Conservation International PNG gets funding from USAID Pacific American Climate Fund

Alotau, Papua New Guinea: The U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Pacific American Climate Fund (PACAM) awarded a grant to Conservation International PNG to heighten awareness of climate change impacts, and empower citizens of four islands in Papua New Guinea to manage their ecosystems and adapt to climate change. Conservation International will receive funding for its project, Spreading the Reach of Community-Based Marine Management in Milne Bay, utilizing traditional storytelling as the means to create environmental awareness. The project will be implemented on the islands of Nuakata, Tubetube, Kwaraiwa, and Ware of the Milne Bay Province over an 18-month period.

The initiative was officially launched in Alotau, Milne Bay, on February 27. U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Walter E. North, said, “As part of our efforts to build on and strengthen our relationship with Papua New Guinea, and work together to respond to the threat of climate change, it is a pleasure to celebrate with you today this grant provided by the American people to the people of Papua New Guinea.”

“The Pacific-American Climate fund is a key initiative of the U.S. Government to support Pacific countries to identify, develop, and implement local solutions to climate change adaptation that will also make global contributions,” Ambassador North added.

The new project will create videos documenting the perspective of community members and community groups on changes in the status of their marine resources, the reasons for these changes, and how to ensure sustainable benefits from healthy marine resources into the future. The videos will be shared with communities and schools working with the PNG Division of Education and Centre for Locally Managed Areas (CLMA). 

Fifty percent of the province’s coastal population of over 175,000 is under 19 years of age. As this population doubles within the next 30 years, the pressure on natural resources will increase significantly. While local food security and community health depends on the Milne Bay ecosystem, which contains 32 percent of PNG’s highly biodiverse coral reefs, it is under threat from overfishing, land-based pollution and climate change impacts, including more frequent storms and cyclones and rising sea levels.

For nearly 20 years, Conservation International (CI) has worked with communities, governments, industries and agencies to develop innovative conservation of important species and ecosystems