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(November 24, 2022)   -   Through systems health and Nature-based Solutions approaches, the Watershed Interventions for Systems Health Plus (WISH+) project, funded under the Kiwa Initiative, will deliver co-benefits for climate resilience, biodiversity and human health and well-being in Papua New Guinea.

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(June 30, 2022)   -   Seven clans of the Wamiufa tribe, with a total estimated population of over 4000, have today (29.06.22) signed a legally binding contract to protect their forest biodiversity from growing threats of over-exploitation of their forest land and wildlife.

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(February 25, 2022)   -   In every household and every community in Papua New Guinea, telling stories is how one generation connects the next to the past and prepares the next for the future.

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(February 25, 2022)   -   The SWM Programme is developing innovative solutions based on field projects in fifteen countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific to improve the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife in forest, savannah and wetland environments.

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(November 24, 2021) In June 2021, 48 camera traps were installed at Kwiop, Jiwaka Province, deep in the Papua New Guinea highlands. The aim was to monitor wildlife in the newly declared Mt. Goplom conservation area, which protects 3,500 ha of mature montane forest in the Bismarcks, the highest mountain range in the country. Two months after installation, the cameras were checked, their batteries replaced, and all memory cards changed, revealing the first glimpses of the seldom-seen wildlife at this remote site. ...

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(September 27, 2021)   -      

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(March 26, 2021) An interview with Azalea Anota, Program Officer at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in Papua New Guinea (PNG) by the National Newspaper (PNG).  From your point of view as a conservation organization, do you think there is over-hunting for traditional bilas? If so, is this a concern and, how serious is this? In PNG, hunting targets small wild animals. It is not as frequent an activity as what ‘hunting’ would be considered in Africa or South America. Over-hunting is when an...

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(October 23, 2020) One way to encourage sustainable development and the management of marine and coastal resources is to introduce livelihood alternatives, allowing local residents to make an income from their customary sea space and lowering the need for fish sales. This can include the cultivation of certain seaweed species, extracts from which can be used as thickening agents for household and industrial products, ranging from cosmetics to toothpaste to beer. During late September, 2020, the WCS team retur...

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(August 17, 2020) Solving this biodiversity mystery could reveal one of the most important sites to conserve these “rhinos of the sea.“We saw two swimming past our canoe the other day as we came to shore!” “Yes, we saw one over towards the mangroves not so long ago…” “There was one in our net near the big river…” Scientists love having a mystery to solve and gathering clues to find out if something is real or not. Since January 2019 my organization, the Wild...

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(July 13, 2020) Port Moresby Nature Park has received a generous donation of K20,000 from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), PNG through the recently launched ‘Wildlife Appeal’.WCS Country Director to Papua New Guinea, Dr. Ambroise Brenier, said: “Port Moresby Nature Park, Papua New Guinea’s highest visited single recreational facility, is doing a fantastic job in promoting and supporting the conservation of the country’s unique biodiversity.“The Wildlife Conservation S...

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(June 26, 2020) With 77% of New Irelanders living in the coastal zone, fishing provides an important livelihood for both feeding families and for making money. Yet what is the best way to catch, handle and preserve fish – and how can I make the most money from the fish I catch? And how can I catch fish without harming vulnerable coral reefs? To help answer these questions, the WCS Kavieng team, with the support of Roger Mark and Emmanuel Tamba from the New Ireland Provincial Fisheries Office, travelled to...

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(June 19, 2020) They say “Life is a Learning Curve”, which is a truism for coastal management: Lessons learned from former marine management areas can help with the development of new marine management zones. As such, in June 2020, eighteen community leaders from Lovongai Island and the Tigak Islands, both located in New Ireland Province, attended a 5-day learning exchange workshop with the theme “Promoting successful marine management through learning, sharing and networking in New Ireland&rd...

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(June 03, 2020) In preparation for World Environment Day this Friday the Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change Hon. Wera Mori officially launched the 10 million tree planting program in the Eastern Highlands Province on Friday, May 28. The aim of this program is to plant 1 million trees every year for 10 years to contribute to the mitigation of climate change impacts, the protection of the environment, and to improve livelihoods for local communities. At present the program is focused on the...

