The majority of land in South Pacific countries is under customary ownership, but reforestation projects have historically concentrated on state forest lands because of the perceived difficulties of clarifying community ownership and consensus on customary lands. This paper made detailed evaluations of a number of different models of reforestation and forest conservation implemented on customary land in Fiji, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands by New Zealand Official Development Assistance (NZODA), including a joint venture between a local community and a private investor. The authors noted the importance of full community participation, thorough legal substantiation and long-term development of economic opportunities.