The well-being of our partner communities is of critical importance to us. When a community is not healthy or can’t provide for the basic needs of its members then, inevitably, they turn to nearby wildlife as a source of nutrition. Vulnerable communities can also become targets for predatory companies who wish to access to their natural resources in exchange for a one-off cash benefit. If that weren’t enough, climate change has already negatively impacted the food production of many Papua New Guinea communities. As a result WCS PNG is:
- Partnering with the National Agricultural Research Institute to diversity the range of food crops and grow more drought and disease tolerant species at our project sites in order to improve food security.
- Supporting communities to develop nurseries and plant native woodlots as a part of a long term plan to alleviate dependence on vulnerable forests.
- Trialling conservation compatible cash crops (such as vanilla) as a means by which communities can earn a livelihood without sacrificing their environment.
- Trialling the husbandry of micro-livestock (e.g. chickens, ducks, rabbits, aquatic fish, and guinea pigs) in communities as a means of reducing protein dependence on wildlife.