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(June 01, 2020) A TEAM from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCSPNG) based in Goroka, Eastern Highlands, is one of the groups that delivered some urgently needed food relief to the victims of Kegesuglo landslip.WCSPNG, in coordination with local community-based organisation (CBO) KGWan Eco-Habitat Inc, visited the community at the foot of PNG’s highest mountain Mt Wilhelm, on April 23 and delivered the food.WCSPNG assistant director John Kuange expressed his condolences to the relatives of the 10 people...

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(May 21, 2020) The WCS Highlands team recently visited a new project site in Mauberema, located in Sinesine Yongumugl District, Chimbu Province. The team arrived to a warm welcome from the executives and members of the Mauberema Ecotourism & Conservation Project (MENCERTC) community-based organization (CBO). MENCERTC was established in 2017 and has been working to conserve Mauberema’s wildlife and support Mauberema community’s development aspirations. WCS has been impressed with this CBO’...

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(April 22, 2020) THE Government of Papua New Guinea outlined an ambitious plan to nearly double the size of the national road network under the Medium-Term Development Plan 2018-2022 with aims of spurring economic growth and social service delivery.However, in a recently published joint analysis of these plans in the international scientific journal Plos One, researchers from James Cook University, the University of Papua New Guinea and the Wildlife Conservation Society PNG found the plan has not adequately cons...

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(April 21, 2020) The Highlands of Papua New Guinea are one of the most biologically rich regions on earth. The magnificent forests of the region have supported the culture and livelihoods of communities for millennia and are famed around the world for iconic species such as birds-of-paradise and tree kangaroos.However, as the population rapidly grows and communities seek to increase cash incomes, the region’s incredible biodiversity is declining. Iconic species such as the Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo ...

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(April 21, 2020) For many years, biologists and conservationists across the globe have recognized Papua New Guinea as one of the world’s greatest hotspots for biodiversity. Some 300 kilometers north of New Guinea’s mainland is the island of Manus. Its Great Central Forest covers approximately 70,000 hectares of the largest, remnant patch of intact forest in the Admiralty Islands.The forest boasts many species found nowhere else, including the Admiralty cuscus, the Superb Pita, and the Manus melomys. ...

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(April 21, 2020) The people of Papua New Guinea treasure feathers from the Pesquet’s parrot for use in ceremonial headdresses. But the practice could be driving the birds to extinction.

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(April 21, 2020) Negative impacts of climate change can significantly affect food and socio-economic security of smallholder farming communities.To enhance the resilience of these communities, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Nari have collaborated under the Darwin Initiative – Climate Change Partnership project to diversify their access to improved crop varieties and farming practices in order to reduce unsustainable harvest of wild plants and animals. 

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(April 21, 2020) A blessed country of spectacular landscapes and the most diverse array of cultures on Earth, Papua New Guinea is also a global hotspot for biodiversity. Just in terms of species, the South Pacific nation has more birds than all of North America, over three-quarters of the world’s hard corals, and at least 2,000 reef fish. At least 131 kinds of sharks and rays have been documented in its waters, including four species of endangered sawfish. Indeed, the waters of Papua New Guinea and norther...

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(April 04, 2019) Fifty-two clans from Papua New Guinea's Manus Island have renewed a pact to protect the island's last remaining tract of indigenous rainforest.The clans together own 43,000 hectares in the island's centre, and they've opted to conserve it rather than bow to the pressures of logging and mining.They were mustered by the NGO, Wildlife Conservation Society, whose PNG director, Ambroise Brenier, says Manus Island is a biodiversity hotspot with species found nowhere else on the planet.Dr Brenier told ...

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(April 04, 2019) Fifty-two clans from Papua New Guinea's Manus Island have renewed a pact to protect the island's last remaining tract of indigenous rainforest.The clans together own 43,000 hectares in the island's centre, and they've opted to conserve it rather than bow to the pressures of logging and mining.They were mustered by the NGO, Wildlife Conservation Society, whose PNG director, Ambroise Brenier, says Manus Island is a biodiversity hotspot with species found nowhere else on the planet.Dr Brenier told ...

