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Climate Change

Mangrove Project for Hansa Bay Area

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Mangrove Project

Climate Change and the rise in sea level is very concerning, the devastation caused to the Coast line is inevitable. The rural population in Papua New Guinea cannot cope with the loss of their coastline and the threat to their eco system.

But what can Papua New Guineans do but take the lead in mitigating the effects of climate change? The Hansa bay area in Bogia District Madang Province is losing it’s coast line and the inhabitants are struggling to keep their marine eco system intact for future generations.

Hamex Rupia is from Southern Highlands Province but has built a livelihood and found a home in the Hanasa Bay area, along Bogia District in Madang Province. He has become a part of the community and he is one of the members in the community that has stood up to help mitigate the effects of climate change.

His organization, GTEN Fundraiser Network Inc, is leading the way in the Hansa Bay mangrove nursery and planting. He says communities have taken the initiative to start planting mangroves to help protect their coastline from the rising tides.

Mangroves provide natural infrastructure to help protect nearby populated areas by reducing erosion and absorbing storm surge impacts during extreme weather events. They are also important to the ecosystem as their dense roots help bind and build soils.

Hamex and his community through the GEF Small Grants funding administered by the UNDP, started a nursery of mangrove plants, up to 10,000 mangrove plants are at their green house, and are slowly maturing. Hamex says they will wait for the second part of funding before they can do transplanting of the mangrove plants.

The community has struggled to get a decent catch close to their coastline, and are hoping for changes when the mangrove project is in full swing. They hope more fish will come thanks to the Mangroves that will cover the coastline.

There are also war relics and burial sites from World War II, which the community say has been under threat by rising sea levels. Hamex said some of the war relics have been destroyed by the sea. The community sees this as a Eco Tourism project. Hamex added that the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority has funded restoration of some of the War relics in the Hansa Bay area.

Hamex says they look to benefit from changes in their eco system as well in future.

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Climate Change

Community Based Organizations get Capacity Building Training

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Capacity Building Training

Environment Conservation is important in the modern age, with the effects of climate change, due to the extractive industry, industrialization and population growth, our natural environment is kept under stress.

Despite the challenges faced by rural Papua New Guinea, there are concerned citizens who see the need to take part in environmental conservation efforts.

The (GEF) Small Grants program which is implemented by the United Nations Development Program. It provides grants of up to 50,000 USD, directly to CSOs and community-based organizations (CBO’s). This is for grantees to undertake local projects that contribute to the global environment while generating sustainable livelihoods.

Local NGOs in Papua New Guinea that receive these grants go through basic capacity building. Which includes training in leadership and project management. This will help these small Community Based Organizations to manage funding and also in future be well equipped to apply for further funding to sustain their projects.

The Capacity training for Southern, Momase and the NGI regions was held in Port Moresby. This was facilitated by Conservation Forum PNG, with John Ericho as the facilitator.

Whilst the patrons of these projects are experienced in their capacity to drive their projects forward, they still need further training especially in management and sourcing further funding for project longevity. That’s why the one week training held in Port Moresby was important.

John added that there was a host of successful projects. Which included, Carbon Trading, Mangrove Planting and Coral conservation just to name a few. These projects are run by community based organizations that involve the whole community working together.

The team even visited a site where there is a coral rehabilitation program. The project is called Hiri Coral and it is located in the Tubusereia area of Central Province along the Motuan Coastline.

John Ericho says he believes that it is the community themselves that are responsible for conservation. He added that they own the resources and decide how to use it and if whether or not they want to take part in environment conservation as well.

Recent: https://insidepng.com/carbon-trading-benefitting-communities/

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News

Peace Building Efforts

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Peace Building

UNDP Country Resident Representative, Nicholas Booth and Deputy Resident Representative Edward Vrkic have visited Hela province as part of UNDP’s continued efforts towards peace building.

The highlight of the 3-day visit was a Peace Agreement Signing Ceremony between four clans from the Tigibi Community, Hulia LLG Komo-Margarima District.

The humbling ceremony saw leaders and members of the four clans perform a symbolic ‘Burning of Prejudices’ and ‘Washing of Hands’ ritual before signing a formal peace agreement to stop violence, resume normalcy and achieve peace in their communities.

Through its partner, the United Church of Papua New Guinea (UCPNG), UNDP has supported the Tigibi Community with conflict mediation and post-conflict recovery support.

Peace Building
UNDP Country Resident Representative presents roofing materials to a recipient.

While in Tari, Mr. Booth met with UNDP supported mediators and joined the Provincial Administration in the distribution of roofing materials to 127 communities, who participated in a District Peace and Development Dialogue.

Hela Deputy Provincial Administrator, Tai Lawe, and the provincial administration management team were happy to host the UNDP representatives and said such joint efforts are needed to promote peace building efforts.

Peace Building UNDP
Participants at a District Peace and Development Dialogue.
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Environment

Capacity Building for Environment Conservation

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14 highlands based Community Based Organizations (CBO)s that do work on nature conservation received two weeks training on capacity building and media recently.

The participants from across the highlands region, converged at Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, at the Research and Conservation Foundation (PNG) conference center.

The training was facilitated by Conservation Forum PNG with trainer John Ericho taking lead in the training.

