Surrounded by a coral sea in the southwest part of the Pacific Ocean, Vanuatu was once called the "New Hebrides". This former French-British territory is an extraordinary tropical paradise, consisting of a few hundred islands with jagged coasts, lush forests, active volcanoes and turquoise colored lagoons. At the dawn of a major new climatic era, scientists from all over the world have become aware of the urgent need to study and protect the numerous and rare ecosystems that have existed in Vanuatu for several million years.