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(March 21, 2019) Fifty-two clans on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea (PNG), recently renewed conservation agreements to protect 43,000 Hectares of their forested land areas.The renewal of these conservation agreements, that were first initiated in 2014 with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), represent an ongoing commitment by local communities to conserve two-thirds of the Great Central Forest on Manus Island for their long-term livelihood sustenance.Located north of the island of New Guinea, Manus Island ha...

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(November 20, 2018) The protected area will contribute to the protection of the Bismarck Range forest, a contiguous intact forest corridor in the central highlands of Papua New Guinea, one of the world’s top seven regions for the highest plant diversity and an area supporting the highest mammal and amphibian species richness and endemism in the country.Papua New Guinea, one of the world’s least developed nations, is home to the largest remaining rainforests outside the Congo and Amazon. This forest is u...

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(November 19, 2018) To ensure better planning, engagement and participation of all relevant stakeholders, workshops on Review of REDD+ Stakeholder Engagement were conducted in three pilot provinces from 5-9 October in Papua New Guinea (PNG) under the PNG REDD+ Programme.These review workshops were held following by the completion of REDD+ stakeholders mapping assessment in the previous month in those pilot provinces, including East New Britain (ENB), West New Britain (WNB) and Madang.Terence Barambi, Acting Manager...

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(November 06, 2018) WCS President and CEO Dr. Cristián Samper issued the following statement on the announcement of 7,500 square kilometers of new marine protected areas in Papua New Guinea’s Bismarck Sea:“We applaud the Government of Papua New Guinea for its recently announced commitment to protect an enormous expanse of one of the world’s natural wonders: the Bismarck Sea. Papua New Guinea is already well known as a land of great cultural diversity and home to the famous birds of paradise...

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(April 04, 2017) WCS New Ireland Program commemorated the World Water Day with two schools in Kavieng town last month. The event was celebrated on its annual international sanctioned date - March 22 with the theme Waste Water. WCS community engagement officer Mr. Francis Gove and community facilitator Ms. Nerry Mana celebrated the event with the Cateret and Sacred Heart Primary Schools. They talked to students about the importance of water and how it should be conserved to sustain their livelihoods and household...

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(March 06, 2017) Mussau Island in New Island Province lies 160 kilometres north of Kavieng and is well known for having a large population of green turtles. However, recent surveys by WCS have found turtle densities around the island to be highly variable.  Two villages, Nae and Lolieng, are separated by just 33 kilometres of coastline have very different turtle densities. For example, the reef crest at Lolieng supports an average of 7 turtles per hectare whereas the same habitat at Nae has only 0...

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(February 16, 2017) Ambroise Brenier is the new country director for the WCS PNG program.He joined the Goroka head office at the beginning of this year with his wife and two daughters.For the past 13 years Ambroise has worked in Africa, Indian Ocean and Pacific regions to develop and implement field based marine conservation and coastal fishery management initiatives. In 2016, he led the WWF ocean conservation efforts in French overseas territories. From 2010 to 2015 he led the WCS's marine prog...

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(September 13, 2016) We have a campaign to “Strongim kastom – Lukautim Bilas Bilong Yu,” for the 60th Goroka Cultural show this weekend from the 16th – 18th September. Hundreds of cultural groups gather annually to celebrate the country’s Independence Day in their traditional attires. But have you ever thought about how many different birds and animals go into making those outfits? We have and with this campaign “Strongim Kastom – Lukautim Bilas Bilong Yu,” we will be ...

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(September 08, 2016) Three primary schools in New Ireland province celebrated this year’s World Water Week with a stream of fun and activities with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). WCS New Ireland’s Climate Change Educational Resource Centre (CCERC) involved students from the Elivanera, Sacred Heart and Cateret primary schools in various educational activities about water. “This is so that students would understand the roles water play in our lives and the importance of saving it,” sa...