The NGOs and CBOs are funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants program which is implemented by the United Nations Development Program. The GEF SGP provides grants of up to USD 50,000 directly to CSOs and community-based organizations (CBO’s) to undertake local projects that contribute to the global environment while generating sustainable livelihoods.

Managing and sustaining these projects is part of the training for these grantees.

It was fulfilling for most of the attendees that took part. Peter Kaman from Jiwaka works with Bridging Gap a drug addiction rehabilitation center in Jiwaka Province.

They substitute their income through honey production and his community is planting trees to preserve bees that in-return produce honey in the Waghi Valley in Jiwaka. Peter like many of the attendees are hoping to benefit from their conservation work, which in turn provides sustainability for their community.

Peter Kaman of Bridging Gap, Jiwaka Province, attending the training.

Like most the need to preserve nature is a choice that communities have taken up.

Interest in learning how to manage a change project within the community requires a wholistic approach and many participants were excited to take part in the training.

Trainer John Eriko says there is a desire for conservation and the Government is helping in terms of providing funding avenues for Community Based Organizations to take part in conservation work.

Related: https://insidepng.com/environment-conservation-and-land-management/

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News

More Focus on GBV and SARV

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GBV/SARV Workshop

by Harlyne Joku – Freelance Journalist

Hot spot areas of Gender Based Violence and Sorcery Accusation-Related Violence (GBV and SARV) especially in the highlands and other remote areas need more focus according to the Secretary for Community Development and Religion, Jerry Ubase .

Participants and speakers at GBV/SARV Workshop hosted at Gateway hotel, Port Moresby.
GBV/SARV Workshop hosted at Gateway hotel

Secretary Ubase made the remarks this morning (Wednesday 29th March) at the opening of the two-day GBV/SARV workshop held at the Gateway Hotel.

Mr Ubase welcomed participants of the workshop comprising of 13 Civil Society Organizations who are recipients of grants that help them carry crisis response and recovery services for the victims of GBV/SARV and urged them to do more.

“We need to do more; we need to extend the support further. We need to cover the wider areas of PNG especially the hot spot areas in the highlands.

“The government system has gone down to the provinces so we should not be pointing fingers to each other who is responsible to carry out tasks, we are all paid to serve our people,” Secretary Ubase said.

UNDP Gender Team Leader, Chelsea Magini speaking at the GBV/SARV Workshop in Port Moresby
UNDP Gender Team Leader, Chelsea Magini

UNDP Gender Team Leader, Chelsea Magini supported Secretary’s remarks saying she is happy to hear of the work or the CSOs done so far in the community level where the national and provincial governments cannot reach.

In 2022 the National Government allocated PGK7.93 million to address GBV, the biggest budget allocated to address GBV and SARV in PNG’s history.

On the 9th December 2022, the Department for Community Development and Religion (DFCDR) awarded 13 grants to civil society organizations.

The grants were jointly funded through the DFCDR and UNDP through the European Union Spotlight initiative on Eliminating Violence Against Women and Children.

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Feature

Transforming Papua New Guinea into a Force of Nature

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Home to lush tropical rainforests, magnificent mountains, and pristine islands and seas, Papua New Guinea is one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries, accounting for about five percent of global biodiversity.

However, climate change and unsustainable growth threaten these natural assets, ones that the people have enjoyed for thousands of years.

Sipora Naraga, a resident of Aromot Island, an atoll off the coast of Umbol Island the Vitiaz Strait of Morobe Province, laments about what has come to pass.

“Our island is smaller now than it was before.”

“The soil isn’t fertile like it used to be, we can’t grow anything here,” she says.

Sipora’s story speaks directly to the impacts of climate change, deforestation, and degradation of land and water.

PNG’s abundant natural assets underpin its potential to manage and use these assets to generate an ‘ecosystem services’ economy – based on fisheries, tourism, and renewable energy. And yet much of the country’s recent growth has been fueled by hydrocarbon-based industrialization and the extractive industries.

In 2019, extractives made up over a quarter of the country’s gross domestic product and accounted for 88% of its export revenues.

And yet, much of the population has not benefited from these revenues.

It is mostly subsistence-based agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors that account for a quarter of the GDP, and supports over 80% of the population.

Recognizing the threats to its marine and terrestrial environment and acknowledging its global role as a frontier nation in the fight against climate change, the Government of PNG has made several strong international commitments and has advanced its domestic legislation and policy statements.

Implementation, however, has fallen short of the commendable intent and ambition.

A report recently published by the PNG Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) and UNDP offers some clear insights.

The report – “Making Nature’s Value Visible” – presents clear evidence and data that the highly concentrated extractive-based growth, combined with insufficient enforcement of environmental standards cannot sustainably and inclusively increase the country’s prosperity.

Read More: “Making Nature’s Value Visible: Valuing the Contribution of Nature to Papua New Guinea Livelihoods ea.’s Economy and”  

The development imperative for PNG is clear. The country will gain significantly in both the short and long run, by pivoting its economy toward its most abundant resource: the natural environment. Moving rapidly to renewable energy, introducing sustainable agriculture and fisheries practices at scale, and restoring and regenerating the country’s marine and terrestrial environments, are all essential investments in the country’s future.

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