Hatchling pig-nosed turtle from Wau Creek, Kikori region, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Our projects in Papua New Guinea aim to provide awareness and capacity building at local level and empower communities with the knowledge necessary to manage local biodiversity. At the same time, we work on a national level to implement our environmental educational material in the Papua New Guinea school curriculum.
Monty and Kopi Village children with their copy of the book "Monty and the Lake Kutubu Invasion" - a book about the dangers of invasive species
Piku Project
We have being working in the Kikori delta (Gulf Province) since 2007, where we created the "Piku Project". We chose the pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta) – Piku – as the best avenue by which we can interact with the Kikori communities to bring about positive outcomes for biodiversity conservation and sustainability. However, the benefits extend much more broadly. The project builds capacity in the local community to deal with environmental challenges as they arise, and supports community-led initiatives such as the establishment of protected areas, and managing environmental impacts more generally. The Piku Project is a partnership between Charles Darwin University, University of Canberra, Piku Biodiversity Network, and it is sponsored by Exxon-Mobil PNG-LNG.
Barramundi caught at the Kikori Delta
Ebei Project
The Kikori and Purari deltas together comprise the largest contiguous area of mangroves in Papua New Guinea. At present, 63 estuarine, 59 marine and 15 riverine adult fish species are found in this area. Our long-term project aim is to create a lower Kikori Community based fishery management plan. This project is currently in its initial phase. In 2018 and 2019 we will build capacity at local level and start a grassroots fisheries monitoring program of three distinctive species: (1) the iconic Nurseryfish (Kurtus gulliveri), (2) the economically significant Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) and (3) the recent introduced Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). The Ebei Project is a Charles Darwin Univeristy Project and funded by the Exxon-Mobil PNG-LNG offset program on Lower Kikori.