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(July 21, 2016) Three student groups were awarded token of appreciation for their efforts in writing the best essays and poem during the World Environment day celebrations with WCS New Ireland in June.   As part of the centre’s WED celebrations activity, participating schools were given the opportunity to write essays and poems on the WED theme ‘Fight Against the Illegal Trade of Wildlife’.   Grade eight students of Maiom Primary school and grade seven students of Kaselok Primary sch...

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(July 21, 2016) Addressing food security is a key project activity for WCS PNG.WCS recently completed a soil fertility and pests & diseases management training with 75 locals from the Tigak Group of Islands in New Ireland province from the 6th-13th June.This project activity is funded under the Australian Government’s Direct Aid Program (DAP) which also includes other activities that WCS New Ireland has been actively involved in since March this year.It was the first of its kind for the participants of Salapiu,...

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(April 21, 2016) WCS PNG programme has published a major report in relation to the country’s national circumstances for implementing REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation including the promotion of activities that enhance forest carbon stocks) and for understanding the key direct and indirect factors that are driving deforestation and forest degradation in the country. The report, which is titled “Analysis of National Circumstances in the Context of REDD+ and Identi...

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(March 29, 2016) A project to help rural communities in five provinces in the country tell their climate change stories is underway with two island villages in New Ireland province been the first to complete a media workshop on digital storytelling. Funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Climate Change Development Authority-CCDA (formerly OCCD) this was one of the activities that the Wildlife Conservation Society in Papua New Guinea (WCS PNG) was contracted to undertake...

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(March 29, 2016) Prohibiting destructive fishing practices, closing fish spawning aggregation sites, minimum size limits, no-take areas and rotational harvesting of some invertebrates are a few of the fisheries management initiatives that villages of the Tigak and Tsoi Islands in New Ireland province have agreed to include in their fisheries management plans. 10 communities in the Tigak and Tsoi Islands have been working in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society Papua New Guinea programme to sustai...

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(March 16, 2016) WCS will be undertaking a new programme of environmental education work in New Ireland Province thanks to support from the Australian Government Direct Aid Program (DAP). This funding from DAP will help to bring school children into WCS’s Climate Change Education Resource Centre and to support a schools outreach programme where WCS staff will deliver information and curriculum materials on climate change and the environment to primary schools throughout the province. A further as...

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(November 24, 2015) Villagers in Central Manus celebrated the opening of four community projects and the signing of new conservation agreements with WCS recently in order to preserve their forests and ensure lasting benefits from their land. With support from the Australian Government and PNKA and Pobuma Local Level Governments the communities and WCS partnered together to construct a community hall, primary school, foot bridge and a water supply system at the villages of Tulu 1, Tulu 2 and Lahapau on the north coa...

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(November 19, 2015) A report on finance tracking of activities aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) in Papua New Guinea was recently released under the REDDX (REDD eXpenditures) initiative of Forest Trends. This 28 page report authored by WCS staff Bensolo Ken and co-authored by Ezra Neale presents findings from the first round of REDD+ finance tracking in PNG from 2009 – 2014. The REDDX initiative is the first comprehensive attempt to track and report on fin...

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(November 19, 2015) A coastal hazard assessment of Manus and New Ireland provinces, undertaken by WCS, has identified that local people and decision makers have a low awareness of the value of protection services provided by their coastal environment.  While there is a lack of measures in place to protect coastlines against flooding, communities however do show a high degree of adaptation to low-intensity flooding events. The 45 page report titled ‘Protecting against coastal hazards in Manus and New Irel...

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(November 12, 2015) Four primary schools in the Pomuti, Ndrehet, Kurti and Andra Local Level Government (PNKA LLG) of Manus Province were the first lot to receive climate change educational resource materials from (WCS) Papua New Guinea programme.Tulu, Bundralis, Ponam and Andra primary schools received six copies of a climate change teachers resource book each and five copies each of two different climate change related posters last week.Three copies of the resource book were presented to the provincial education ...

