Alienation of customary land represents a significant, and increasing, challenge in many parts of the world. In Vanuatu the 1980 constitution restored perpetual land rights to “indigenous custom owners and their descendants”. Implementing this principle after decades of land alienation often proved to be difficult and contested. Government infrastructure, tourism, business, agriculture, industry, urbanization, and the desire to use land to secure financial loans are some of the driving forces behind the creation of leases. The Justice for the Poor program’s national leasing profile represents the first comprehensive attempt to document nation-wide leasing activities in Vanuatu and highlights the importance of maintaining a uniform and reliable database of land lease registration that could inform land use planning decisions.