Papua New Guinea

Few areas of the globe can match Papua New Guinea in terms of biodiversity. The country’s rugged natural settings are home to a staggering array of wildlife, including more than 21,000 species of higher plants, 200 species of mammals, and 700 species of birds.

Papua New Guinea’s indigenous clans are linguistically just as diverse; more than 800 languages are spoken within the nation’s borders. These numerous clans also hold the key to conserving both their cultural and natural wealth of their country, specifically because they control approximately 90 percent of the nation’s territory through a system of traditional land tenure.

Consequently, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Papua New Guinea program has made rural populations a key player in its conservation efforts. In 1993, WCS helped establish the Research and Conservation Foundation of Papua New Guinea (RCF), a non-governmental organization comprising both land owners and high-ranking government officials. The RCF now functions as a liaison between the Papuan parliament and clan leaders on issues of natural resource management.

One of the first collaborative efforts involving both WCS and RCF resulted in the creation of the Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area in 1993. Planning for the 1,600-square-mile reserve, located just south of an extinct volcano, started when members of the Gimi and the Pawaiian indigenous communities expressed concern about the apparent decline of the spectacular birds of paradise and other bird species central to their rituals and culture. This prompted WCS researchers to conduct wildlife surveys in the area. The resulting management plan now helps these communities harvest rain forest products in a more sustainable manner. In reciprocation, the 20 Gimi and Pawaiian clans contributed to a comprehensive management plan by designating protected areas within their respective plots.

In addition to reserve creation, WCS has coordinated with RCF in research projects inside and outside protected areas, including studies on cassowaries, cockatoos, bats and frogs. In 1999, WCS added education to its list of conservation efforts in Papua New Guinea, inviting Papuan teachers from across the country to participate in education workshops in Lae and Goroka. Representatives from PNG’s Ministry of Education praised WCS's education curricula, which included courses in ecology, conservation and the impact of natural resource destruction. Attending teachers left the workshop better equipped to pass on the lessons of environmental stewardship to Papua New Guinea’s next generation of local decision makers.

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