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(November 12, 2015) Teachers in New Ireland province will now be able to teach students in primary and secondary schools the importance of mangroves and climate change.This followed the endorsement of the distribution of two teachers’ resource handbooks and a student mangrove study guide by the provincial education board in October.The handbooks titled ‘Climate Change Adaptation Teachers Resource Book’, ‘First Edition of Introduction to Mangroves: A teaching Resource for Lower Primary’ and ‘Mangrove Field Study Boo...

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(September 20, 2015) It’s the time of the year again when we celebrate our independence as a nation by donning our traditional bilas and proudly displaying our cultural identity as Papua New Guineans. Bilas is our cultural fingerprint whether we are from the Islands or the Highlands. Behind every bilas outfit are species of plants and animals – and a relationship which intertwines nature and culture in PNG. This is the story of a modern-day quest to understand one of those species. Have you ever wondered...

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(August 25, 2015) Last month WCS New Ireland was among stakeholders and conservation partners who celebrated the World Mangrove Day with local community based organisation (CBO) West Coast Development Foundation.World Mangrove Day falls on the 26th of July annually and was observed by the team on the 27th with locals in Central New Ireland - Namatanai District.Jonathan Mesulam, coordinator of the local CBO based in Danu – Central New Ireland in the Namatanai District invited WCS to participate in the event as a p...

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(August 21, 2015) The recently launched WCS Climate Change Educational Resource Centre in Kavieng opened its doors to its first excursion group this month (August).A grade seven class of 29 students from Kaselok Primary school were the first group to visit the centre two weeks ago to use its resources for research.Community Engagement officer, Francis Gove said the class visit was the first apart from the occasional individual student visits since the opening of the centre in April this year.“Students come to the...

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(July 31, 2015) Findings from the 2014 expedition on PNG’s remote northern most islands of Manus and Mussau have been published.The project was funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund as part of a programme integrating biodiversity and community needs within the region.Presented recently to officials and stakeholders in Kavieng, New Ireland Province, the 85 page book documents a total of 440 species of which 13 are new or undescribed species.Included amongst the new species are four frog species, a la...

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(June 25, 2015) The Manus Green Tree Snail is now listed as “Near Threatened” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) comprehensive global inventory of the conservation status of species known as the “Red List”.On 23 June, the IUCN released its updated Red List of Threatened Species that included the iconic Manus green tree snail.The snail is now recognised as “Near Threatened” meaning although the population is declining there is no immediate ext...

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(June 03, 2015) WCS is working with island communities in Manus Province to introduce and train them the gardening techniques called ‘atoll farming’.Atoll farming is a gardening technique for islands and atolls where the soil is very sandy. It uses techniques of composting and integration of crop residues to improve the soil water holding capacity, improve soil fertility, aeration and soil structure required for healthy crop growth.WCS Manus’ Agriculture Officer, George Puipui conducted the training on Andra Is...

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(May 24, 2015) Two coastal communities from the Tigak Group of Islands in northern New Ireland Province recently completed a predictive sea level rise mapping exercise with experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Provincial Environment and Climate Change office.The exercise was undertaken from the 3rd to 8th May and involved locals from Limanak and Nonovaul islands. It was undertaken in order to map the potential impact of rising sea levels at these two communities and to raise awareness among c...

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(April 30, 2015) WCS PNG opened a new Climate Change Education Resource Centre in its Kavieng office today (30th April, 2015).Director of the Fisheries and Marine Resources Division of the New Ireland Authority, Donald Papaol when officiating the ceremony said that the centre would be a source to disseminate information that would empower communities to make the right decisions to look after their environment.The centre is intended to promote awareness and understanding of the causes of climate change and ways t...

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(April 21, 2015) WCS celebrates Earth Day today to highlight the need for environmental protection in Papua New Guinea and around the world.Our theme is ‘to not let the earth’s key species disappear’ and internationally we are working to save gorillas, tigers, vultures, sharks and elephants.The WCS PNG team supports these international goals and within PNG we are working to prevent the extinction of tree kangaroos, long-beaked echidna, vulturine parrots, birds of paradise, sharks, turtles and coral reefs.WCS PNG...

