel. One day whl.travel will be globally understood, we are in function On Line travel agents (hopefully very good ones as we are all experienced travellers and try too provide what travellers want from us), but as travelling is our passion we naturally have to ensure that we can at all times preserve what we have inherited. Proclaiming ignorance is not in our vocabulary, we have to inform our travellers and hope that common sence prevails in order to hand over a sustainable planet to our children.

Right now we are fighting the massively destructive long line Chinese Government fishing in Vanuatu that the local government has fully endorsed including killing sharks for their dorsal fins for the asian market as well as mass fishing of tunas in our territorial waters. These lines kill everything from turtles to dolphins, its a disastrous situation.

Keep comments coming for they do not know what they are doing and only people power can change things, regreatably governments are the often the greatest threat to the environment.

Cheers,
John Nicholls

]]> By: Margot Clarke http://www.thetravelword.com/2009/07/30/coconut-crab-conservation-in-vanuatu/#comment-10282 Margot Clarke Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:23:52 +0000 http://www.whl.travel/blog/?p=1291#comment-10282 When I first visited Vanuatu, I was unaware the coconut crab was facing such a reduction in their numbers. I happily munched on my plate full of crab, and sorry , but is was a memorable meal. However, many visits to the pacific have opened my eyes to the pressure this animal is now under. What impacted on me, was the sight of these crabs, trussed up for sale at the local supermarket. A visit to a well known garden near Vila, gave me the chance to see a fully grown adult,awesome. Off the menu for this visitor, I hope the word gets around. When I first visited Vanuatu, I was unaware the coconut crab was facing such a reduction in their numbers. I happily munched on my plate full of crab, and sorry , but is was a memorable meal. However, many visits to the pacific have opened my eyes to the pressure this animal is now under. What impacted on me, was the sight of these crabs, trussed up for sale at the local supermarket. A visit to a well known garden near Vila, gave me the chance to see a fully grown adult,awesome. Off the menu for this visitor, I hope the word gets around.

]]> By: tim j brown http://www.thetravelword.com/2009/07/30/coconut-crab-conservation-in-vanuatu/#comment-7895 tim j brown Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:38:58 +0000 http://www.whl.travel/blog/?p=1291#comment-7895 Good WORK , WISHING YOU FUTHER Success ! Good WORK , WISHING YOU FUTHER Success !

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