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Views: 4960 | 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 the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Mama Graun Conservation Trust Fund had made it possible for the publication of the handbook.
Mazzella (pictured) received the final printed copy of the handbook last week Tuesday (23rd September, 2014) from the Office of Climate Change and Development.
She had spent eight months from July 2013 – June 2014 with the climate change office as an editor and author alongside staff from partner organisations to complete the handbook which was launched in a small occasion straight after its completion on 4th June this year.
The handbook is a step-by-step guide to implementing mangrove rehabilitation projects in the country. It is a milestone for Papua New Guinea and WCS as it is the first guide of its kind to be published in the country.
“I am proud to be part of this achievement which was a long, tedious and challenging task but a great experience for me”.
“I would like to thank all WCS staff particularly Nathan Whitmore and Arison Arihafa and ex-staff members Tanya Zeriga and former WCS Country Director Ross Sinclair, as well as my co-authors from OCCD, WWF and Mama Graun”, she said.
She is happy that the book is available to help locals set up projects to look after their mangrove forests.
Mazzella is now looking forward to having another book on mangroves published soon.
She said a follow-up of the step-by-step guide would be a pictorial guide on mangrove species to help locals identify the different types of mangroves that they are using for their rehabilitation projects.
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