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(April 21, 2015) Further work from WCS’s biodiversity surveys on Manus and Mussau Island has confirmed that this work uncovered at least a dozen new species. Some of these new species are featured on BBC Earth’s website at the following link: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150415-new-species-and-vital-wildlife-haven-discovered-in-papua-new-guineaThe surveys were supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) with the approval of the PNG Conservation and Environment Protection Auth...

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(April 10, 2015) How do you tell if a mud crab is reproductively mature? And why do you need to know this?WCS intern, Mildred Kelokelo, based in Kavieng, has just completed a month’s training acquiring skills in methods for the rapid reproductive analysis of reef fishes and invertebrates with her work focusing on mud crabs.Mildred was part of the 2015 Bishop Museum’s Pacific Biological Survey (PBS) program that was conducted from 9th March to 3rd April at Nago Island Mariculture and Research Facility...

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(April 02, 2015) WCS Goroka recently completed its first ever participatory 3D modelling workshop with locals of the Miruma Upper Asaro Rural Local Level Government (LLG) in the Daulo district - Eastern Highlands Province.The workshop was conducted at Miruma from the 16th – 20th March and involved two local representatives from each of the seven clans that make up the LLG.Project Coordinator and WCS Social Researcher, Sylvia Noble said that the workshop was a first of its kind with WCS PNG taking the lead in org...

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(March 31, 2015) Island communities in New Ireland province have been actively involved in a range of fisheries-related activities that the WCS Marine program in Kavieng had been conducting under its Small-Scale Fisheries Management project.The two year fisheries project is funded by the David Lucile and Packard Foundation, though the marine team intends to continue its work well into the future.WCS Fisheries Technical Advisor and project manager, Dr Sven Frijlink and his team had recently carried out these fish...

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(March 05, 2015) Have you ever seen a dragon breathe fire? I guess it’s a no! Yet, you may have come across a dragon many times and not known it!There was a fair amount of eyebrow raising when the front page of Post Courier on Monday 10th November 2014 announced to the world that a team of our scientists discovered a dragon on Mussau Island in New Ireland province.Some people expressed disappointment on seeing the front page of the Post Courier that the animal was actually a lizard rather than a mythical dragon....

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(March 03, 2015) Today marks the World Wildlife Day.We were honoured to have been a part of the World Wildlife Day celebrations in Port Moresby over the weekend that was hosted by the Port Moresby Nature Park, and included representatives from the RSPCA and NCDC.World Wildlife Day, is a United Nations General Assembly’s sanctioned day for 3rd March to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild flora and fauna. The date was proclaimed on 20 December 2013, during its 68th session.WCS PNG Director Richard Cu...

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(February 12, 2015) As a person whose passion lies in agriculture and the land, WCS New Ireland’s intern Sammie Waru had never thought that diving would set him off on a new and exciting part of his career.Sammie was part of a team that took part in a one week scuba diving course with the Scuba Ventures in Kavieng last month.The course was part of his internship program with WCS under the David and Lucile Packard Foundation funded 'Small-scale Fisheries Management' project.“It was such an experience and a challenge...

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(December 16, 2014) The WCS New Ireland team has recruited new community facilitators (CFs) to be the bridge between its work and partner communities in the province.Ten young and vibrant locals joined the team of six (6) existing CFs in an extensive week of information exchange and training that was carried out between the 10th- 14th November in Kavieng.Trainer and WCS PNG’s Senior Community Engagement Specialist John Par Kagl said that the new CFs were a group that showed enthusiasm and charisma during the traini...

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(December 11, 2014) Two elementary teachers from one of WCS PNG’s most remote project sites completed two days of training with local partner and conservation organisation the Research & Conservation Foundation (RCF) on Tuesday, 9th December 2014 in Goroka.The teachers Peter Aiyo Mark and Laimon Asam were instrumental also in the consultation and verification process of finalising the recently developed elementary curriculum handbook for the primary school students of Ikundi – Souwi Valley.They were presented with ...

