COMMUNITY-LED conservation projects in remote Papua New Guinea’s remote are receiving further technical and capacity-building support as regional conservation partners strengthen climate resilience and sustainable local forest management.
A team from the IUCN Oceania Regional Office spent 13 days in Simbu Province from visiting three community-based projects and working with local organisations on implementation, monitoring and long-term sustainability.
The team visited KGWan Eco Habitat Inc., Dika Suna Nature Conservation Inc. and Kup Reforestation across three districts in the province.
The projects focus on protecting forests, restoring degraded landscapes and strengthening climate-resilient livelihoods through locally led conservation.
KGWan Eco Habitat, which completed its project in March, established a community-led Deed of Conservation covering more than 12,000 hectares, alongside mushroom and native plant nurseries and beekeeping activities.
Dika Suna and Kup Reforestation are continuing work on native habitat restoration, reforestation and forest conservation.
Kiwa Project Coordinator Martin Child said the projects showed that climate resilience was strongest when conservation was locally led and community-based.
“Our local on-grantees are the experts and can achieve a great deal when resourced and supported,” Child said.
The mission also included face-to-face training on grants management, finance, procurement, communications, environmental and social safeguards, and monitoring and reporting.
Further grant-closure assistance will now be provided to KGWan Eco Habitat, while targeted support will continue for the Dika Suna and Kup Reforestation projects.
