Nguna-Pele Marine Protected Area

Help the earth and help the MPA: Purchase an organic tote bag from Earth Tote Bags and they will donate an amount from every bag sold to the Nguna-Pele MPA. International shipping available!

Donate In-Kind items to our organization via the Peace Corps Partnership Program and your donation is tax-deductible in the U.S. The Nguna-Pele MPA offers an easy way to donate second-hand and new equipment and materials to our organization. Click here for more details.

At the Nguna-Pele Marine Protected Area we strive to protect and preserve the diversity of marine species of Vanuatu through proactive conservation, awareness and sharpened focus on sustainable resource use.

Nguna and Pele islands are located approximately seven kilometers off the north coast of Vanuatu's principal island of Efate in the South Pacific Ocean, easily reachable on a day trip from the capital city of Port Vila. They are small volcanic islands surrounded by fringing reefs, and the indigenous people practice traditional subsistence agriculture and fisheries.

The Nguna-Pele Marine Protected Area is a local non-governmental organization made up of sixteen island communities dedicated to the protection and conservation of marine resources. It is the very first of its kind in Vanuatu and currently serves as a model for other island-initiated conservation efforts nationally. The chiefs and people of the member communities have each set aside a significant area of village-owned reef to be considered ‘tabu' or permanently off-limits to serve as a ‘resource factory'. Each community has elected one or two volunteer MPA Staff members to conduct regular reef surveys, tag sea turtles, plant coral and run continuous environmental awareness sessions. A Management Committee representative of every community meets monthly to make decisions guiding the current and future management of the MPA. The total area of protected reefs, sea grass beds, mangrove forests and intertidal lagoon exceeds 3,000 hectares. Donations from visitors are the MPA's main source of income.

Our coral reefs are some of the most beautiful you will find anywhere in the world. White tip reef sharks, hawksbill & green sea turtles, and spotted eagle rays are commonly seen by divers and snorkelers.