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(December 11, 2014) Mangroves are an important forest ecosystem for many coastal communities in Papua New Guinea.Conservation of this forest ecosystem for sustainable harvesting and management of resources that it provides is vital for the sustainability of livelihoods. WCS New Ireland under its mangrove rehabilitation and protection initiative has been carrying out mangrove health assessments on several island communities in the province.This WCS PNG initiative is funded by the USAID Mangrove Rehabilitation for Su...

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(December 11, 2014) WCS New Ireland team has engaged two graduates from the University of Natural Resources and Environment (UNRE) Vudal Campus for a one year internship program.The graduates, Mildred Kelokelo and Sammie Waru graduated from Vudal in March this year and recently joined the WCS team in August under WCS’s sustainable small-scale fisheries program, which is funded by the David and Lucille Packard Foundation.Their work and research projects are supervised by WCS Fisheries Management officer Dr Sven Frij...

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(December 11, 2014) She might be new to the place but she feels at home.Volunteer, Sarah Lawless (pictured) joined the WCS PNG New Ireland program in October and says she is looking forward to working with the local communities.Serah is a social scientist specialising in researching the social aspects of fisheries.She has previously worked in the Solomon Islands with several marine conservation organisations before she came to PNG and began working with the WCS team in New Ireland.She now works under the supervisio...

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(November 10, 2014) A month long expedition undertaken by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to PNG’s remote northern most islands of Manus Province and Mussau Island in New Ireland Province has discovered many new species of plants, geckos, lizards and bats as well as surprisingly large populations of marine turtles, coconut crabs, and fruit bats.The expedition which ended last week and consisted of a team of international and local scientists, also found the rare woolly bat on Manus Island, a species that ha...

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(October 07, 2014) As part of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s ongoing conservation efforts in the Melanesia region, a team of internationally renowned scientists, WCS staff and students have began a month of biodiversity field surveys of the forests of Central Manus Province and Mussau Island in New Ireland Province (NIP).Under the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) project the team (pictured) has currently set up camp at Mt Sabomu in the Pobuma LLG, on the south coast of Manus Island.The team has alre...

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(September 29, 2014) Coastal communities in the country will now benefit from a recently published community-based mangrove planting handbook.The country’s only female mangrove specialist and WCS PNG’s Biologist Mazzella Maniwavie said coastal communities and mangrove practitioners would greatly benefit from the handbook.“I am happy and relieved that the book has been published and cannot wait to see communities start using it”, said Mazzella.The Office of Climate Change and Development (OCCD) in collaboration with ...

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(September 25, 2014) Colgate Palmolive Limited today delivered posters and boxes of Colgate toothbrushes and toothpastes to the WCS PNG’s Goroka office.This follows a mutual partnership between the two organisations to implement Colgate-Palmolive’s Health Outreach program in one of WCS PNG’s remotest project site in the Souwi Valley.Early this month (5th September) two WCS PNG staff members were inducted to carry out the health program.Colgate Dentist Dr Shirley Kauba introduced the company’s Bright Smiles, Bright F...

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(September 14, 2014) Mangrove ecosystems are a vital habitat for coastal communities providing an important source of coastal protection, timber resources, and fish nursery areas.Imparting knowledge and skills to locals and students on the importance of mangroves can help sustain the livelihoods of coastal people and help them adapt to climate change.Four environmental science students of the Pacific Adventist University (PAU) recently completed an intensive three weeks work experience on Mangrove Health Assessment ...

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(September 04, 2014) The Wildlife Conservation Society Papua New Guinea program (WCS PNG) seeks applications for four positions based in the organisation’s New Ireland team, Kavieng, New Ireland Province. Candidates are sought in the following areas: 1. Community Engagement Officer2. Senior Marine Biologist3. Marine Biologist4. Agricultural Support Officer To request further details and a full job description please contact Ms Marygrace Wanamp (email: mwanamp@wcs.org; Telephone 532 3494) and sp...

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(July 07, 2014) WSC PNG has continued its work on clan boundary mapping (CBM) in the central region of Manus Island. The purpose of the mapping is to assist local communities to protect the last remaining intact tropical rainforest that occurs in the central Manus. Other parts of the island have been extensively and indiscriminately logged in the past two decades. WCS PNG’s GIS officer, Jacob Kimagl spent three months from February to April in Manus carrying out clan boundary mapping. His work covered the...

