The country of Papua New Guinea is made up of the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and includes the Bismarck Archipelago and the island of Bougainville. It is a large tropical country rich in biodiversity, potentially containing around 7% of global species in less than 1% of the global land area.
Papua New Guinea retains large areas of intact rainforest and iconic wildlife such as birds of paradise, giant flightless cassowaries, tree kangaroos, and enigmatic egg-laying long-beaked echidnas. If that weren’t enough, surrounding Papua New Guinea is the world’s most diverse coral sea. Papua New Guinea is also the most linguistically and culturally diverse nation on earth, with over 800 recognized languages and more than 1000 cultural groups.
WCS is the longest established international conservation organisation operating in Papua New Guinea, and has been undertaking conservation work in the country since the 1970s. Today, WCS Papua New Guinea program (WCS PNG) employs more than 60 staff based at four offices around the country. WCS works with local communities on a wide range of conservation issues in a variety of locations spanning coral reefs to mountain rainforests.
WCS PNG’s vision is: “Gutpela sindaun, gutpela solwara, gutpela bus”, which translates to, “Empowered people with healthy forests and seas”. This vision fits within WCS’s global vision which “envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth”.
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