In our culture, no one has the right to touch the namele: how a sacred leaf protects the forests of Vanuatu

In Vanuatu, the namele leaf is so sacred that it adorns the archipelago’s flag. Environmental defenders are now using it to combat illegal logging. Vatthe protected area, a UNESCO World Heritage site candidate, harbors rich biodiversity on the large island of Espiritu Santo – one of 80 that make up the Pacific archipelago. However, only one forest ranger, customary chief Bill Tavue, monitors the 2,720-hectare site. The lack of funding for nature conservation programs and the need for agricultural land make illegal logging common.

In New Caledonia, this species is known as pitchou in the Drubea language and is protected by the South Province’s environmental code. Bill Tavue relies on the vibrant green namele leaf, which is shaped like a feather, to help protect the remaining forests. In Vanuatu, the namele, or cycas seemannii, holds a prominent place.

“In our culture, no one is allowed to touch the namele, except for the chief,” explains Bill Tavue. “If a leaf of this plant is placed somewhere, it is taboo to touch the surrounding area,” he says. In New Caledonia, this species is known as pitchou in the Drubéa language, protected by the South Province’s environmental code.

Bill Tavue hails from Matantas, a village on the north coast of Espiritu Santo. It is where Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandez de Quiros set foot in 1606, thinking he had discovered Terra Australis, an imaginary southern hemisphere continent. At that time, the Vanuatu populations used the namele leaf to mark off forbidden boundaries, crossing them meant death, especially after conflicts to ensure peace agreement respect.

Recently, locals in Matantas reported its presence in the Vatthe protected area, aiming to keep intruders at bay. The idea caught on, and the government now advocates for leaders in other locations to use these traditions to protect nature. Supporters of namele argue that the taboo leaf has helped preserve much of the Vatthe area, where few nature protection measures are enforced.

However, after a recent cyclone, Chinese loggers were allowed to gather dead wood in this natural reserve, which some locals saw as a cover to illegally cut down trees. When questioned by AFP on the management of this protected area, national forest and environmental protection agencies did not respond.

Convincing the chiefs is crucial. The namele taboo is also important in the mountainous west of Espiritu Santo. Nature defenders from the Santo Sunset Environmental Network visit often isolated villages, hours away by boat, to persuade chiefs to ban logging and invoke the namele leaf or other customs. Those who violate the taboo face a fine of a chicken or a pig.

Joses Togase, project manager for the network, observes that poverty facilitates deforestation. In several areas, trees are cut down to cultivate yams, cassava, taro, or sweet potatoes, often due to the lack of available spaces. Richard Rojo, the organization’s vice president, also a farmer, pledges to pass on the forests to his descendants.

At Matantas, the parents of forest ranger Bill Tavue – Chief Solomon and his wife Purity – lament seeing the forest “damaged.” “We have taboos. We do not destroy our rivers. We do not destroy our resources,” asserts Purity. Her son trained four people to help monitor the protected area, but they all abandoned their unpaid positions. Bill Tavue advocates for funding, such as carbon credits, to aid in protecting the zone: “If we don’t have money, we can’t continue.”