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(June 11, 2014) Traditional bilas (adornment) has been a part of the Papua New Guinean culture for centuries. The use of bird’s feathers was and is still the most common and spectacular sight during cultural shows and festivals. In the recent years, PNG’s cultural heritage and the cultural shows have gained recognition widely thus resulting in the demand for more birds’ feathers for the adornment (bilas). Over hunting and several other factors have threatened and led to a decline in the number...

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(June 10, 2014) WCS PNG programme recently celebrated a milestone following the announcement of one of its employee as a recipient of the 2014 WCS Global Employee recognition award. John Kuange,Community Engagement Team leader (pictured) was the proud recipient of the award. The Employee Recognition Award is an annual initiative of the WCS Headquarters in New York,USA. It acknowledges its full- time employees that show high values and commitment held by WCS by honoring them under three different categories; the...

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(February 27, 2014) WCSPNG is implementing a Village-REDD+ demonstration activity on Manus Island inthe largest remaining area of forest in the Admiralty Islands. REDD+ (“ReducedEmissions from Deforestation and Degradation” with the “+” referring tosustainable forest management, enhancement of carbon stocks, and conservation)is a new approach to conserving tropical forests in Papua New Guinea and aimsto protect the carbon in PNG’s forests by working with individual clans andcommunities...

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(February 27, 2014) WCS is working with supportfrom the David & Lucille Packard Foundation on a program to enable localcommunities to manage small-scale fisheries in Papua New Guinea, with thisproject initially being undertaken in New Ireland Province. On the 13 and 14February 2014 WCS hosted a fisheries stakeholders meeting in Kavieng, NewIreland, to hold an initial project workshop for region-wide priority setting. Representatives from the National Fisheries College, Provincial FisheriesAuthority, Provinci...

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(February 27, 2014) A strikingly beautiful blue damselfly (a close relative of thedragonfly) named Hylaeargia lisae is the first newspecies to be scientifically described from the WCS Hindenburg Wallbiodiversity expedition of 2013 (follow this link for more on the Hindenburg Wall). TheWCS expedition took place at an area known as the Hindenburg Wall which is aseries of limestone escarpements and plateaus running some 50 km within theStar Mountains of Papua New Guinea’s Western Province.   The epic ...

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(February 27, 2014) WCS’s New Ireland program recently completed its Marine Field Coursewith all 21 students successfully attending this three week course duringNovember and December 2013. This field course is the only specialized marinecourse in PNG and teaches students a wide range of practical skills andtheoretical knowledge, ranging from course modules on fisheries biology,mangrove and sea grass ecosystems, and sampling and statistical analysis.  Morethan 80 applicants were received by WCS, with the...

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(December 07, 2011) Coral reefs have a lot of reasons to be stressed out. Climate change, pollution, ultra-violet rays, coastal run-off and rough weather all take their toll on reefs. These threats trickle down to the many marine species that depend on reefs for homes, food, and breeding grounds. Earlier this year, WCS researchers developed a stress test (see A Stress Test for Corals on Edge) to ascertain just how well coral reefs are handling the changing conditions within their environment. This h...

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(May 31, 2009) Experts have called the long-beaked echidna impossible to study, but the challenge didn’t deter Muse D. Opiang. The Wildlife Conservation Society research intern spent thousands of hours over several years on the trail of the porcupine-sized creatures in the wilds of Papua New Guinea. His grueling work in PNG’s Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area represented the first study of this rare, egg-laying mammal. The long-beaked echidna, also called the spiny anteater, lives only in N...

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(March 17, 2009) The world’s epicenter for sea life, the 1.6 billion acre Coral Triangle region got a big boost from the leaders of six heads of state. On May 15, 2009, leaders from Indonesia, the Philippines, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Malaysia gathered in Manado, Indonesia to officially launch the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF). The Coral Triangle is home to more than 500 species of reef-building corals and more than 3,000 specie...

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